The Lions have released 23-year old CB DeAngelo Smith and 23-year old RB Cedric Peerman.  Smith played in 7 games for the Lions last season and he finished up with 16 tackles and 1 pass defensed.  As awful as the Lions’ secondary was Smith couldn’t work his way into much playing time which says a awful lot about him.  Peerman played in 2 games for the Lions but he didn’t carry the ball or catch a pass.  The Lions won’t miss either of these guys.

The Lions have selected CB Amari Spievey out of Iowa with the 63rd pick overall (2nd round) of the NFL Draft.  Spievey is a cover 2 type corner meaning that he ususally needs a little help over the top.  Luckily for him that is just the type of D the Lions will be playing in 2010.  He brings the wood when defending the run as he tries to drive through the running back.  Spievey played in 13 games for the Hawkeyes last season (all starts) in which he finished up with 56 tackles, he broke up 8 passes and he had 2 interceptions.  Spievey played in 26 games (all starts) in his two years at Iowa and he finished up with 124 tackles, broke up 14 passes, he had 6 interceptions and he forced 1 fumble.  This was a good pick for the Lions as they needed help at corner.

The Lions traded back into the first round in a deal with the Vikings which allowed them to draft RB Jahvid Best out of California with the 30th pick of the first round of the NFL Draft.  Running back was a huge need for the Lions and they think they filled it with one of the most dynamic backs in the draft.  Best is on the small side at 5’9″, 190 pounds but he’s lightning fast running 4.4 40 yard dashes all the time.  He just needs a little daylight to go the distance which he can do on any play.  Best played in 9 games (8 starts) for Cal last season and he carried the ball 141 times for 867 yards (6.1 ypc) with 12 TD runs and he also caught 22 passes for 213 yards (9.7 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  The Lions will likely attempt to keep both Kevin Smith and Jahvid Best healthy by letting them share the carries in 2010.  Best played in 31 games (18 starts) in his three years at Cal in which he carried the ball 364 times for 2,668 yards (7.3 ypc) with 29 TD carries and he also caught 62 passes for 533 yards (8.6 avg) with 6 TD grabs.  Best can also return kicks if the Lions need him to.  It was smart to trade up into the first round to nab Best who will be a asset for years to come for the Lions.

The Lions have picked DT Ndamukong Suh with the second pick of the first round of the NFL Draft.  Suh gives the Lions big time help on the D-Line.  Suh played in 14 games (all starts) for Nebraska last season in which he made 85 tackles, 24 tackle for a loss, he had 12 sacks, batted down 10 passes and he forced 1 fumble.  Suh will demand a double team because of his ability to get off the line and into opposing backfields wreaking havoc.  That will make the Lions’ linebackers better defensing the run which was a big problem for the Lions last season.  Suh played in 55 games (38 starts) in his career at Nebraska in which he made 189 tackles, 53 tackles for a loss, he had 24 sacks, batted down 15 passes, he forced 3 fumbles and he recovered one of them.  This was a outstanding pick for a Lions’ team that is rebuilding the defense.

Lions’ GM Martin Mayhew drafted great last season and this off-season he has been loading up the roster through free agency and the trade market.  Look for the Lions to stay aggressive starting tonight in the NFL Draft as they look to fill a few of the remaining holes on the roster for 2010.  The Lions have 3 of the top 60 picks in the draft and they have 8 overall picks over the weekend.  The biggest needs for the Lions are DT, RB and CB heading into the weekend.  The Lions are still deciding between which DT they want to pick in the first round…..Ndamukong Suh or Gerald McCoy.

PROJECTED FIRST ROUND PICK:  DT, Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska

The Lions have been really busy this off-season as they have added five players in trades and they have also signed 7 free agents this so far this off-season.  The Lions have helped themselves in all three phases of the game so far.  Offensively the big catches were WR Nate Burleson (free agent), OG Rob Sims (trade) and TE Tony Scheffler (trade) as all three of these guys will likely be starters for the Lions in 2010.  QB Shaun Hill was brought in from the 49ers in a trade and he is a solid backup QB.  WR Brian Clark, RB De de Dorsey and OG Trevor Canfield were all signed for depth.  Defensively the big catches for the Lions are CB Chris Houston (trade), DE Kyle Vanden Bosch (free agent) and DT Corey Williams (trade) and they will all likely start on D for the Lions this season.  CB Jonathan Wade, LB Landon Johnson and S Dante Wesley will all help the depth of the defense and they will likely all help out on special teams in 2010 for the Lions.  I really like the aggressiveness the Lions are showing this off season as they have made themselves a lot better already for 2010.

The Lions have claimed OG Trevor Canfield off waivers from the Seahawks.  He is 24 years old and he is 6’5″, 307 pounds but he has not played in a game yet in his NFL career.  Still, he is young enough to take a chance on as the Lions need to improve the offensive line.

The Detroit Lions have acquired 27-year old TE Tony Scheffler and a 7th round pick from the Broncos.  The Lions moved 25-year old OLB to the Eagles with the Broncos getting a 5th round pick from the Eagles.  Scheffler played in 15 games for the Broncos last season and he caught 31 passes for 416 yards (13.4 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  He has now played in 57 games in his 4 year NFL career in which he has caught 138 passes for 1,896 yards (13.7 avg) with 14 TD grabs.  He will give Matt Stafford another weapon to use in the passing game as he is a good receiver.  25-year old OLB Ernie Sims is leaving the Lions for Philly and I think he will play well for them as long as he can stay healthy.  Sims played in 11 games for the Lions last season in which he had 49 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss and 1 pass defensed.  Sims played 4 years with the Lions appearing in 59 games in which he had 421 tackles, defensed 5 passes, he had 2.5 sacks, forced 4 fumbles and he had 1 interception.  I like this trade for the Lions as they add more help for the offense.

The Lions have released CB Kevin Hobbs, S Kalvin Pearson and CB Brian Witherspoon.  Hobbs played in 14 games for the Lions last season and he made 37 tackles, defensed 1 pass and he forced 1 fumble.  Pearson played in 12 games for the Lions last season and he made 19 tackles.  Pearson played in 28 games over two years with the Lions in which he made 102 tackles, defensed 4 passes, had 1 sack and he forced 4 fumbles.  Brian Witherspoon played in 8 games last season with the Jags & Lions in which he had 3 tackles.  He also returned 9 punts for 88 yards (9.8 avg) and 26 kickoffs for 640 yards (24.6 avg) last season.  With the way the Lions’ secondary played last season I don’t think they will miss any of these guys next year.

The Lions have released offensive guard Daniel Loper.  Loper played in 8 games (5 starts) for the Lions last season.  He has played in 48 games (5 starts) in his five years in the NFL.  The Lions won’t miss the 28 year old who shouldn’t have much of a problem finding a new job as a backup.