Karnage84 Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 Now that we're officially into draft mode, I'm starting to try and work out how some different scenarios could look for the Lions in April. CORNERBACKS The Lions desperately need upgrades at CB. I don't think that the guys we would really want who fit our roster are going to be available (Mitchell, Arnold, McInstry) at #29 and I don't believe that we'll trade up to get one. We're likely going to address this position in free agency and find a running mate to go with CB2 Cam Sutton. DEFENSIVE LINE We need to upgrade our interior DL (principally at NT) and DE. I question whether the team will rely on Brodric Martin developing into something as our NT solution. We definitely need to add some other bodies as eventual replacements/upgrades for guys like Paschal and Cominsky. Hutchinson needs help to take attention away from him so that he can make plays. OFFENSIVE LINE Ragnow has announced that he is returning while Decker is slated to be back. Jonah Jackson is a UFA as is Graham Glasgow. I see us bringing back GG on a fair deal while Jackson probably goes to the free market. So that would leave us with a need at OG. #29 - Darius Robinson, Edge, Missouri: A fast-rising prospect, Robinson showed out at the Senior Bowl. He's 296 lbs and can play either inside or out. The Lions find their upgraded version of John Cominsky. He's getting Cam Jordan comps. #61 - Dominick Puni, OG, Kansas: Puni can play at OT or OG and is strong in the run game. #73 - Jarvis Brownlee, CB, Louisville: Brownlee checks all of the boxes for what the Lions are looking for - he's got good size (5'10, 183 lbs), he's strong against the run, in zone and he's a playmaker (16.2% of coverage snaps). He is not afraid to hit and looks more like a safety than a CB. He's going to come in as our CB4 and upgrade over guys like Jacobs or Vildor with a chance to take over as CB2 or even CB1 in 2025. #92 - Marshawn Kneeland, Edge, Western Michigan: Kneeland is a developmental player that can eventually be an upgrade over Josh Paschal or provide valuable depth to the DL #166 - Bin Sinnott, TE, Kansas State: A solid TE2 prospect. The Lions can employ a lot of 12 personnel packages and utilize the skillsets of LaPorta and Sinnott. #207 - Dylan McMahon, OC, NC State: Despite Ragnow coming back, the Lions need to add talent to the OL and have guys to develop to take over. He'll likely start off on the PS. #250 - Hayden Hatten, WR, Idaho: A big body WR (6'1, 205 lbs) who graded out well on PFF. Probably another PS guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Want A Title Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 (edited) We had a couple of players in common with our mocks. I tried to predict a trade back but I couldn't create a legitimate scenario without moving back too far into the 2nd round. I think Dominick Puni is a good fit for the Lions. I like Marshawn Kneeland also. Solid work! Edited February 12 by Just Want A Title Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Want A Title Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 One of the reasons I think Darius Robinson could still be in play at #29 is that his combine numbers might indicate he isn't explosive enough. He may not have Joey Bosa explosiveness but there isn't there much drop off. His combination of length, weight and play-strength will make him a perfect fit on our D-Line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karnage84 Posted February 13 Author Share Posted February 13 The one thing that I think stands out A LOT for me is that we desperately need to upgrade at CB. Adding a premier player at the position in UFA seems like the right move. I'm strongly leaning toward adding Jaylon Johnson from the Bears. He's strong against the run, near the tops in zone coverage (and we're running 2/3 of our snaps in zone coverage) and he's going to weaken a division rival. We're probably looking at a 5-year x $100M deal. This sounds like a lot to absorb but it looks like this could be massaged with good cap management, some level of restructuring (like Cam Sutton taking a pay cut), and older contracts rolling off when it's time to pay other guys (like Decker rolling off when it's time to pay Penei). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Want A Title Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 I don't know if they would go at a top-tier CB but a CB like Chidobe Iwuzie might be more in their swim lane. Still, they have a lot of cap space and a much better reputation as an organization. They might be able to make some free agent magic happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detfan782004 Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 Too much offense for my liking so not a fan at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karnage84 Posted February 13 Author Share Posted February 13 29 minutes ago, Just Want A Title said: I don't know if they would go at a top-tier CB but a CB like Chidobe Iwuzie might be more in their swim lane. Still, they have a lot of cap space and a much better reputation as an organization. They might be able to make some free agent magic happen. It's not likely that they do sign Johnson but he'd make a huge mark on this defense. Sutton would be slotted more in line with what he is (CB2) and Branch would be in year 2. Add in a young gun like Brownlee that can get rotated in without having to be a core starter day 1 then we're cooking with gas. Unless Mitchell or Arnold fall to them at 29 or they trade up on a cheap deal, CB is going to be a sore spot yet again. Moseley is unproven and I'm not risking holding on to him without having a solid plan B in place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karnage84 Posted February 13 Author Share Posted February 13 2 hours ago, detfan782004 said: Too much offense for my liking so not a fan at all. 3 of the first 4 picks are on defense. We have an immediate need at LG (I'm assuming Jonah walks), otherwise we've got a day 1 starter and two solid backups at positions of need who will be eventual starters(DE and CB). We can't ignore that Ragnow's time will be short lived and the OL is the lifeblood of that offense. The WR was just bpa at that time in the draft. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Want A Title Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 32 minutes ago, Karnage84 said: 3 of the first 4 picks are on defense. We have an immediate need at LG (I'm assuming Jonah walks), otherwise we've got a day 1 starter and two solid backups at positions of need who will be eventual starters(DE and CB). We can't ignore that Ragnow's time will be short lived and the OL is the lifeblood of that offense. The WR was just bpa at that time in the draft. Dominick Puni is a solid pick. He reminds me of Steve Avila and his stock is taking a similar arc. I don't expect the Lions to make a run at Jaylon Johnson or L'Jarius Sneed, I could see them adding Kendall Fuller. He is a little older but is still solid and can be moved around. Dylan McMahon had a pretty strong Shrine Bowl. Frank Ragnow may back for 2024 but there have to be some doubts about how long he plays after that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karnage84 Posted February 13 Author Share Posted February 13 8 hours ago, Just Want A Title said: Dominick Puni is a solid pick. He reminds me of Steve Avila and his stock is taking a similar arc. I don't expect the Lions to make a run at Jaylon Johnson or L'Jarius Sneed, I could see them adding Kendall Fuller. He is a little older but is still solid and can be moved around. Dylan McMahon had a pretty strong Shrine Bowl. Frank Ragnow may back for 2024 but there have to be some doubts about how long he plays after that. Me either but I dream of what could be. Fuller grades out only a few slots under Johnson, so he'd be a decent fill-in option. OTC has him valued around $12M. Let's say you do a 2 year deal at $22M, his cap hit would arguably be the same as Johnson's would be (maybe even a bit more) for this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Want A Title Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 9 minutes ago, Karnage84 said: Me either but I dream of what could be. Fuller grades out only a few slots under Johnson, so he'd be a decent fill-in option. OTC has him valued around $12M. Let's say you do a 2 year deal at $22M, his cap hit would arguably be the same as Johnson's would be (maybe even a bit more) for this year. It isn't so far-fetched. The Lions need to add multiple CBs to the roster. Making a deep playoff run is tough with one rookie CB. Making a deep playoff run with multiple rookie DBs playing prominent roles would require the a fierce pass-rush. Folks aren't talking about it much but Kerby Joseph really didn't play well for a good chunk of the year and didn't take the step forward that was expected. I could see the Lions targeting a high-end safety in free agency. It might be Ceedy Duce. It could be Kamren Curl or Xavier Mckinney. Adding Xavier McKinney would be a huge boost to our pass defense. His tackling alone compared to Kerby Joseph would make a big impact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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