Mr.TaterSalad

It is not, Jarrad Davis is indeed back. I don't know why because the guy isn't any good and I thought was let go for a reason.

Pride of Detroit: Detroit Lions re-sign former 1st-round pick Jarrad Davis

I hadn't realized that terrible human being and former Detroit Lions Ministry of Propaganda Bill Keenist was hosting a radio show about football now on WJR. Keenist is probably one of the last people on Earth, sans Matt Millen, that should be hosting a football show like this. I'm going to call in one weekend, assuming they take calls, and bitch to Keenist about his takes and ask him to change them. Just like he tried to do when he wanted radio hosts like Valenti, Regnar, Henson, to either change their views or be fired.

I'll give it a listen for sure. I can probably count on all my fingers the number of HipHop/Rap songs I like and would listen to with any regularity, which shows how much on the outside I am. Stan by Eminem with Dido is probably my favorite tune. Others I listen to include Mocking Bird and Beautiful by Eminem, Dear Mama, Changes, Keep Ya Head Up by Tupac, Mind Playin Tricks on Me by Geto Boys, Hypnotize by Biggie.

When you drink all that Coke, diabetes becomes a real problem. Seriously though, glad he is feeling better and got out of the hospital. I wouldn't wish illness or death on anyone, whether I like them or not. Rest up Justice Thomas.

Tony Louge has a new country/country rock album out called Jericho. Really love the the track Calloway County. This is what a solid country tune should sound like. It's too bad FM radio won't come within a 1,000 feet of music like this.

I love this! I had not heard of Cody Christian yet but loved his song Canary in a Coalmine. I thought this was going to be a cover of the Police song by the same name but it was not. Good tune.

I was so "shocked" Clarence Thomas would do something like this that I spit my coke out when I initially read this story.

I did a mock with no trades and tried to be semi-realistic. I'd be thrilled with the first 3 picks if the real draft played out this way.

At least Jimmy Carter's daughter is likely a smart human being when he sought advice.

Will this be an offseason trend for the next few years now until a good number of teams fail with the whole trade picks for a superstar player approach? It sure feels like we're in for at least another season or two of this. We're going to have to sit through the Browns, Dolphins and Raiders failures for a couple of seasons before GMs start to learn, if they start to learn. Of those three teams, I think the Browns (of all teams) could be the ones that find the most success as they have the best QB of the bunch.

I'd still put Walker ahead of Hamilton given the need at edge and concerns I still have about Hamilton's speed and ability to cover certain players in the NFL. But again, I'm going to trust Holmes and Co. on this one if they do go Hamilton over Walker or Thibs. They earned that trust with a really good draft last year and two years of being smart in free agency. I'm also trying as best I can to be done having meltdowns over things this organization does in the draft and allowing it to ruin my experience as a fan. I melted down when Millen picked Charles Rogers and Jordan Dizon, when Mayhew picked Pettigrew and Ebron, when Quinn picked Hockenson and Tavai. I have enough faith left in Brad Holmes to just sit back and enjoy the draft for once and not fret because they took a guy I didn't want. So Kyle Hamilton is the pick, so be it because I trust this regime thus far.

Alright, so assuming no trade back, if it's Hamilton/Hutchison, Hamilton/Thibedeaux, or Hamilton/Walker who is everyone taking in these three scenarios?

Essentially he has to live up to being a Jamal Adams or Derwin James type of player at that pick. And if he does, then that's a phenomenal pick and we will all be happy.

I get that the NFL is changing, but getting after the QB is still paramount in today's pass happy league. I would also argue that a pass rush can help make a secondary look better versus a secondary helping improve the pass rush. Maybe I'm way off base with that though. If Hutch is gone, but you still think either Thibs or Walker could be a guy that gets you double digit sack totals and 40+ pressures a season, I think you take one of those guys over Hamilton. Again, I trust Holmes and Co. enough at this point to give them the benefit of the doubt and will be disappointed, but not critical, if they take Hamilton.

But if you want someone to rush the passer, why not just draft a pass rusher to do just that instead of coaching up Hamilton to be that type of player?

I trust the plan Brad Holmes and Co. are putting together and have like most of what they've done up to this point. While I would be disappointed if they picked Hamilton over one of the three edge rushers, I have enough faith in Holmes and the front office staff at this point to give them that benefit of the doubt this one time. A faith I didn't have in Mayhew or Quinn.

It's not just about drafting Hamilton, it's who they would pass over to do it and the positional value. It's the smartest guy in the room syndrome that has plagued this organization in the past, through different regimes. They needed a QB in 2005-2006 and took Ernie Sims and Mike Williams when they could have taken Aaron Rodgers or Jay Cutler. Taking Brandon Pettigrew over Alex Mack, Vontae Davis , and Clay Matthews. They weren't bringing back Suh, and truthfully probably knew it internally, and took Ebron over Aaron Donald. They needed help all over the defense and specifically in the front 4 and took Hockenson over Brian Burns or Montez Sweat. Taking Hamilton over Hutchison, Thibodeaux, or Walker would be a repeat of the same problems. Problem one is need and they have a glaring need to be able to get after the passer with a dynamic edge guy. Hamilton could help the pass rush by closing down routes with tighter coverage, but his impact on the pass rush would be far less than would either of the three DE's potentially available to the Lions. Hamilton isn't a Safety who they are going to drop down low and blitz if his performance at Notre Dame is any indicator. He had 0 sacks and few QB hurries/pressures in his college career. If he is more of an Isiah Simmons, where he will play LB and be moved all over the field, that certainly adds to his value versus just being a Free Safety in coverage. If I am drafting a Safety that high I'd want someone that can drop in the box, blitz, and cover in space. Problem two is positional value and Safety's, even one who could move around the field, have lower positional value than a pass rusher. If there was a mile wide gap in talent between Hamilton and the three top tier pass rushers, then obviously that changes things. But I think the combine and game film together show there is not a wide gap in talent between Hamilton and Hutch/Thibs/Walker. There certianly isn't enough of a talent gap in my mind to justify taking Hamilton over one of those pass rushers. Problem three is the smartest guy in the room syndrome. If you have a glaring need and there is a great player available in the draft to fill that need, and it fits with the positional value to draft that player at that spot, take the player. As an organization, in prior regimes, we have gotten too cute with who we have drafted and gotten ourselves burnt. Sims, Williams, Pettigrew, Ebron, Hockenson. We need pass rushers and have to dramatically improve getting pressure on the QB and we have the choice of three top-tier guys who can do that. Sure, Hamilton may be the best Safety in the draft by a wide margin, but I don't think he's that much better than our choice of pass rushers. This mentality that Hamilton is a generational prospect, Earl Thomas 2.0 somehow, is hype we've heard before. Remember we were told TJ Hockenson was generational and would be Gronk 2.0 only to find out he's Kyle Rudolph 2.0. The organization needs to ignore the hype and go with their own research. Maybe that means Hamilton is a generational talent. Problem four is that Hamilton was the single slowest Safety at the combine. Compare Hamilton's slow 4.59 40 time to other top Safeties in the league: Isiah Simmons 4.39, Earl Thomas 4.43, Minkah Fitzpatrick 4.46, Derwin James 4.47, Tyrann Mathieu 4.51, Jamal Adams 4.56, Marcus Williams 4.56. He was a clear step slower than 3 of the top 7 I listed and still slower than the remaining bunch. I get that 40 times aren't the be all, end all, but if we're being sold on Hamilton as a generational prospect, I'd like someone one with a bit more zip. I get that he played faster than his 40 time suggests in college. But in the pros, that extra step or two in speed means a lot more than it did going against college players.

This sucks as the Chiefs are almost sure to take a WR now with either their own 1st or the Dolphins.

I would have taken Jonathan Allen or TJ Watt. Probably Watt in hindsight, but I would have taken Allen over Adams at the time. Also, the Seahawks were dumb for making that traded. They needed those picks to bolster their Oline, LT no less, for Russ and instead wasted them on a Safety.

Pride of Detroit: Kyle Hamilton Vegas Odds Favorite For #2 Pick This is how GM's get fired, with poor drafting and taking no regard for position value and only drafting the dude you want at a position of lesser impact and need. We've done it before with the TE position with guys like Ebron and Hockenson. We did it at CB with Okudah. The Jets did it with a guy like Jamal Adams at Safety. When you're building up a barren roster I get that you want the BPA and that you need help at pretty much every position. However, there are certain positions like QB, LT, DE/Edge Rusher, WR, that are priority positions into today's NFL. It just so happens the Lions have needs at every position sans LT. I don't want a QB this year so count that out and I do think there is value to be had at WR all over this draft. But if they take a slower-end safety in Hamilton over one of pass rushers Hutchison, Walker or Thibodeaux I'm going to be really disappointed. It's not to say Hamilton won't be a nice player or even a dominate Safety. But when you're a team that can't get after the QB and you have to play Aaron Rodgers twice in a season, passing on a DE/Edge Rusher when there are 3 top guys at that spot won't cut it for me.

Or Rodney Peete.

It just seems like if they had taken a guy like Fields last year and he didn't work out that there would be more of an opportunity of them getting a redo versus waiting a year into your regime and taking Willis now. Maybe my take is off base there and they'd deserve to be fired if either Fields or Willis didn't work out by 2-3 years in.

How long after Willis gets drafted do Holmes and Campbell get to use the whole "we're developing him" argument? That is to ask, if he doesn't start developing and this team is struggling in year 2/year 3 of Willis' career are they fired and out the door as a result of this? Drafting Willis seems like the type of move that you are staking your entire rebuild and ultimately your career around. I suppose you could say that for any QB prospect you draft and build around, but Willis is especially polarizing.

I noticed the comparisons being both Jay Cutler and Jalen Hurts. If that's who he ends up being, no thanks. I think if Cutler didn't have such a shit attitude and was more coachable, he could have been a better QB. Maybe Willis is a more coachable individual and can prove to grow and develop better than Cutler.