Hello all! As we are just hours away from the NFL Draft, I am going to put in my final two cents (if it’s even worth that much).
First off, I have been thinking for a while that the Lions would look to move up. John Clayton confirmed that this morning. However, I think they may try to hit a home run. The cost of moving up will be substantial so why not make it worth the effort? This is something that at best would be an outside chance, but if Trent Richardson slides a bit, they should look at trading up with the Browns to get the 2nd best prospect in the draft. In an indirect way, Richardson would help the offensive line, meaning instead of the defense looking for pass 85% of the time, they actually would have to pay real attention to the run threat. Further, with all due respect to Javid Best, an arm tackle doesn’t get it done trying to tackle Richardson. This means the linebackers and strong safety have to pay real attention to what is going on in the backfield or pay the consequences. Even with the Lions current line, imagine what Adrian Peterson would look like in the Lions offense. Even an AP knock off. Linemen would have to slow their rush which would make their job easier. Not probable but just a thought.
Aside from Richardson, I am not sure that there is anyone worth trading up for. The argument can be made that the most value in this draft is in rounds 2-4. If it were me, if Dre Kirkpatrick or David DeCastro weren’t available at #23, I would trade down for future/extra picks. Other than those players, I am not convinced that there is anyone else that would be in that range that would be considerably better than a player in round 2. Remember that until the Avril situation is resolved, the Lions are up against that cap. This is the best way to get more talent in house at a reasonable price tag. Obviously Jenkins is an option from a talent standpoint, but given the Lions offseason, there is no way they pick him at #23.
One question the Lions need to ask themselves is, how valuable is Cliff Avril? Can you get something close in rounds 2,3, or 4? If so, this could be the ammo to trade up in the draft. Would they trade Avril and a 2 or a 3 to to get into the top 10? This would also free up some cap room. Again unlikely but certainly a possibility.
In addition, here are a few prospects to keep in mind for the second and third day of the draft. Some of these guys I have touched on in other articles but still worth mentioning.
Josh Robinson CB UCF
Kelechi Osemele G ISU
Cliff Harris CB Oregon
Mitchell Schwartz T Cal
Lavonte David OLB Nebraska
T.Y. Hilton WR FIU
Junior Hemingway WR/ST Michigan
Tommy Streeter WR Miami
Brandon Taylor FS LSU
Marvin Jones WR Cal
John Cullen OT Utah
April 28th, 2012 
Matt Loede 
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