ckersh74

April 28th, 2023 at 7:09 PM ^

Not overly impressed with what the Lions did yesterday. Even though it seemed like the guys that made sense went right before their picks, they still made me scratch my head.

Either way, Round 2 is off and running.

bronxblue

April 28th, 2023 at 7:36 PM ^

I think people are overthinking Mayer at this point.  He should have been drafted but he isn't.  But going into the staff LaPorta was the clear #2 and maybe there's an injury thing or something off the field with Mayer?  

My point is that LaPorta is a very good TE and will be a good addition to the team.  

Grampy

April 29th, 2023 at 10:21 AM ^

Goff was a good QB last year, not elite, but the offense worked pretty well under him.  He’s only 28, is affordable, and will be a good person for Hendon to watch for a couple of years.  Getting Hooker as a flyer was a good move on the Lion’s part.  When I watched him last year, he was making all the throws and he’ll have plenty of time to bring the ACL along.  Time will tell on the rest of their picks, but I have no problem on grabbing a developmental QB project with some upside at spot #68.  The only downside I see with Hooker is the fact that he’s already 25 years old, but who knows, maybe having some maturity will make a big difference.

HateSparty

April 28th, 2023 at 7:27 PM ^

I think the Lions GM is a little bit of those over thinker types. Smartest guy in the room kind of thing. LaPorta was an average college guy. Now a top 34 player? Well, there was always last year.

mGrowOld

April 28th, 2023 at 7:30 PM ^

I really have NO idea what they are doing.  Gaping holes on the DL so with the 6th, 18th and 34th pick in the draft they trade back to secure a gadget, 3rd down RB, a MLB and a TE?

Poor Dan Campbell.

uferfan

April 28th, 2023 at 7:30 PM ^

So the Lions have a personal vendetta against Iowa for taking McNamara and All from the state of Michigan, and have decided to make their players suffer in Detroit in return.

That’s the best I can come up with.

Cam

April 28th, 2023 at 7:31 PM ^

It may work out, but I don’t see how anyone can be enthusiastic about this draft. The Lions are demonstrating exactly what you don’t want to do with positional value. It’s not a question of player quality. It’s a question of poor resource management.

bronxblue

April 28th, 2023 at 7:45 PM ^

I agree to an extent in terms of getting guys for spots but I also assume this staff knows what it needs more than fans and which players they rate at certain levels.  Getting a defensive lineman you aren't crazy about because you need a body there isn't always better than getting a guy you're high on now.  They traded Hock this year and so getting LaPorts fills a hole and who knows, next year's draft maybe they go defense heavy early.  

I don't love this draft but I also find in-the-moment analysis of a draft class when they haven't played a down yet not particularly helpful.  You look back at a lot of past drafts and some highly regarded classes do well and other fail, and others derided in the beginning turn out to be great.  We'll see about this one but I'm more a fan of best available player than pure positional need.  It's great when the two match but it doesn't always.

bronxblue

April 28th, 2023 at 9:11 PM ^

I think fans generally don't know very much.  The Lions have been bad for a multitude of reasons but so have been a lot of teams until they weren't. The Patriots entire franchise changed because they lucked into the greatest QB in history in the 6th round.  Since Brady left their drafts have been, at least to the NE fans I know, pretty underwhelming and their FA work mediocre.  They've now got a first-round QB who was probably overdrafted and they don't trust him to throw the ball or surround him with good receivers.  Brady overcame them constantly leaving him with 5'9" receivers by being freakishly accurate and, in the latter years, having one of the 5 best TEs in league history fall to them in the 2nd round.

Obviously I don't think the Lions will be the Pats or that Gibbs or LaPorta will be HOF players.  But at some point SOL just becomes BPONE for NFL guys and it's obnoxious.  Maybe this draft submarines Detroit for another 2 decades.  Or maybe they have a plan and good vibes for the first time in a decade and are going to see if it works.  I'm inclined to give them at least a chance.

bacon1431

April 29th, 2023 at 6:23 AM ^

Positional value is not something that is not a universally tested standard. Some GMs ascribe to it, some laugh it off. The positions that were considered deep in this class were CB, TE and DL. Lions got the second best RB, best or second best LB, second or third best TE, what most considered to be the best S and then a Qb (who some wanted the Lions to take in the first) and a DT with a massive ceiling. They can still get a CB but it’s not as high of a priority since they got two solid ones in FA. Massive drop offs or scarcity after Gibbs and Campbell at their positions. 
 

if the players end up good, nobody will care where they were drafted. And based off the previous two drafts, it seems like the Lions front office knows what they are doing.