Grading the Lions Draft / Rounds 1-3

Round 1 - Jarrad Davis

Pros - The perfect Bob Quinn linebacker. Great character, hard worker, leader, and fast. As he said yesterday, loves to exert force on other people. That’s what I like to hear my linebacker say. Very little risk, high reward. Plug in starter for the next five years. Sounds like staff thinks he could play middle or outside. Everyone knew LB was a position of need and Quinn went out and addressed it with a trusted and reliable commodity.

Cons - For as fast as he is, just OK in pass coverage. Passing on a talent like Foster will be scrutinized if he turns into a star. Taco Charlton would’ve provided more of the pass rush that is needed.

Round 2 - Teez Tabor

Pros - Put on the tape and you can see the pros. Productivity in a conference with great WR’s, 28 passes defensed in the last two years. 5 star recruit, freshmen All-American, All-SEC. Amazing ball skills, so good when the ball is in the air. When you run as slow as he did on pro day and lift as little as he did at the combine, you are GREAT at everything else. Quick feet, size, great anticipation and instincts. Potential versatility to play some safety on down the line. Great graphic on the metrics of his on field play. Look at all the green (that’s good). Low yards per target, high passes defended per target, low opposing QB rating, etc.

Cons - As bad of a combine and pro day workout as you can see. 4.75 on his pro day? That is the time a D-End would run! 9 reps at the combine? Nightmare measurables in those two instances. Called a “finesse” player….yuck. The concern is that he can be beat deep although as Quinn mentioned, he doesn’t see that happen on tape. He is a little bit of a whack job. Demanded his teammates call him by his nickname “Teez” before his junior year at Florida. Refused to take a drug test and had significant issue with a teammate at Florida. Made shirts and displayed them at his draft party that said, “Press play, watch the tape.”

Round 3 - Kenny Golladay

Pros - Big receiver with great hands and speed. 6’4 and 220. Only 5 drops out of 165 targets. This offense lacked big plays WR’s down the field and a big red zone target. He can help with both. Really can help stretch the field. Really a position of need as there is uncertainty on the roster after Jones and Tate. Take from a top NFL Scout: “Golladay’s combination of footwork, size and suddenness will enable him to create separation at the next level. His hands and ball skills on deep passes in traffic may end up determining whether he’s merely a rotational receiver or someone who can develop into a starter in the NFL.”

Cons - The jump from North Dakota to Northern Illinois to the NFL is a big one. Most experts had a 4-5 round grade on him, so maybe we reached a little? If the Lions would’ve stuck with their 3rd round spot, other highly rated players at positions of need were available including Derrick Rivers, Jourdon Lewis, and Akeem Hunt.

Andy’s take and grade so far = B+

The grade is high so far due to specifically addressing position of need. In our pre-draft coverage I spoke about how this is not your Dad’s Lions team mostly due to having less needs that any time in recent memory. Being set at O-Line and QB changes your entire draft. Our top 4 pre-draft needs were LB, D-End, WR-RB playmaker, and CB. Lions hit 3 of those 4 and that is a laser focus and targeted.

Love the pick of Davis. No brainer. Tabor is the pick that will make or break this draft. If he becomes a starter during this season and performs, it’s a steal. He’s a little bizarre, but has crazy swagger and belief in himself. Throw out the combine stuff and watch him play football. You can’t keep rolling out there with Lawson, Bademosi, and Diggs. Now we can move Hayden to the slot and start Tabor on the outside. If that 4.75 pro day speed shows up, we are in trouble. If he is as “finesse” as some claim, it’s not a good pick. Risk/reward all over this one.

A little nervous about the move made in the third, but I love the guy we got. #1 on our board was DE Derrick Rivers out of Youngstown State. We traded out of the pick with NE getting Rivers just before us. I think they usually know what they are doing. The guy I wanted and at a position of need. Maybe could've traded up to get him? Maybe could've done what the Vikings did in round 2 and traded up for Cook? Not aggressive enough? Then, players like Hunt and Foreman come off the board at RB. Not to mention, I was very high (as was Todd McShay) on Jourdan Lewis. Having said that, this offense needed help as did the WR core. The options of Jace Billingsley, KeShawn Martin, and Jared Abredderis are not good. Golladay is big, fast, and has great hands. Will help stretch the field and in the red zone. If that is the guy we targeted, we got him, and were able to trade back. But it does sound like many thought it was a reach and he had a 5th round grade.

What’s Next

The Lions have six picks today, including two in the 4th and one in the 6th. The immediate needs are at running back and defensive end. Top players on our pre-draft board that will be available today are RB J.Williams from BYU, LB A.Walker from Northwestern, S T. Thompson from Colorado, and WR Ryan Switzer from UNC. We also mentioned TE/WR Bucky Hodges and TE Jake Butt as player we would like.