2010 NFL DRAFT has arrived!!!!

[ajaX82]

Spievey was a nice pick. His physicality and ball skills will be a welcome addition.

Fox is an interesting pick. The injury did kill his stock, but if he gets healthy, who knows, maybe he could be out LT? At worst a backup T

Not a huge fan of the Willie Young pick, he seems to be a tweener LB/DE...not something we need. Would have prefered an OLB but at this point they obviously feel Follet is the man at LB

[Liqourish]

I don't know much about Willie Young. TBH, I wasn't expecting much for our 7ths... I expected depth and practice squaders (like last year).

Mayhew traded the #220 pick for a 2011 6th round pick. Not a bad trade.

The only thing left is Mr. Irrelevant.

[Bartender]

Blair White, LaGarette Blount, Donovan Warren


Those 3 left on the board and we end up with Tony Toone. Wtf?!

[Liqourish]

Yeah, I'm not too fond of our 7th round selections. Although I like trading one of our 7ths for a 2011 6th.

There was still alot of talent left on the board and we passed them all up.

Still really high on our draft overall though. I figured our first four picks would be our whole draft and we did extremely well there.

Suh, Best, Spievey and Fox is a great draft for us. A for me... would have been an A+ but passing up picks even in the 7th knocked it down some.

[TSE]

Blair White, LaGarette Blount, Donovan Warren


Those 3 left on the board and we end up with Tony Toone. Wtf?!

http://walterfootball.com/draft2010WR.php

White was 13th on this ranking, and Tim Toone didn't make the top 60.

[Bartender]

Ugh, I think this was a joke pick to go along with the name. Just pisses me off cuz there was actually value at that pick.

[TSE]

Well at least he can be a return man.

[Bartender]

Would much rather drop / trade Mo Morris and Kevin Smith and have a Blount / Best 1-2 Punch similar to Brandon Jacobs / Ahmad Bradshaw in New York.

I guess that's just a pipe dream though.

[TSE]

That's why I wanted to do a firesale and get rid of every expendable player we have and build through this draft and the first round of next year's draft. We had an opportunity to own the NFL and dominate for many years, and we just pissed it right away.

[kellmellus50]

The lions needed a linebacker and came up empty on draft day.
other than that ............All around a pretty solid draft, given the shortage of picks. "

[Liqourish]

I agree with kell (mark this date down). I can't really get upset about the very last pick in the draft. And from the sounds of things, Tim Toone is a guy the Lions actually want and think can be a very good KR/PR for them.

We got two outstanding players in the first round (understatement I know). We also got a very good DB and a OT that can play both tackle spots and only dropped because he had an injury in college. We knew they weren't going to be able to fill every need, but they addressed some big ones and with very good players. We didn't have alot of picks, because we traded them for proven players who will start immediately for us.

I was high on Blount and I wouldn't have minded taking Donovan late in the 7th. But I can't fault the Lions for taking the players they wanted, they coveted, and that fit their plans. we still have 4 months left until the season starts.... they can still add to the team. Our roster isn't set yet by any means.

[kellmellus50]

Teams begin scramble to sign undrafted players

This kind of upset me where are the lions? look at all the other teams picking up undrafted players and the lions pick up no one. Chicago got Bradon Miner from michigan whats going on? Are the lions smoking their cigars and forgetting about undrafted players?

Check this out:

http://www.nfl.com/draft/story?id=09000 ... nfirm=true

[TSE]

Plus Toone might have less value as a return man if we use Best as a return man.

[chrbal]

The Lions signed undrafted Ryan Stamper, a linebacker from Florida. Looking at all the guys available, who do you really want.

Plus for TSE. Wow "might" and "If". Real groundbreaking news there.

[TSE]

I also heard Richard Dickson TE from LSU is on board. Sorry that is not groundbreaking either.

[ajaX82]

Roster is far from set or complete. So lets not freak yet.

My overall draft grade is an A-

Why?

Suh was the best player in the draft. Best could be a star and fills a huge need at RB. Spievey is the kind of physical corner we needed. Fox in the 4th is a great gamble. Trading the 7th for a '11 6th is a nice little move.

I didnt necessarily love the Willie Young pick, though Tim Toone does intrigue me a bit. The 7th wasnt great but its the 7th...its pretty hard to expect anything.

For grabbing a franchise and defense changer, a playmaker at a position of need, and nice prospects at CB and OT i gotta go with the A-

[TSE]

But we should get great players cause we have great picks. It's about how well you maximize your possibilities, and for that it was a complete disaster. We could have had so much more and nobody will ever realize it except for me, but oh well.

[ElectricMayhem]

From Silver's column

Schwartz on Best:

Some people watch adult videos on their computer,”“I go to YouTube and watch Jahvid Best highlight clips. That’s what gets me aroused.”

Schwartz on Toone:

“He’s a white guy with dreadlocks who looks like Jeff Spicoli”

[Icness]

Very happy with the first round and the strategy of adding quality over quantity by moving up and getting their (not mine, however) guy in Best. This team needs playmakers, not middle-round pluggers, and they got two of them. I like that Mayhew had a defined plan and stuck to it. I would have gone CB with the 2nd pick (Cook) and RB later, but they correctly deduced that Speivey (who I know they really liked) would be around for their next pick and no RB with anywhere close to Best's potential would be.

Pre-draft evals of Speivey & Fox:
9. Jason Fox, Miami FL--high-effort swing tackle with good measurables and strength. 4-year starter at a major program that had lots of adversity during his tenure and he exuded leadership in time of need. Not an explosive athlete but is fairly technically sound. Seals the edge nicely on runs and fares well in space for a taller (6’7.5”) prospect. Dogged fighter who never quits and inspires teammates. Coming off a leg injury that inhibited workout season, and he has missed games in the past with minor ailments. Sort of a right tackle in a left tackle body. 3rd-4th rounder.


5. Amari Speivey, Iowa. 5’11”, 195 pounds.
Positives: Long-limbed late bloomer that really turned up his game as a senior. Plays with a ball-hawkish style and great confidence. Strong jam at the line that is unusually difficult to shake. Can turn and burst with most receivers and effectively steers them to his help. Reads and reacts quickly to combo routes. Very quick to step up in run support and has sound tackling fundamentals. Good hands and has good timing to make a play on the ball. Came up big in big games and at critical junctures, did not back down from challenges. Loves playing special teams and has shown real proficiency as a gunner.

Negatives: Lacks the long speed and agility to play straight man coverage beyond short range, strictly a press/zone corner. Has a strange, unathletic build: knock-kneed with small calves and a slender upper body. Had trouble turning and running with faster downfield receivers; when playing with a big cushion his first move is almost always standing straight up. Could stand to hit the weight room and play a little more physically. Had self-discipline and motivational problems early in his career that led him to leave the program before returning.
NFL Comparison: Brandon Flowers
Forecast: I’m much more bullish than most and am admittedly projecting he’ll hit his ceiling. Will be drafted in the 75-100 overall range, but I really like his potential as a zone corner and special teams ace.

I am not a Willie Young fan at all, can't believe he got drafted. Poor man's Alama-Francis. No comment on Mr. Irrelevant because I've never seen him play. The coaches must have seen something for special teams.

On the UDFA's--character and connection with coaches is HUGE in determining those. I know Blount never connected with the Lions coaches in Mobile so that was unrealistic. Can't tell you why White is still out there. Donovan Warren is his own worst enemy, I'll leave it at that.

[Liqourish]

I really like all 4 picks for the Lions. I'm withholding judgement on their two 7ths because I don't know enough about them.

I loved Schwartz and Mayhews comments about peoples lack of knowledge on Spievey and how people incorrectly evaluate him based on numbers that don't actually translate to the field. I couldn't agree more. I watched him at Iowa.... he's a good, physical corner. He still needs work, but I really like the pick.

Schwartz:

"You want guys that can run really fast," he said, "but playing corner is about quickness and it's about top-end speed because generally you're not starting from a three-point stance or, like a wide receiver, in a two-point stance going straight ahead. You're starting in a shuffle, you're starting in a backpedal. You have to have the ability to flip your hips and then you have to have the ability to run long down the field. Those kind of things are probably a little more important than an actual 40 time."

Mayhew:

General manager Martin Mayhew, a former NFL cornerback, dismissed concerns about Spievey's speed. "A lot of guys have a lot of speed that can't play the position," Mayhew said. "There are some guys who aren't as fast who can play because they have great instinct. He's a very physical guy to the line of scrimmage with his hands on his jams. He can play football, and he's not slow."

http://www.freep.com/article/20100426/SPORTS01/4260327/1356/SPORTS/Lions-coach-Iowa-CB-Spievey-is-fast-enough

Lions picked up a number of UDFA's including DB Aaron Berry, WR Mike Moore (Staffords target at GA), and Ryan Stamper the LB from Florida. They also picked up a LS but I forgot his name.