Lions Draft Preview 2K13 Part 3: The Aftermath

Ziggy Ansah. That’s the newest Detroit Lion. He’s, from what I read, a ridiculously talented athlete that has major upside.  Schwartz is saying that the Lions didn't draft Ansah as a project and they expect him to contribute right away.  Lions Brass may not view him as a gamble with the pick  but I will say that Mayhew and Schwartz have taken a gamble with their jobs because if Ansah is a bust, you can kiss them goodbye!

Ansah will provide some much needed help to a defensive line that is without edge rushers.  Yes, the combo of Willie Young and Jason Jones provide a cheaper alternative to KVB and Cliff Avril but that doesn’t mean drafting a guy who has played football for two years is the answer.  There are two potential outcomes for Ansah with the Lions.  He’s either a stud that NFL pundits say could turn into a Jason Pierre Paul from a couple years ago OR he’s just another shitty Lions pick. 

No doubt tonight in the 2^nd and 3^rd rounds they’ll need to hit OL and CB but this bottom line is a risky pick.  As I’ve mentioned in my previous blogs, I still see them taking Watson and Jones somehow someway.  They need the help across the board and considering the top flight of CB’s are off the board, I don’t think the Lions can stretch to take another CB project. 

It will be interesting to see how tonight plays out.  A lot of offense was left on the draft board last night and still a lot of players considered as first round material still available.  If the Lions can swing a trade to get another second rounder or an early third could prove pivotal for the future of the Lions.  Tune later tonight and come back Monday for the recap from the weekend. 

Lions Draft Preview 2K13 Part 2

Predicting the Lions first 3 rounds

If any of you read yesterday, I said that if the Lions have the chance to take Eric Fisher at #5, the Lions should pass.  Just to recap, I don’ t believe in the homer pick, I’d like Fisher to start a new life somewhere else and if the Lions go 4-12 this year, I don’t want the blame put on him. 

The secondary has been atrocious and help is needed.  I like Chris Houston and the Glover Quin was a nice FA signing but the Louis Delmas and the rest of the bad company back there give me little confidence heading into the fall.  Dee Milliner would be my pick at #5 which shores up a very swiss-cheese like secondary.

For the Lions 2^nd round pick, the Lions, after overhauling their O-Line this past off-season will take Menelik Watson, OT from Florida State.  Everything I've read about this guy says he’s a potential first round pick and is fast. At 6-5 310, he’s a perfect replacement for the retiring Jeff Backus.  Watson has size and length needed for the Lions O-Line and his size, speed, strength and field intelligence lead me to believe the Lions take him with the 36^th pick.

In the 3^rd Round, I think the Lions find themselves in a conundrum.  Let’s not kid ourselves here, the Lions have had very little production out of their picks after the second round so this really is a crap shoot.  After addressing CB and OT, the Lions could go a multitude of directions.  They still need help on the O-Line, they could use a pass rusher (unless you all are fine w/ Willie Young and Jason Jones) and have linebacker needs. 

Their 3^rd round pick will be Barrett Jones, Center/OT/OG from Alabama.  Dom Raiola is no spring chicken and Jones anchored an Alabama O-Line that has produced three National Championships in the last 4 years and a plethora of solid running backs like Mark Ingram.  Jones stands 6-4 306, already taller and bigger than Raiola (6-1, 295) and Jones is only 22 yrs old.  He’ll be the anchor for the Lions for the next 10 years and his experienced college resume makes him the right choice for the Lions at 65^th overall.

The jury is out for the remainder of the draft as to what the Lions will do.  As I mentioned yesterday, the Lions have done a very poor job scouting the later rounds for talent and have not been able to draft NFL caliber players on this team.  Scouting has been a real issue for the Lions and I’m not talking about the Millen era.  We’re past that people.  I don’t put anymore blame on it because it’s just an excuse; another way to deflect blame and provide a reason why this team has been so putrid for so long. I’m not buying it anymore and neither should you.  I’ve added some highlight reels of my pick predictions.  Enjoy the tape and come back tomorrow for Lions Draft Preview 2K13 Part 3 and follow @ajcoopdeville for live tweets during tomorrow night’s draft.

Relax Hockeytown - Everything's Alright

Many of you may be wondering, why haven’t the Red Wings had a big time free agent signing this offseason? Doesn’t Ken Holland see the need for some new talent on a team that hasn’t won a cup since 2008 and that quickly approaching the five year mark?  Well Wings fans, I don’t think there is any cause for concern right now because there isn’t the talent out there that I’d want the Red Wings to spend their dollars on. Guys upfront like Filppula, Helm and Emmerton will have to provide some scoring power and on defense you're going to see some new faces who'll have a great opportunity to step up. 

My opinion, I'm glad to see that they didn't make any high profile signings.  I'm intrigued by the fact they've got some young talent in the works that will have the opportunity to have significant ice time this season.  Brenden Smith, Gustav Nyquist Jan Mursak and Jakub Kindl could be the future for the Red Wings.  In past years, playing time has been at a premium but that's changed.

Sure, if they would have added Parise and Suter then we’d be talking about a whole different ballgame.  However, just because they didn't sign either of those two and didn’t waste their money on the likes of Alexander Semin or Jaromir Jagr or Matt Carle doesn’t signal the end of their playoff streak.  I still see the Wings as a dominate team in the Central.  Just by process of elimination they are still on top.  The Predators and Jackets lost key players and the ‘Hawks and Blues but I'm not worried - this division is very much winnable. 

The extra dollars Holland has to work with allows him to reassess the situation and play free agency the right way and not the Joe D way (cough cough 40 million for Charlie V cough cough).  Rest easy Hockeytown, all is well western front.