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The Lions didn’t have any need to keep WR Mike Williams or QB Josh McCown after they drafted Drew Stanton and Calvin Johnson so they traded them to the Raiders for a 4th round pick (#105). That pick turned out to be used on cornerback A.J. Davis of North Carolina State. This was a good move for the Lions as they got rid of what they didn’t need and addressed an area of weakness with the addition of A.J. Davis.
The Lions traded the #34 pick overall to the Bills for their 2nd rounder (#43 overall) and their 3rd rounder (#74 overall). This was good value for the Lions as long as they pick the right players.
Calvin Johson is a freak at wide receiver and the Lions should not trade him. The thought of Mike Martz having Calvin Johnson, Roy Williams and Mike Furrey should scare opposing defenses. Johnson is 6’4″, 235 pounds and runs a 4.4 40! He has fantastic leaping ablility and a great set of hands. It’s possible that Jon Kitna could throw for 4,000+ yards in 2007 as long as the Lions keep the best player in this year’s NFL Draft. In 38 games at Georgia Tech, Johnson caught 178 passes for 2,927 yards (16.4 avg) with 28 TD grabs!
1. (2)Â Calvin Johnson, WR, Georgia Tech
2. (43)Â Drew Stanton, QB, Michigan State
2. (58) Ikaika Alama-Francis, DE, Hawaii
2. (61) Gerald Alexander, S, Boise State
4. (105)Â A.J. Davis, CB, North Carolina State
4. (117)Â Manuel Ramirez, OG, Texas Tech
5. (158)Â Johnny Baldwin, LB, Alabama A&M
7. (255)Â Ramzee Robinson, CB, Alabama
The Lions have signed Marcus Robinson and Cliff Russell to 1-year contracts. Robinson is the much better football player of the two the Lions signed. He played in 10 games (3 starts) for the Minnesota Vikings last season and he caught 29 passes for 381 yards (13.1 avg) with 4 TD grabs. Robinson is really good in the red zone because of his size (6’3″, 215) and jumping ability. Over his 10 year NFL career, Robinson has played in 107 games (2 starts) and he’s caught 325 passes for 4,699 yards (14.5 avg) with 43 TD grabs. Cliff Russell played in 3 games for the Miami Dolphins last season and he caught 2 passes for 14 yards (7.0 avg). Russell has played in 21 games over his career and he’s only caught 5 passes for 45 yards (9.0 avg). He also has carried the ball 3 times for 15 yards (5.0 ypc). Look for Robinson to settle in as the Lions #3 or #4 wideout, but Russell will have a hard time making the team.
The Lions have signed WR Kevin Kasper and CB’s Tony Beckham and Ike Charlton. Kasper played in 1 game last season for the Lions and he didn’t do anything. He has played in 39 games over his NFL career and he’s caught 24 passes for 287 yards (12.0 avg) with 3 TD grabs. He also has carried the football 7 times for 34 yards (4.9 ypc) and he’s returned 77 kickoffs for 1,869 yards (24.3 avg). Beckham was on the Tennessee Titans roster last season but he did not play. Over his 5 year career, Beckham has played in 50 games and he’s made 53 tackles, has an interception, defensed 8 passes and had 1 fumble recovery. Ike Charlton has not played in the NFL since the 2003 season. In the 4 years that Charlton has played he’s made 86 tackles, has 2 sacks, 2 interceptions (1 returned for a TD), defensed 5 passes and forced four fumbles. It’s likely that these guys were all signed to play special teams and they will all have a hard time making the Lions roster.
I have conducted a complete 7 round draft for every team in the NFL. If you want to see what I have projected for any other team in the NFL, click on the team name in the right hand margin and go to the team’s Draft Report page if you don’t see the article on the front page of the site. This was a lot of work so I hope you enjoy it.
Here is who I project the Detroit Lions to draft later this month:
1. (2)Â Gaines Adams, DE, Clemson
2. (34)Â Justin Blalock, OG, Texas
3. (66)Â Trent Edwards, QB, Stanford
4. (101)Â James Marten, OT, Boston College
5. (139)Â Martrez Milner, TE, Georgia
5. (145)Â Dashon Goldson, S, Washington
5. (154)Â Reggie Lewis, CB, Florida
5. (158) Tony Taylor, OLB, Georgia
7. (255) Tyrone Moss, RB, Miami (Florida)
This would be almost a perfect draft for the Lions as they would get the best defensive player in the draft, a quarterback to groom for the future and offensive line help.
The Lions have signed Marcus Lewis to a 1-year contract. He was on the Cincinnati Bengals last season but he didn’t play a down for them. This is nothing more than a depth signing for the Lions and nothing to get too excited about.
The Lions have also released WR Carl Ford. No loss there.