Lions Report: Inside Slant
The Lions' offensive and defensive lines are expected to return intact whenever the 2011 season rolls around. The defensive line is, in fact, the strength of the team.
But general manager Martin Mayhew said that would not preclude him from drafting either an offensive or defensive lineman with the 13th overall pick, even though there are pronounced needs in other areas.
"Sometimes when you add a player it might not make sense on the face of it," Mayhew said. "But when if you see what's on the horizon and you look down the road and around the corner, it does make sense."
This particular draft is rich in offensive and defensive linemen. The Lions have an aging left tackle in Jeff Backus (he'll be 34) and a right tackle - Gosder Cherilus -- coming off microfracture knee surgery. Even though the defensive line is relatively young and deep, it is the catalyst of the Lions' defensive philosophy. They won't pass up the chance to add another key piece.
"We have a lot of needs and we will take the best available player," Mayhew said. "(The defensive line) has to be the strength of our team in the future and it's a big part of our defensive philosophy. There are a lot of intriguing guys here, a lot of good defensive ends and a lot of versatile guys who can play outside and rush from the inside. That is definitely an area we will look to address."
The Lions will certainly draft a linebacker and a cornerback at some point. But leaving the Combine, the general consensus was they weren't going to be able to get the right player at those positions with the 13th pick.
Although, there is a slight chance that Nebraska cornerback Prince Amukamara could slip to 13. If that happens, the Lions would likely take him.
One thing that is certain, the Lions are not going to draft a quarterback.
"I am putting all my eggs into the Matt Stafford, Shaun Hill, Drew Stanton basket," Mayhew said. "I haven't evaluated a lot of these quarterbacks. When we interview our 60 guys, we won't interview a single quarterback."
Barring an unexpected reversal, the Lions will have only five draft picks. They lost their sixth-round pick in a trade and their seventh-round pick was forfeited after they were found guilty of tampering.
It is unknown if the Lions filed an appeal of those charges - the deadline was Feb. 28 - but from the way Mayhew talked, it's doubtful.
"When this kind of thing happens, you have to go back and reevaluate what you did, what you didn't do and things you can do differently," he said. "Then you have to move on. We're moving on.
"We haven't made a final determination on what the next step is, but from our standpoint, there are so many positive things going on with our franchise and it doesn't make a lot of sense to wallow around in something negative."
TEAM NEEDS
1. Outside linebacker: Mayhew said he viewed both Bobby Carpenter and Ashlee Palmer as candidates to start at outside linebacker next season. But if camp opened today, they would be competing against themselves. The Lions need to restock the position. There is an outside chance that the Lions could seek a starting middle linebacker either in the draft or through free agency and move starting middle linebacker DeAndre Levy to the outside, which is his natural position.
2. Cornerback: The Lions tendered free-agent cornerback Chris Houston, but he still wants to pursue free agency. The Lions have several promising young cornerbacks on the roster -- Alphonso Smith, Aaron Berry, Brandon McDonald, Tye Hill and Prince Miller - but as Mayhew said, "All those guys have talent, all have upside and potential, but not many have performed at a high level in games."
3. Wide receiver/running back: The Lions will be looking to add depth in the fourth or fifth rounds at these two spots. The third-receiver spot was a major disappointment last season and the health of backup running back Kevin Smith is a lingering concern. He had two more surgeries (knee and shoulder) this offseason.
INSIDE THE WAR ROOM
In a perfect world, a cornerback like Prince Amukamara will fall into their lap at 13. But in the third year of a major reconstruction, the Lions still have to draft the best available player regardless of position.
Thus, if a left tackle like Colorado's Nate Solder or USC's Tyron Smith is there at 13, and he's the best on their board, they will take him. If a versatile defensive lineman like Wisconsin's J.J. Watt or Cal's Cameron Jordan is there, they would take him.
The goal is to get five players that will be on the 53-man roster next season, regardless of position.
Copyright (C) 2011 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.
