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

GM Martin Mayhew definately is a HUGE upgrade over Matt Millen and it showed last April.  QB Matt Stafford out of Georgia was the 1st pick of the entire draft last April.  He played in 10 games for the Lions and he completed 201 of 377 passes (53.3%) for 2,267 yards with 13 TD passes and 20 INTs (61.0 QB Rating).  He also carried  the ball 20 times for 108 yards (5.4 ypc) with 2 TD runs last season.  Stafford showed a lot of potential last season and the Lions will try to continue to build a offense around him.  TE Brandon Pettigrew out of Oklahoma State was the Lions’ other first round pick last April (#20 overall).  He played in 11 games for the Lions last season and he caught 30 passes for 346 yards (11.5 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Pettigrew’s season ended early due to injury but he showed a lot of potential for the Lions last year.  In the 2nd round (#33 overall) the Lions selected safety Louis Delmas  out of Western Michigan and he was quite a impact player for them.  He played in 15 games for the Lions last season and he made 94 tackles, 6 tackles for a loss, he had 1 sack, defensed 8 passes and he picked off two passes (130 yards in returns) with one that he returned 101 yards for a TD.  The sky is the limit for him.  Linebacker DeAndre Levy was the Lions’ first selection of the third round (#76 overall) out of Wisconsin.  He played in all 16 games for the Lions last season and he made 85 tackles, 8 tackles for a loss, he forced 1 fumble, defensed 5 passes and he had 1 interception.  Levy also has a huge upside giving the Lions four really solid players to build around but they still picked more players that helped them.  WR/KR Derrick Williams came to the Lions in the third round (#82 overall) out of Penn State.  He played in 11 games for the Lions last season in which he carried the ball 1 time for 4 yards and he caught 6 passes for 52 yards (8.7 avg).  Williams also returned 42 kickoffs for 931 yards (22.2 avg) last season.  DT Sammie Lee Hill was taken in the 4th round (#115 overall) out of tiny Stillman College.  He played in 13 games (12 starts) for the Lions and he made 26 tackles.  RB Aaron Brown of TCU was the Lions’ 6th round pick (#192 overall).  He played in 15 games for the Lions in which he carried the ball 27 times for 131 yards (4.9 ypc) and he also caught 9 passes for 84 yards (9.3 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Brown also returned 42 kickoffs for 951 yards (22.6 avg) last year.  Linebacker Zack Follett was selected in the 7th round (#228 overall) out of California.  He played in 12 games and he made 10 tackles.  He also returned 2 kickoffs for 12 yards (6.0 avg) as almost all of his P.T. came on special teams.  TE Dan Gronkowski was also picked in the 7th round (#255 overall) out of Maryland.  He played in 2 games for the Lions last season and he caught 1 pass for 4 yards.  The Lions picked OT Lydon Murtha (7th round, #228 overall) out of Nebraska but they cut him before the season started.  He played in 1 game (0 starts) for the Dolphins before ended his season on I.R.

GRADE FOR 2009:  A

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  A+

The Lions have placed 21-year old rookie QB Matt Stafford on the Injured Reserve List due to shoulder and knee injuries.  Stafford has played in 10 games for the Lions this season and he has completed 201 of 377 passes (53.3%) for 2,267 yards with 13 TD passes and 20 INTs (61.0 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 20 times for 108 yards (5.4 ypc) with 2 TD runs this year.  Stafford showed glimpses of his potential this season and it was smart for the Lions to shut him down.  He looks like he will be the QB of the future for the Lions.

The Lions have lost rookie TE Brandon Pettigrew for the season due to serious damage to his left knee.  Pettigrew played in 11 games for the Lions this season and he caught 30 passes for 346 yards (11.5 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  This will hurt the Lions’ offense as Pettigrew was a player that Matt Stafford trusted in the passing game.

The Lions have placed WR/KR Adam Jennings on the Injured Reserve List ending his season due to a ankle injury he suffered in his first game with the team.  Jennings was probably going to eventually bump rookie RB Aaron Brown as the kickoff returner.  Brown has returned 21 kickoffs for 463 yards (22.0 avg) this season but he will lose his starting spot to WR Derrick Williams who was a 3rd round pick out of Penn State.

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.