Day 3 of the NFL Draft and Your Predictions

Submitted by XM - Mt 1822 on April 29th, 2023 at 9:56 AM

Mates,

Day 3 of the NFL draft starts at noon with rounds 4-7.  Obviously we're pretty happy with how our school has shown out so far (Moody, 3rd round, who'd a thunk it?), but there are a number of other Wolverines we hope get their name called.   

Today's questions:

1.  Who/which Michigan players get their name called today? 

2.  Who/which Michigan players get a very quick Free Agent contract (UDFA) signed today or tomorrow? 

3.   What other draft predictions for us, other schools, or our beloved and beleaguered Lions.

Lambs are still dropping.  Have a great weekend

XM 

TheDirtyD

April 29th, 2023 at 12:56 PM ^

Campbell is too slow. Don’t draft a RB in the first. Gibbs won’t even be starting and you spent a first round pick. The lions have one of the worst defenses in the league. Their d line needs severe help. Jalen Carter should have been the pick and if you want Campbell he’s there at 18. Then there’s a RB there in the second. Complete fumble by the lions front office. 

bacon1431

April 29th, 2023 at 1:20 PM ^

Complete fumble is just hyperbolic. Each of their first four picks were either thought to be the best or second best at their position coming into the draft. Gibbs is versatile enough to spend a first on. And allows them to not extend the injury prone Swift or trade him. Campbell and La Porta will be useful players and fill obvious holes. 

I agree the DL needs help but to act like there's nothing there is silly. Still need depth however. Carter fell to 10th for a reason. Lions don't have the veteran DL to help him along and keep him on straight and narrow. But the defense will be far better next year considering what they added in the secondary and they were already playing far better in the second half of the season compared to the disastrous first half. I look at the defense and I see competence at all three levels. When early last year, I saw it nowhere. 

bacon1431

April 30th, 2023 at 8:01 AM ^

Elite DT isn’t worth much if he gets in off field trouble and isn’t a hard worker. Thats the risk with Carter. Maybe we will regret it, maybe we won’t. But the interviews are vital for their draft evals and obviously, they didn’t like Carter enough to overlook the potential risks. 
 

They got their own run stuffer in the third, with some of the longest arms among DTs. Definitely needs development but if you look at the last couple drafts, Detroit’s DL evals have been very good - Hutch (easy one), Mitchell, McNeil, Paschal all look very good. Onwuzirike hasn’t been healthy, so that’s the only miss. 

blueandmaizeballs

April 29th, 2023 at 5:56 PM ^

Really the only spot the Dline needed help was a plugger or run DT.   They got that.   They have 3 players who were great last year in JP at the end of year and when he was getting healthy.  Then of course AH a future HofFamer and the Houston with his 8 sacks.   Add in the bringing back of Romeo and his brother along with Harris and the others and the Dline isn't in that bad of shape.   Their defense improved as the year went on and it was injured most of the year. 

SalvatoreQuattro

April 29th, 2023 at 1:32 PM ^

Campbell isn’t slow. Gibbs will play a lot. Lions signed several quality CBs and their DL doesn’t need “severe help”. Alim McNeil is a terrific young player as is Hutch. Okwara, Houston, Cominsky, Harris all are solid players.

Seahawks passed on Carter despite needed DT help too. Doesn’t that make you wonder why?

TheDirtyD

April 29th, 2023 at 3:14 PM ^

McNeil is average and will only be an average player. Cominsky the same. And a bunch of edge rushers don’t help stop the run in the middle. No it doesn’t make me wonder why the Seahawks passed on Carter. Especially when they have a glaring hole at CB. the Seahawks drafting Gibbs would be the same thing. They don’t need a first round guy at RB…..Jack Campbell is too slow for a common era ILB. He. Is. Slow. The Lions draft this year is is awful. 

Don’t give the they signed people to help the CB spot. Year for super short term deals. 

blueandmaizeballs

April 29th, 2023 at 5:58 PM ^

Wow buddy you obviously don't watch football or know anything about football Dirty.   Campbell had one of the best RAS in this years draft for all positions.   He is 250lb 6 foot 5 with 4.6 speed and he is way better in the quickness and agility then long speed.    Please you are just making yourself look dumber then your comments 

TheDirtyD

April 29th, 2023 at 6:47 PM ^

Couldn’t care less about RAS. What I care about is tape and his tape against superior athletes leaves him whiffing all the time when he’s matched 1 on 1. Which every NFL RB and TE is a superior athlete. He is going to struggle in coverage while in man and struggle to contain anywhere a RB threatens an edge.  

Derek

April 29th, 2023 at 2:00 PM ^

I asked about day two, and you complained about the first round.

Then there’s a RB there in the second.

There were a lot of RBs there in the second. Did you have one in mind? Reports indicate that Gibbs was going to the Pats at 14 or the Jets at 15 if the Lions didn't take him, so I assume you're referring to someone else (Charbonnet?).

93Grad

April 29th, 2023 at 5:13 PM ^

I’ve been optimistic about the Lions and their progress under the new regime, but I also hated this draft other than Branch and Hooker on Day 2.  Every other pick were massive reaches or luxury picks or both.  
 

They needed a starting DT in the worst way but instead they trade multiple picks to grab some small college dude that didn’t even have a draft profile in the third round.  

Is Martin Mayhew back in charge?1?

XM - Mt 1822

April 29th, 2023 at 10:52 AM ^

indeed.  first, snapping the ball and then being able to block just as effectively as the other O-lineman is a true talent.  second, the center makes the first and most important line calls as the D sets up.   and when necessary, he audibles on the line when the D changes schemes.  

O-line are the smartest and centers are the smartest of the O-line.  

jdib

April 29th, 2023 at 11:10 AM ^

Yep I agree with you there.  The main reason for my initial comment is that several centers have been picked ahead of Olu already and 3 of them were from the Big Ten.

I just cannot see how Penn State, Minnesota, and Wisconsin all are believed to have a center worth taking over Olu 

Perkis-Size Me

April 29th, 2023 at 12:10 PM ^

It’s not that they’re undervalued, but he is undersized for his position (at the NFL level, anyway) and he has very little experience playing other positions on the line. 

If you’re undersized, then you need to have positional versatility to still get drafted high in the league. Olu doesn’t. He’ll still get drafted, but this is what’s hurting his stock. 

bacon1431

April 29th, 2023 at 10:51 AM ^

That many Lions fans will continue to ignore the draft successes of the last two years and think that picking a 7th rounder 5 spots earlier than he was projected is a crime against humanity. 

bacon1431

April 29th, 2023 at 11:28 AM ^

I think they only got four starter level players now as Hooker and Martin need work before being contributors. But those were the final two picks of the first two days and the staff has shown a knack for development. 
 

If you told me that we’d come out of this draft with Branch, Gibbs, Campbell and La Porta, I’d have been pretty happy. I would have expected them to be picked in a different order but the fact that Branch fell as far as he did and Campbell went as high as he did are proof that the mocks are very unreliable. Another ILB didn’t go til 67, so shows you how thin that position is. And it was a need, so go get your guy. Third RB didn’t go til 52 and it isn’t the kind of RB the Lions need. Spears would be closest to Gibbs and he didn’t go til 81. People will say these gaps are proof of positional value and that the Lions reached but they were both big needs and they got the the best or second best players with the first four picks. Success IMO. Would have liked a CB or DT earlier but can’t fill every need every draft 

turtleboy

April 29th, 2023 at 11:45 AM ^

It'll be interesting to see how it plays out with Gibbs, he has the talent of a superstar, just not the stats, because he played in such a balanced offense, at multiple positions. It wouldn't surprise me if it flips from "biggest reach" to "steal of the draft" coming from the analysts, once he gets on the field.