The Lions have acquired 24-year old DE Lawrence Jackson for an undisclosed 2011 draft pick presumed to be a late rounder.  Jackson played in 16 games (10 starts) for the Seahawks last year and he had 32 tackles, 4 sacks, 2 passes defensed and 2 forced fumbles.  He has now played in 32 games (24 starts) in his first two years in the NFL and he has 61 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 2 passes defensed and 2 forced fumbles.  I love this pickup for the Lions as Jackson was a 1st round pick in 2008 and he has a nice upside.

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 acquired 26-year old guard Rob Sims and a 7th round pick in 2010 from the Seahawks in two separate deals for 26-year old DE Robert Henderson and a 5th round pick in 2010.  This was another outstanding move for the Lions as Rob Sims will be the starting left guard in 2010.  Sims played in 14 games (all starts) for the Seahawks last season.  He has now played in 45 games (34 starts) in his 4 years in the NFL.  He is a clear upgrade for the O-Line.  Robert Henderson did not play last season for the Lions and he has yet to play a game in his NFL career so they didn’t mind giving him up.  Essentially moving down two rounds to get Sims is a great move for the Lions who continue to rebuild.

The Lions have acquired 30-year old QB Shaun Hill from the 49ers for a 7th round pick in 2011.  Hill played in 6 games for the 49ers last season in which he completed 87 of 155 passes (56.1%) for 943 yards with 5 TD passes and 2 INTs (79.6 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 8 times for 70 yards (8.8 ypc) last season for the Niners.  Hill has now played in 19 games in his NFL career in which he has completed 322 of 522 passes (61.7%) for 3,490 yards with 23 TD passes and 11 INTs (87.3 QB Rating).  Hill also carried the ball 46 times for 197 yards (4.3 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  This was a outstanding trade for the Lions as Hill will be a good backup for Matt Stafford in 2010.  Hill might not have the strongest arm in the league but he gets the job done.

The Lions have acquired 25-year old cornerback Chris Houston from the Falcons for a 6th round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft and a conditional 7th round pick in 2011.  Houston played in 12 games for the Falcons last season and he made 47 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, he defensed 9 passes and he had 1 interception.  Houston has now played in 44 games in his NFL career and he has made 166 tackles, he has defensed 34 passes, forced 1 fumble and he has 3 interceptions (one returned for a TD).  I love this trade for the Lions as they continue to fill needs for the 2010 season as Houston has a nice upside.