The LIONS have come on like a freight train after jettisoning the short MATT PATRICIA coaching era. The selection of BRAD HOLMES as their GM and his hire of former LIONS TE DAN CAMPBELL as their Head Coach has this franchise steadily rebuilding the roster and seems poised for a legit Play-Off spot this coming season. Despite brave talk from their NFC North opponents the LIONS have what it takes to take charge of their division.
And they didn’t do anything to hurt themselves with their 2023 Draft effort, IMO.
Round 1, Pick 12 JAHMYR GIBBS RB Alabama 5’9/200 PP Rank 22 I have no issue with this Pick although even I was surprised by it. It allowed them to trade the oft-injured D’ANDRE SWIFT to the EAGLES. GIBBS is a dynamic speedster who excels at catching short passes and turning them into big gains if not TD. His 4.36/40 time clearly indicates he will add significant speed to their attack. The team has now exchanged JAMAAL WILLIAMS/SWIFT last years top 2 RB for GIBBS/DAVID MONTGOMERY. No offense to the former LIONS runners but it looks like an overall upgrade to me.
Round 1, Pick 18 JACK CAMPBELL LB Iowa 6’5/250 PP Rank 63 This one took me aback a bit, because I am thinking CAMPBELL is somewhat of a dinosaur in today’s NFL. You can’t argue with his stats for the Hawkeyes with 128 Tackles to his credit last season. And he can move for his size, 4.65/40 at the Combine. But as it is with most Iowa players he has been coached up pretty close to his ceiling. What you see is what you get here. I will watch this Pick carefully in the 2023 season.
Round 2, Pick 34 SAM LaPORTA TE Iowa 6’3/245 PP Rank 60 Another Hawkeye, but this time given recent history I am not afraid of how they coach up their TE at Iowa. He’s not quite KITTLE, but he runs good patterns, is sure handed and can slide inline to block. His 58 catches last season is almost remarkable when you consider how pedestrian the Iowa Offense was overall. Without him they might not have scored a passing TD last season. Athletically speaking Ourlad’s Scouting ranked him 4th out of 15 Combine TE who tested. Good addition to their TE room, just a Round too high for my taste.
Round 2, Pick 46 BRIAN BRANCH DB Alabama 6’/195 PP Rank 30 As you might guess from my rank for Branch this is my favorite Pick for them in the Top 100 of the Draft. BRANCH gets the highest grades for his FBI in the ‘Bama secondary, and his sure tackling. His 90 tackles last season is amazing on a talent laden defense and for the position he plays. He can handle coverage OK for a S. The LIONS have been tinkering and reconfiguring their secondary talent since before CAMPBELL showed up as Head Coach. Plug and play with this guy in their secondary.
Round 3, Pick 68 HENDON HOOKER QB Tennessee 6’4/210 PP Rank 66 I like the pick for them and I like where they made the Pick. HOOKER may miss at least half the upcoming season rehabbing his knee. He isn’t taking over GOFF’s job, yet anyway. And I don’t really care about his age, other than to say his maturity is greater than most QB in this Draft except for the two at the top. He blew away NFL Personnel people during pre-Draft interviews, coming in second behind BRYCE YOUNG, from what I was told. Great work here to get a guy who may be their starting QB by 2025.
Round 3, Pick 96 BRODRIC MARTIN DT WESTERN KENTUCKY 6’5/335 PP Rank 173 By the time the Draft rolls around every year just about every team in the league has a favorite prospect they treasure more than most other teams. So how long do you wait to pull the trigger on said player? The LIONS said end of Round 3, no later. So they traded up for a Pick to get MARTIN who BILL PARCELLS would love if he gave a damn any more about NFL Drafts and such. The LIONS DL is strong on the edges and McNEILL is a beast inside, but MATTIN gives them the wall of granite to plug up the middle and allow McNEILL (315 lbs) to use his surprising agility to slide around. This should truly upgrade their DT position group.
Round 5, Pick 152 COLBY SORSDAL OL William & Mary 6’6/300 PP Rank NR Chock up another nice piece of recruiting work by ERIC GALKO of the Shrine Bowl. This big guy was an OT in college, but his lack of dancing feet (to my eyes) says he will move to IOL, add a few pounds and fight for a starters job in a couple of years when their IOL group gets a bit expensive under the Salary Cap. A projection, but that’s OK, perhaps a round or two early.
Round 7, Pick 219 ANTOINE GREEN. WR UNC 6’2/200 PP Rank 195 I like this guy’s size and skills, but he seemed to miss too many games to injuries during his time at UNC. He was an ideal compliment to DOWNS with bigger size and sure hands. Showed some big play potential to my eyes. Could add depth to their WR room if he can stay healthier than he did in college.
In summation it is not a great Draft, IMO, but they got some nice pieces to improve places and depth, with their kind guys. I don’t love it, but I can see what they were trying to do with most of thePicks.
Grade: B Perhaps too many reaches, but a solid group to add to their now solid roster.
Cheers
Pigskin
