Detroit Lions: Draft Analysis

As expected, this was a very interesting draft year. Roger Goodell was announcing the picks from an easy chair while still being booed by fans, as tradition calls for, and we saw some fascinating selections all around the league. As for our Lions, it was overall a draft that showed a lot of potential, and I will go in depth on every single selection, including my thoughts about the players in general in addition to anything that stood out from watching tape on them, before presenting a “bottom line” for each one, which will essentially be my overall opinion about them.

Fun fact: It was a draft analysis such as this that I wrote last year for the enjoyment of my Facebook friends that first inspired me to start this blog in the first place.

Let us begin.

Round 1, Pick 3: Jeff Okudah, CB, Ohio State

As expected, the Lions stayed put at #3 and selected the best cornerback in the draft. Am I surprised that we did not trade down? No, because ultimately it was almost certainly going to play out that teams like Miami and the Los Angeles Chargers were going to get their guys without having to trade up. I stated before the draft that I wanted to see us take Isaiah Simmons, but I never really expected that to happen. Ultimately, Okudah was the safe pick. A safe pick does not necessarily mean it is the best player available, because I believe that would have been either Simmons or Tua Tagovailoa, but rather just a player that nobody will be upset with. The Lions were not going to upset any of their fans by taking Okudah, unlike what happened with the T.J. Hockenson pick last year, and that is largely because of the Darius Slay trade, despite the fact that I still feel like our cornerback room would have been just fine if we had gone a different direction. I believe the cornerback need was way overblown because we traded Slay, who had been a mainstay in our secondary since we drafted him back in 2013. It just seemed like the most Lions thing to do to not take a risk on a guy who is a potential generational talent in Simmons in order to take a guy that was the safe pick. I disagree with this philosophy, because it means we can miss out on a potential home run prospect that can change the path of this team in favor of a guy who has less of a chance of becoming a bust. It’s the classic comparison between one guy with a high ceiling and a low floor and another guy with a lower ceiling but a higher floor. In order to become one of the best teams in the league, you have to take risks once in a while, and I thought picking Simmons would be a major signal that the Lions were of the same mindset. As for Okudah, I believe he has a lot to offer, and I definitely feel like he was the best cornerback in this draft by a wide margin. He is a rock solid 6’1” and 200 pounds, which is great size for a cornerback, and displays both impressive ball skills and tackling ability. He had multiple good plays this season where he came flying up to make the tackle, and those are important plays to make because they prevent potential big gains for the offense. There have been plenty of highly-touted corners, for example Trae Waynes, who comes to mind first for some reason, who almost seemed scared to make tackles, and it is a major red flag for a cornerback. While Okudah seems to be a pretty complete player, I still have some reservations. First off, one of his highlights of the year was a play against Nebraska where he was lying on the ground and the ball deflected off the receiver’s hands right to him for the interception. So essentially he did nothing to make the play, because another defensive back was in coverage on the receiver, but he reaped the benefit of an interception. I do not expect that to happen much. Secondly, he only accounted for 9 pass deflections and 3 interceptions (including that fluke play) over the course of the season. For reference, the FBS leaders in those categories had 16 pass deflections and 9 interceptions. Interestingly enough, Luq Barcoo out of San Diego State, who went undrafted before being signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars, was among the co-leaders in both. Now, is it possible that Okudah simply did not have as many passes come his way? Absolutely, and if that is the case then that speaks even better for his ability to stick with receivers in coverage. My final concern is perhaps my biggest, and that is that Okudah benefited from a lethal pass rush at Ohio State that included the second overall pick, Chase Young. On the majority of highlights involving Okudah intercepting or breaking up a pass, either Young or someone else on that Ohio State front is getting to the quarterback. As I have stated before, a good pass rush will make all of your corners look a lot better, thus why I continue to insist that our cornerback group we had was fine before taking Okudah. Our pass rush was so bad last year that we had no hope of stopping the passing game. Without that kind of pressure being generated by our defensive line, I am concerned that Okudah may greatly suffer from it and not be the shutdown corner that we

expect him to be.

Bottom Line: Okudah is a very talented corner who has got to become one of the best corners in the league to live up to his draft slot at third overall. He clearly has talent but if he does not reach that top tier, it will be another missed opportunity for the Lions.

Round 2, Pick 3 (Overall, Pick 35): D’Andre Swift, RB, Georgia

This may be the first time ever that the Lions actually picked the guy I was pulling for. I could not be happier with this pick. Swift was so widely regarded to be a first round pick (I personally expected him to go to the Dolphins at #26) that I never thought we had a shot at him. I was very concerned that we would see another Jahlani Tavai situation where Bob Quinn tried to outsmart everyone with a pick nobody expected, so it made it even more exciting when Swift was the selection. In my opinion, Swift was the best overall running back in the draft, although Jonathan Taylor, J.K. Dobbins, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire (who went at Pick 32 to the Kansas City Chiefs and probably would have been my #2 running back in the class) are all extremely talented as well. Yes, we already have Kerryon Johnson, but he has gotten hurt every season he has been in the league, and I am far from enamored with Bo Scarbrough and Ty Johnson as backups, although I do believe they both are worth keeping around. I remember seeing Swift for the first time back when Georgia still had Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, and I just remember thinking that he looked every bit as good as those two, if not even better. On tape, Swift demonstrates great speed, crazy elusiveness, and quick change-of-direction ability. He seems to make the first guy miss on every play, and also has great balance to bounce off hits, probably due to his short but solid frame at 5’9” and 215 pounds. He definitely does not shy away from contact at all. He is also adequate in the passing game, which is great news for his ability to get on the field in any situation.

Bottom Line: Swift very well might be my favorite pick of this draft for the Lions. I think he is incredibly talented and is going to really provide a spark for our offense. I cannot wait to see him on the field.

Round 3, Pick 3 (Overall, Pick 67): Julian Okwara, EDGE, Notre Dame

Why have just one Okwara when you can have two? Okwara was not a name I was excited about pre-draft, but that was because I kept seeing him mocked to us in the second round, where I thought there were a lot of players that offered better value. Getting him in the third, however, I felt was a great pick for us. As I have continually stated, our pass rush was anemic last year, and drafting a guy like Okwara to help off the edge is a perfect fulfillment of a need. Okwara leans more towards being a speed rusher, but he has long arms that he uses to generate a ton of leverage on offensive linemen, so he is far from a one-trick pony. Fun fact about Okwara: He intercepted Shea Patterson in his first game as a Michigan Wolverine.

Bottom Line: Okwara fills what I believed to be our biggest position of need, and I think he has the skills to really make an impact even as a rookie, although will probably start out as a rotational player.

Round 3, Pick 11 (Overall, Pick 75): Jonah Jackson, G, Ohio State

This is a perfect example of a not-flashy-but-necessary pick. Nobody gets super excited about taking a guard, but it was one of our biggest needs in this draft, so I was happy we addressed it with an earlier pick. It is hard to draw too much from highlights of a guard, but Jackson seems to display both strength and good footwork, and was part of an Ohio State offensive line that simply dominated many opposing defensive lines.

Bottom Line: Simply put, we do not have a single starting-caliber right guard, so Jackson will more than likely slide right into that spot in our lineup, and I expect to see him to make a big difference.

Round 4, Pick 15 (Overall, Pick 121): Logan Stenberg, G, Kentucky

After trading down with the newly relocated Las Vegas Raiders, we doubled up on guards and selected Stenberg. I have loved everything I have read and heard about this guy since we drafted him. Allow me to summarize. His nickname is “Mr. Nasty,” and he even sells shirts and hoodies with that nickname plastered on them if you are interested. He was regarded as the most hated player in the SEC. He is a tough, gritty, road-paving lineman who, in his words, wants to make the guy across from him quit. Essentially, he is everything I love and everything the Lions need in an offensive lineman. He is a strong guy who gets leverage and moves defenders out of the way for the running back. Pairing his ability with second-round pick D’Andre Swift sounds like an awesome combination for me.

Bottom Line: Joe Dahl is expected to be the starter at left guard, and will most likely open the season there, but I expect Stenberg to give him a run for the job and maybe even steal it from him. I know I would love it if he did, we desperately need some intensity on this team.

Round 5, Pick 20 (Overall, Pick 166): Quintez Cephus, WR, Wisconsin

Jeff Okudah was asked at the Combine who the toughest receiver he guarded in college was. He said Quintez Cephus. I found that surprising because Cephus is not a particularly explosive athlete, which concerns me about what he can do in the NFL. I will say, however, that on tape Cephus shows incredible technique through route running and positioning to put himself in the best spot to get open or make the catch in coverage. Cephus is regarded as a technician and Okudah said that he was a guy that he always had to specifically prepare for. I know a lot of Michigan fans wanted to see us take Donovan Peoples-Jones here, but honestly, he never impressed me too much at Michigan. He came in as a five-star recruit but very quickly showed a lack of route running ability that prevented him from really exploding. He never actually had a 100-yard receiving game at Michigan, which is shocking. All that being said, I like the Cephus pick simply because of his route running and ability to bring down contested catches, even though his athleticism leaves a lot to be desired.

Bottom Line: Cephus is a technically strong receiver that I hope can carve out a role, but he has a lot of guys he must pass first before he can really make an impact, and the lack of crazy explosion is always a bit concerning.

Round 5, Pick 26 (Overall, Pick 172): Jason Huntley, RB, New Mexico State

The Lions have at least one head-scratcher every year, it seems. Huntley is that for me this year. I do not understand why we felt the need to take another running back after already drafting D’Andre Swift. Huntley projects more as a return man/third down back, but even so we drafted Ty Johnson out of Maryland last year to be that for us, so I do not see why we went with Huntley here. Maybe Johnson has already fallen out of favor for some reason, although I have a hard time believing that. From his highlights, Huntley is an absolute burner, which is definitely exciting because speed kills at any level. It will just be a matter of how big of a role he can cut out in a crowded running back room.

Bottom Line: While I do not think this was by any stretch a necessary pick, I can see the intrigue in adding a guy with top-end speed. I have no idea what to expect from Huntley this year but seeing him on return duty could potentially be exciting.

Round 6, Pick 18 (Overall, Pick 197): John Penisini, DT, Utah

Penisini is a hulking figure at 6’2” and 333 pounds, and he is a run-stuffing machine. With the loss of Damon Harrison this offseason, the Lions needed another run stopper, and Penisini projects as exactly that. Now, he is not an effective pass rusher at all, so he is very one-dimensional, which is unfortunate and will curb his ability to get on the field. It is hard to really be excited about a run-stopping defensive tackle, but Penisini was part of a monstrous defensive line at Utah that was arguably the best in the nation this past season, so if there was a program to pull from, it would be them.

Bottom Line: Getting a solid run-stuffing defensive tackle in the sixth round is a good pick, although far from a flashy one. It will be interesting to see if Penisini can make any noise during the preseason as he vies for a roster spot.

Round 7, Pick 21 (Overall, Pick 235): Jashon Cornell, DT, Ohio State

Obviously a seventh-round pick is more of a dart throw than anything, but Cornell brings plenty of promise. Despite also being listed as a defensive tackle, Cornell is a very different player from John Penisini. First off he is a way more adept pass rusher than Penisini. Additionally, on a very strong Ohio State defensive line he played both defensive tackle and defensive end, so he provides some versatility that the Lions could utilize. I do wonder, of course, if he benefited from playing alongside Chase Young in college. As I stated before, I felt that Edge was our biggest need going into this draft, so taking another guy who could potentially contribute from that spot is always a plus, although I certainly have much higher hopes and expectations for Julian Okwara.

Bottom Line: Frankly, Cornell may not even make the team, being a seventh-round pick, but as I said taking a stab at another potentially helpful piece to our defensive line is really hard to complain about after watching our pathetic pass rush last season.

I thought this was overall one of the better drafts in recent memory. I liked a lot of our picks and I think Bob Quinn and staff did a good job of addressing our needs, although as I said I disagree with the idea that cornerback was our biggest need.

One major issue I do have (aside from passing on Isaiah Simmons) is the fact that we once again did not draft a quarterback, nor did we sign one as an undrafted free agent. I do not understand why this team refuses to get a young backup in here that we can try to develop while Stafford is still here. Chase Daniel does not excite me. We already know what he is. Why not actually bring in a young guy and see what he can do? I was really hopeful we would snag Cole McDonald or Anthony Gordon in the seventh round, but McDonald went 11 picks prior to the Tennessee Titans and we ultimately did not take Gordon either. As I said though, I did overall like most of the selections and I think we could be looking at a few potentially instant difference-makers for this team.

My final grade for this draft: B+