Jon Kitna has been talking a lot of smack in the news outlets http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2914874 about how the Lions are going to win at least 10 GAMES this season.  Well, if that is going to happen Kitna will have to make sure he quits throwing the football to the team not wearing Lions’ blue.  He doesn’t have the strongest arm around and he has small hands which make him prone to fumbling.  Kitna started all 16 games last season for the Lions and he completed 372 of 596 (62.4%) of his passes for 4,208 yards with 21 TD passes and 22 interceptions (79.9 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 34 times for 156 yards (4.6 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  Kitna will have a nice receiver corps to throw to but he must stay healthy if the Lions are to have a chance to make some noise this season in the NFC North.  Kitna has played in 108 games (95 starts) in his NFL career and he’s completed 2,039 of 3,433 passes (59.4%) for 22,467 yards with 129 TD passes and 126 interceptions (76.1 QB Rating).  He also has carried the football 248 times for 714 yards (2.9 ypc) with 10 TD runs.

Dan Orlovsky and 2nd round pick Drew Stanton will battle it out to be the #2 QB on the Lions.  I think Stanton will win the job if he plays decent in Training Camp and the pre-season.  He will need to change his style of running the ball first as that would waste the great receiving corps that the Lions have assembled.  Dan Orlovsky has only appeared in 2 games (0 starts) for the Lions in his career and he’s completed 7 of 17 (41.2%) for 63 yards with 0 TDs and 0 INTs (51.8 QB Rating).  Orlovsky is a little short on arm strength and he wasn’t a high draft choice like Stanton so he will likely be the #3 guy.

If Ramzee Robinson was just a little bit bigger and a tad faster he would be a really good football player.  But, he’s only 5′9″, 182 pounds and he runs a 4.52 40.  His size hurts him against tall WRs and he’s a little soft against the run.  But he will be a good special teams player for the Lions and if he gets a little bit tougher against the run the Lions can use him in their nickel and dime packages.

Many experts didn’t project Johnny Baldwin to get drafted but Matt Millen liked him so he took a chance.  Baldwin is 6′2″, 232 pounds and he runs a 4.6 40 so he’s got the measureables to succeed in the NFL.  The main problem that many have with Baldwin was the level of competition he played against at Alabama A&M.  It’s hard to ignore his defensive numbers despite the fact that he earned them playing against poor competition.  He played in 45 games at Alabama A&M and he made 361 tackles, 35.5 tackles for a loss, had 13.5 sacks, forced 9 fumbles, recovered 3 fumbles, broke up 9 passes and had 4 interceptions.  He also blocked 4 kicks on special teams and I’m sure that caught Millen’s eye.  Look for Baldwin to be a backup linebacker as a rookie and for him to play a lot on special teams.

Manuel Ramirez might be the perfect fit for the Lions offense.  Ramirez rarely had to block for the running game in college at Texas Tech, but he’s an outstanding pass blocker.  Ramirez is a mountain of a man at 6′2″, 335 pounds.  Look for Ramirez to be a reserve as a rookie and a starter in the near future.  He played in 48 games at Texas Tech and started 45 of them.

A.J. Davis is a little small in stature as he’s 5′9″, 192 pounds but he plays faster than he times (4.5 40).  Davis will have problems with big WRs and stopping the run as he projects more to be a nickel or dime back.  But he can make big plays as he’s aggressive when breaking on the football.  In 46 games (23 starts) at North Carolina State, Davis has made 139 tackles, broke up 30 passes, intercepted 4 passes (111 return yards) and forced a fumble.  Davis was a nice pick by the Lions in the 4th round.