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The Detroit Lions have signed 28-year old TE Will Heller to a contract. Heller played in 12 games for the Seahawks last season and he caught 4 passes for 29 yards (7.3 avg). He has now played in 70 games in his NFL career and he has caught 36 passes for 257 yards (7.1 avg) with 7 TD grabs. Heller is like having an extra tackle as he is a good blocker in the running game.
The Detroit Lions have acquired 30-year old linebacker Julian Peterson from the Seahawks for DT Cory Redding and a reported 5th round draft pick. This was a outstanding trade for the Lions as Peterson will give them some toughness and playmaking ability at linebacker. Peterson played in all 16 games for the Seahawks last season and he made 86 tackles, defensed 5 passes, had 5 sacks and forced 4 fumbles. Peterson has now played in 127 games in his NFL career and he has made 643 tackles, defensed 52 passes, has 46 sacks, forced 16 fumbles and he has 8 interceptions.
Cory Redding is a bit overrated as he has not lived up to the big contract the Lions gave him. He played in 13 games for the Lions last season and he made 38 tackles and had 3 sacks. This was a outstanding trade for the Lions.
The Lions had 9 picks in last April’s NFL Draft and it appears that three of them have nice upsides. The best of the bunch was 3rd round running back Kevin Smith. Smith played in all 16 games (12 starts) for the Lions last season and he carried the ball 238 times for 976 yards (4.1 ypc) with 8 TD runs. Smith also caught 39 passes for 286 yards (7.3 avg) last season. The sky is the limit for Kevin Smith if the Lions can give him some air support in the near future. He even had 2 tackles last season for the Lions. 1st round pick (OT) Gosder Cherilus played in 16 games (13 starts) for the Lions last season. He made a lot of mistakes last season but he also has the potential to start a very long time for the Detroit Lions. 3rd rounder Cliff Avril (DE) also shows a lot of promise. He played in 15 games (4 starts) for the Lions last season and he finished with 23 tackles and a amazing 4 forced fumbles. He should develop into a full time starter in the very near future for the Lions. 2nd rounder Jordan Dizon (OLB) was a disappointment as a rookie. He played in 12 games (0 starts) and he made a whopping 28 tackles. 3rd round DT Andre Fluellen didn’t show much as a rookie last season. He played in 8 games (2 starts) and he finished with 7 tackles and he defensed 1 pass. 5th round WR Kenneth Moore was cut in the pre-season and then the Panthers picked him up but he didn’t do anything for them. Fullback Jerome Felton (5th round) could wind up being a helpful player down the road for the Lions. He played in 13 games (6 starts) and he carried the ball 2 times for 4 yards (2.0 ypc). He also caught 9 passes for 53 yards (5.9 avg) and he made a tackle. Defensive tackle Landon Cohen played in 6 games (0 starts) but he showed nothing not even making a tackle. The other 7th round pick of the Lions was safety Caleb Campbell who the Army refused to let play.
GRADE FOR 2008: C
GRADE FOR THE FUTURE: C+
The Lions have signed 27-year old linebacker Cody Spencer. Spencer played in 14 games for the Jets last season and he had 26 tackles. Spencer has now played in 49 games in his NFL career and he has made 66 tackles. Spencer is a special teams ace who should help out the Lions in 2009.
The Lions have signed 27-year old offensive tackle Daniel Loper to a 1-year deal. Loper played in all 16 games (0 starts) for the Titans last season. Loper has played 4 years in the NFL appearing in 40 games (0 starts). Loper is a big man at 6′6″, 320 pounds and he could get a shot to compete for a starting job on the Lions this season.