Lions Draft Wrap-up
Well, the Lions don't appear to have fared too badly in the draft. There's a lot of debate about the merits of picking WR Mike Williams when they need more playmakers on the other side of the ball, but it's tough to argue that they didn't get value for the pick. Sure you can't trust the local media bias, but all reports are this guy is itching to go and certainly, he's saying all the right things. He could fit in very, very well. And let's face it. With Roy Williams, Charles Rogers, Marcus Pollard and Kevin Jones lining up the other offensive skill positions, all Joey Harrington has to do is be competent. He's got a line that can block for him, so it's just a matter of finding the open receiver. And between all those targets (please let them be healthy), someone's going to be open.
In any case, Detroit's later round picks aren't knock your socks off exciting, but there's some player worth watching. In the second round they traded up a couple spots to select Shaun Cody, who can play both DE and DT. He's billed as a versatile guy who can get to the QB, but may not have the size for the NFL. Still, they got a guy projected for the late 1st round with their second round pick, which is getting to be a habit (Sean Rogers and Teddy Lehman come to mind) so I like the choice. In the third round they added Stanford CB Stanley Wilson. Evidently he's fast. Real fast. Can he cover? Beats me, but they need to take a flyer on somebody at that position. Fernando Rodney is not getting it done, and the guys behind him have yet to distinguish themselves.
I do really like the potential of their day 2 picks. Connecticut QB Dan Orlovsky might be a reach, but they only need him to be a third guy and they can take their time developing him. It's the last two guys that I think are intriguing late-round steal possibilities. DL Bill Swancutt of Oregon St. and LB Jonathan Goddard of Marshall aren't great physical specimens (according to the "experts"), but you can't argue their productivity at their respective schools. Both were sack machines last year, and Swancutt made more than two dozen of his 80 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. I agree with the many folks who say you can't teach a guy to have a nose for the football and it sounds like these two have got that. Give 'em a couple seasons and maybe one of 'em will turn into something pretty great.
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Dan:
April 25th, 2005 - 22:48
As somoeone who saw almost every game Bill Swancutt played at OSU, I was praying my Seahawks would snag the guy as the draft progresses. Not a guy who will excite the scouts at the combo with his physique or 40 time, but just a dang good football player. It’s funny, I remember the opener against LSU when he dominated against a highly touted O-line, and the ESPN guys were like “who is this guy?”
To me, the only difference between David Pollack and Bill Swancutt is one played his games in Corvallis, Oregon, and one was on national TV week after week. Swancutt is an absolute STEAL for the Lions.
And Mike Williams? How could they NOT take him when he fell into that spot? Anyone who questions that pick obviously can’t remember past last season. ’cause Williams is a special, special talent.
April 26th, 2005 - 09:29
Yeah, the most shocking thing to me about the Williams pick is that he was still available at #10. (And from his comments to the press, Millen was stunned by that too.) I know the NFL is all about speed these days, but not at the expense of pure football skills and that seems to be Williams’s greatest strength at WR.
Love your comments about Swancutt. Obviously, as a Detroit homer I’ve not really seen any of these guys play so all I can do is read the analysis and look at their stats. But man, when you look at Swancutt’s production at OSU it’s impressive. I definitely hope you’re right about his NFL prospects.