Alama-Francis sure looks the part at 6′5″, 265 pounds and he’s fast (4.8 40) for a player his size.  But he doesn’t make a lot of plays.  He needs to get stronger against the run and he will need to get more productive if he’s going to help the Lions defense.  In 41 games (26 starts) at Hawaii, Alama-Francis made 112 tackles, 20.5 tackles for a loss, had 9 sacks, batted down 4 passes, forced 3 fumbles and recovered 5 fumbles.  This pick has the feeling of a reach for the Lions as Alama-Francis has a lot to learn about playing defensive end.

Drew Stanton has all of the skills to be a good NFL QB.  He has nice size at 6′2″, 226 and nice speed (4.8 40).  What Stanton needs to do is relax in the pocket and not be so quick to tuck the ball and run.  That style worked in college but it won’t work in the NFL because he would take a physical beating.  In 45 games at Michigan State (29 starts), Stanton completed 543 of 846 (64.2%) passes for 6,524 yards with 42 TD passes and 28 interceptions.  Look for the Lions to bring Stanton along slowly behind Jon Kitna.

The Detroit Lions have signed Eric Beverly to a 1-year contract.  Beverly played a lot of tightend last season as a blocker.  He played in 16 games for the Falcons last season and he only caught 1 pass for 0 yards.  Don’t look for the Lions to use him much at tight end, but more as a backup at center and guard.  Don’t worry the 10 year vet is more than large enough to handle the interior of the line as he stands 6′3″ and he weighs 300 pounds.  Signing Beverly was a solid move for offensive line depth for the Lions.

The Lions didn’t keep Zach Piller around long as they released him earlier today.  He never got to play a game for the Lions who must think that they don’t need him.  He played in 3 games last season for the Tennessee Titans and he might have a hard time catching on with another team.