Post Season Thoughts

Matthew Stafford and many of the Lion's players celebrate with fans after clinching a wildcard birth in the playoffs this season.

Well folks, it's finally over.  The Lions lost their playoff game against the Saints, and now it is closing in on the time to be thinking about the NFL draft and the future of this team.  The Lions put together a solid season that has renewed a lot of faith in the fanbase.  With a record of 10-6, a playoff birth for the first time in 12 years, and young stars like Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson leading the way, the future looks pretty bright for this team.  I just wanted to let all of you who read this blog know that I am not done just because the season is over.  I plan to talk about potential draft picks for the Lions at pick 23, potential trade situations both in the draft and during the free agency period, and even provide some mock drafts as the offseason progresses.  I have found a list of a few underclassmen prospects that have declared for the upcoming draft, and the Lions could show interest in some, or all of them.  If you're interested, continue reading after the jump.


From the official Detroit Lions web page, here are some of the underclassmen prospects that the Lions could be looking at in the upcoming draft:

G David DeCastro, Stanford: The best available interior lineman in the draft, DeCastro is considered by some to be a top-10 pick. It’s rare for interior linemen to go that early, though. The Lions are aging along their offensive line (three starters over 30) and DeGastro would add depth and youth to the unit.


C Peter Konz, Wisconsin: Another interior lineman, Konz could play guard initially and be the center of the future when Dominic Raiola calls it quits. Wisconsin is a well known breeding ground for great lineman and Konz looks to be another in a long line.


LB Vontaze Burfict, Arizona State: At 6-foot-3, 252 pounds, Burfict has the size the Lions covet at linebacker. He had some personal foul issues this past season (the Lions know how that goes) and sometimes seems to let his emotions get the best of him. He plays with a lot of intensity, though, and that would fit in with some personalities on defense.

CB Dre Kilpatrick, Alabama: Kilpratrick was recently arrested for marijuana possession, which could scare some teams away. Who knows, it could scare the Lions away after they sit down and talk with him. But Kilpatrick is initially considered a top-15 talent with good size. He’s not an elite cover corner, but he’s big (6-2) and physical.

http://www.detroitlions.com/news/lions-insider/article-1/Lions-could-be-interested-in-a-few-underclassmen-prospects/3ec97cef-9690-4fc4-a106-7a65ed6fcc8b

Personally, I think our number one priority this offseason should be to shore up the defensive backfield by drafting some new blood at cornerback.  The Lions have not had a history of drafting DBs in the first round however, and it is probably more likely that they will be looking at interior linemen at pick 23.  That said, my bet would be that if DeCastro and Konz are gone at 23, the Lions will think twice about drafting either a LB or a cornerback.  That said, it is much to early to go to far in depth about who the Lions will draft, and why, because we have a lot of free agency issues to deal with first and foremost.  I imagine that the outcome of our free agency signing period will have a large effect on who the Lions end up drafting and why.  For example, if the Lions can not lock Cliff Avril up for a long term deal, they may very well be looking at defensive ends in the first round.  Chris Houston and Eric Wright were also both signed to one year deals (I believe), so special attention should also be paid to their offseason moves in that area.

I would like to see the Lions resign Houston to a longer deal, resign Wright to at least another 1 year deal, and draft a cornerback that has true shutdown potential.  If nothing else, they should draft a corner that is big and physical, like Kilpatrick, but I would like them to go after a guy like Morris Claiborne out of LSU, who started opposite Patrick Peterson and did a great job defending passes that came his way because of fear of throwing at Peterson.  In fact, Claiborne is regarded as a better overall cornerback than Patrick Peterson by many "experts", and he led the team with 5 INTS, while also recovering a fumble, in Peterson's senior season at LSU.  If not Kilpatrick or Claiborne in round 1, then I hope the Lions at least consider a high quality corner in the second round.  LSU's other corner from this season, Tyrann Mathieu, comes to mind.

Regardless, it will be interesting to see what Martin Mayhew has up his sleeves this offseason.  Stay tuned at The Mane Attraction for future coverage of the Lion's offseason moves.  GO LIONS!!!