Lions looking to upgrade at left guard
by medicineball on Feb 28, 2010 9:50 AM EST
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PrintCould the Detroit Lions be a team on the rise? They have their quarterback of the future in place, a handful of good building blocks like Calvin Johnson, Brandon Pettigrew, and Louis Delmas, a head coach making good decisions, and two very high draft picks (#2 and #34 overall). What the Lions will do or should do in the 2010 Draft has been a matter of speculation. That speculation has gone back and forth here at Mocking the Draft.
But in the past few days, some guesswork has been replaced by a stronger sense of what the Lions will do.
Lions Head Coach Jim Schwartz was asked about his team's offensive line at the Scouting Combine. He stated once again that left tackle Jeff Backus deserved some votes for the Pro Bowl last year. He stated his support for center Dominic Raiola and right guard Stephen Peterman.
As for left guard, however, Schwartz all but staked a claim to drafting a new one, or perhaps signing one in free agency. He talked about how three different players rotated in and out of the position during the 2009 season.
At right tackle, Schwartz has the younger Gosder Cherilus. Veteran Jon Jansen is an Unrestricted Free Agent.
Finally, Schwartz expressed concern over what depth the Lions have at offensive line. In Schwartz's first draft, in 2009, the Lions drafted only one offensive lineman, Lydon Murtha, OT, Nebraska. He is no longer with the team.
While the Lions switched to a zone-blocking scheme in 2008, and I think they are still a zone-blocking team, I haven't seen definitive word that they remain a zone-blocking team.
In conclusion, it appears that the Lions are likely to draft a left guard, and possibly an additional offensive lineman or linemen for depth purposes.
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i said 2.. we will get a LG in 2nd or 3rd..
then get a RG/C type of player like Eric Olsen in 5th or 6th.. peterman and dom are good but they are getting old so need to look for backup and hopefully future starter….
any more then that is just stupid.. we only have 7 picks 1 2 3 4 5 5 6.. this year so why would we use 3 on just OL when it was are D that lost us games.. or 4?? are you kidding me??
the case for three
I voted for “three” because in addition to a starter at left guard, the Lions probably need to add two players for depth. I also think the right tackle starting job hasn’t been nailed down by anyone.
In this draft, the most critical need for the Lions is offensive line. Stafford suffered two different injuries last year and that has to stop.
by medicineball on Feb 28, 2010 1:07 PM EST up reply actions
3? OL most critical need?...
I voted for 2, and considering the Lions only have 7 picks thats plenty atm. 3 would be insane, they can add some depth along the OL in free agency. As for OL being the most critical need thats debatable — the Lions have too many needs to count and OL, specifically LG, is definitely one but they cant afford to assign nearly half their draft to the OL. The defense is terrible and full of holes, the RBs are a mess, WRs are a mess. No way they should take 3 OL.
two
it adds some competition between the picks but they wont ruin their draft by targeting the position to many time
Remember no matter where you go in life...there you are!
by McCards010 on Feb 28, 2010 6:23 PM EST reply actions
dwb, you are just thick.
Look at the other NFC Left Tackles. They did not have very good seasons. Jason Peters? Come on, the guy is terrible and only plays once in awhile. And he was probably the second best in the NFC.
Schwartz just said that Backus was as good as anyone in the NFC last year…….and sadly, he was correct. A bunch of injuries and age wiped out the NFC LTs. Look it up before you spout off.
That doesn't mean you shouldn't draft a LT
Just because the rest of the conference sucks.
The early bird catches the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
by Flowing Willow on Mar 2, 2010 6:24 AM EST up reply actions
I'll say it one more time....I don't think there is an LT worth the # 2 pick.
And that is not the Lions highest need either. If the Lions trade down, unlikely, and Suh, McCoy, and Berry are all gone I think drafting Okung at #6 or later would be very good value and a great long term investment for Detroit.
Okung
No one has told me why he isn’t worth the #2 pick, everyone just says he would be behind all of the top LT’s in past years. First of all I doubt that severely, he’s an elite pass protector. Secondly, that isn’t a knock on him, it’s more of a praise for the other guys. Okung has elite range, is very strong, quick feet, good technique against the pass, he’s a prototypical, blindside, ten year starter at LT.
The early bird catches the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
by Flowing Willow on Mar 3, 2010 5:37 AM EST up reply actions
Two
A tackle and guard. Another guy added through FA.
The early bird catches the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
i voted 2, but I think they will actually get 1 in FA and 1 in the draft
http://cmufootball.blogspot.com/
Just curious
Why do we have a vikes fan posting needs on Lions?
Yes, we do need a LG, and its almost a guarantee that we will have someone else at LG by the start of the season.
As fart as how many linemen we’re taking in the draft: I would say 2. One early (2nd or 3rd round), and one late
The beginning of the end of the misery
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