The Lions definately needed help at the back end of the defense and that was the reason for the selection of Louis Delmas.  Delmas was rated as the #1 rated prospect at safety by Pro Football Weekly heading into this draft.  He’s small at 5′11″, 197 pounds and he runs a 4.53 40.  Delmas is reckless in how he throws his body around which often leads to big plays but he also might get banged up himself a lot.  Delmas played in 45 games (all starts) at Western Michigan and he made 310 tackles, broke up 18 passes, had 12 interceptions (152 yards), forced 3 fumbles and he recovered 4 fumbles.  This was another solid pick by the Lions.

The Detroit Lions wanted to get another weapon for new QB Matthew Stafford and with that in mind they selected the consensus #1 TE in the draft in Brandon Pettigrew.  Pettigrew is a big guy at 6′5″, 257 pounds and he runs a 4.85 40.  Pettigrew is a nasty run blocker and he is a good enough receiver to keep opposing safeties honest.  He played 4 years for the Texas Longhorns appearing in 47 games (45 starts) in which he caught 112 passes for 1,450 yards (12.9 avg) with 9 TD grabs.  This was a outstanding pick for the Lions.

The Detroit Lions will select 6′2″, 230 pound QB Matthew Stafford with the #1 pick in the NFL Draft.  They have given him a 6-year, $78 million dollar contract with $41.7 million guaranteed.  In three seasons at Georgia, Stafford played in 39 games (34 starts) in which he completed 564 of 987 passes (57.1%) for 7,731 yards with 51 TD passes and 33 interceptions.  Stafford has a big time gun as he can drill the ball into tight spots or unleash a ball on a line 50+ yards.  But, often times he disappeared against good competition.  Still, he has improved every season that he was at Georgia so his best football is likely ahead.  This was a solid pick for the Lions as Daunte Culpepper and Drew Stanton were the only QBs on the roster before the draft.

The Lions have claimed 23-year old OLB/DE Curtis Gatewood off waivers from the Chiefs.  He played for new Defensive Co-Ordinator Gunther Cunningham so he knows the system.  He played in 6 games for the Chiefs last season and make 2 tackles.

The Lions have signed 29-year old WR Ronald Curry to a 1-year deal.  He played in 13 games for the Raiders last season and he caught 19 passes for 181 yards (9.5 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Curry has now played in 76 games in his 7-year NFL career and he has caught 193 passes for 2,347 yards (12.2 avg) with 13 TD grabs.  Curry is a good football player when healthy so it was worth the risk for the Lions to bring him in for the 2009 season.