NYLion

Of course he's not going to duplicate what he did last season, he was pacing to be the all time sack leader, but I just think he should be accounted for when talking about key D-Line players for the Lions going into next season. You didn't even give him a mention in your post. Also, while I can understand being skeptical of him, he showed a wide array of pass rush moves that makes me think that he's not a fluke. It shouldn't deter the Lions from taking Anderson if he drops to 6 because BPA but Houston seems to be the real deal.

Will Anderson (pun intended) even be a better pass rusher than Houston? He obviously has the pedigree and Houston could be a fluke for all we know but it's hard to ignore that Houston had a historically good rookie season. Not saying that they shouldn't take Anderson if he's there, just more pointing out the severe lack of Houston mention in your post.

The Pistons aren't catching Charlotte. They might not even win 5 games the rest of the season. They're locked into 3rd because the Spurs and Rockets are historically bad.

1 playoff win in 65 years (Edit: 66 now). There will never, ever, be another futility record like this again in sports unless a team moves from its location then moves back like 50 years later. There are some 70+ year old Lions fans that have only witnessed one playoff victory. It's beyond comprehension really. Point being, winning one playoff game will feel like winning a Superbowl in this market. Lets get there first then dream bigger.

That's why I'd rather re-sign Chark and keep the 1st, he's that type of guy you mentioned. Chark will cost more next season but Higgins is likely to cost a good deal more the season after and probably 3 after that. The Lions can have an elite unit with Chark and still have #18 to add another starting player. It's just not worth it for a luxury IMO.

Jamo is going to get the reps and at a much cheaper rate. St. Brown and Jamo are their core receivers yet Higgins will be paid as a #1, not to mention giving up the draft capital to acquire him. I'd rather they just re-sign Chark (at a lesser rate than Higgins will get almost certainly) who started to develop synergy with their QB and keep the 1st.

Yeah but the Lions have some big extensions coming up with St. Brown and Sewell and Decker's deal is up in 2 years so they'll need to fill that role as well. Jackson's new deal will be on the books soon as well. It would be fine for next season because his contract is cheap but would create big problems after that when his extension kicks in. I just think if they're going to splurge, it should be at a position of greater need. I don't have a problem with Higgins the player, he'd be a good fit anywhere, but I just don't think it's the right move at the right time.

Not interested. The Lions core receivers are Amon Ra and Jamo and the former needs to get paid in 2 years. Not only are you giving up the draft capital but you're also paying Higgins big money long term which could well prohibit the Lions from filling other more pressing needs and re-signing some key guys. I'd rather just re-sign Chark or use a draft pick on a receiver. I would have been more fine with this last year (when the Deebo rumors came out) but the Lions are in a different place now.

So... Wagner is an interesting option. He's still a top player but you worry at his age that he can fall off any moment and he'd probably be fairly pricey for a player his age but I think he'd be a real boon for this defense. Regardless, he's likely signing with a true contender but it's fun to talk about something like this being even a remote possibility which would have been a complete fantasy a year ago. The Lions have come a long way in a year.

Holmes is much more likely to trade up than trade down based on his history. He was heavily rumored to wanting to trade up for Sewell (I don't think it was Chase based on rumors), we know based on the behind the scenes stuff that he wanted to trade up for Levi, he did trade up for Barnes and traded up for Jamo. Holmes just seems like one of those GMs that prefers quality over quantity so with 5 picks in the top 81, I'd bet that he heavily pursues a trade up probably not from 6 but I could see him packing the two 2nds to move into the 1st round to take "his guy". I wouldn't mind that tbh especially if it's a high upside player even if it's not a position of big need.

I'm highly disinterested in another Ben Simmons (Amen) so I wouldn't even consider Amen although the Pistons could use a defensive stopper. Nick Smith doesn't stand out to me at all. He just looks like an inefficient chucker. I could see the Anthony Black intrigue because of the archetype and defensive versatility but I have a hard time taking a guy who will likely never be a lead scorer, in a league where scoring is king, in the top 5. I like Walker but he's mostly projection at this point, same with Whitmore. Guys that look the part and flash some high end skills but that are largely role players at the college level. Granted, they are younger. I don't know, I see Miller as having the highest floor of all these guys and a pretty high ceiling as well if his in between game continues to progress. At the very least, you're getting a 6'9" elite 3 point shooter that has the length to defend multiple positions. Those guys don't exactly grow on trees. I think he's Jabari Smith with more offensive potential.

So if you go by only numbers, who do you take ahead of him? Walker? No... Whitmore? No... the Thompson twins who play against far inferior competition?... No, George? No Who do you have in mind that you'd take ahead of him? I'm curious Also, those games against Houston and North Carolina were much earlier in the year. He's improved since then with his 2 point efficiency in particular. He also had a great game against Gonzaga and a good game against Memphis so there's been some ups and downs against tournament teams. He has loaded up against some lesser competition in SEC play though so we'll see how he does down the stretch. The age thing is overblown. He's 20 but he doesn't have much college experience.

More like 3-5 if indeed GMs aren't phased by this news. I just think some GMs might be concerned with the company he keeps, that he could put himself in this position again. To me, he's clearly the 3rd best prospect in this draft ignoring any perceived red flags.

He'll get drafted but I don't see how his draft stock doesn't take a hit. He was still involved one way or another and I'm sure that will scare some GMs from investing a high pick in him. Weaver is big on character guys so I bet he'll be off the Pistons board.

My question is, how the hell did this get swept under the rug for so long? It's not like Miller is a low profile athlete. I think Alabama/Nate Oats are in for a serious hurting as more details emerge. As far as Miller is concerned, bye bye draft stock. From a Pistons (much less important) perspective, this sucks because I saw him as a clear #3 for them so this now narrows the room for error when they inevitably drop in the lottery. I like Jarace Walker and Whitmore shows some flashes but it's slim pickings beyond the top 2 with Miller gone. The Thompson twins look like athletes with not much else to offer so no thanks on either of them.

Hock is a perfect example of why it's a bad idea to take a TE in the 1st round and he was dealt, not because he wasn't a solid player, but because he's not good enough to warrant a 2nd contract for this particular team and Holmes smartly traded him for some value rather than overpay him for a role that wouldn't be worth what he's making. Hock is actually an above average TE and was still a failed pick. As I said before, the Lions had 3 TE's that were much cheaper, provided better blocking and scored many more TDs (which is where the real mismatches are), all three of which were undrafted and drafted in the 5th round. Yeah they didn't have as many receptions between the 20s but they provided more of a balance for MUCH less money, plus the Lions got improved beans out of it. I'm not against taking a TE somewhere in the draft but very little interest in taking one in the first 3 rounds. There's just so many more avenues where draft capital is better spent (pretty much every other position really).

The team was 4-19 with Hock the last two seasons, he didn't move the needle. He had a couple of really long receptions this season, otherwise he was largely a non-factor. Meanwhile, Zylstra alone who was an undrafted free agent btw had more TDs than Hockenson did with the Lions last season. Not to mention Brock Wright who is a MUCH better blocker and also had more TDs than Hockenson had with the Lions last season and who was also an undrafted free agent btw (further illustrating Holmes great eye for talent). I could go on and on about why it's a bad idea to draft a TE in the 1st round (Lions history with that, most great TEs are drafted outside the 1st) unless it's a very unique circumstance but I think you know where I'm going with this.

Amon Ra is an elite slot guy so that's where most of the catches down the middle will go and they already have TE's that create mismatches in the red zone. Unless there's a TE available that is generational and you HAVE TO take him, it's a waste of a 1st rounder because a Tight End will never be the featured receiver in this offense. Hockenson was a top 10 TE, some would argue close to top 5, and he barely moved the needle here.

They have plenty of young TEs all in development stage and it has to be be explained again that the TE is not featured heavily in the passing game here. Not only would be a reach positionally but it would also be pointless, again in this offense, to waste a high pick on a tight end. Running back is different, they are a heavy running/play action team so getting a bell cow runner that can also catch the ball out of the backfield (and be available and relatively healthy unlike Swift) would be a boon for this offense and an understandable use of a 1st rounder if they choose to go that route. Taking a tight end in the 1st makes no sense for most teams but especially for this team.

It's not really. The TE isn't featured prominently in the passing game in this offense, moreso in the running game, and they have 3 young tight ends that scored a whole bunch of TDs once Hock was traded. Taking a tight end in the 1st round would be absolute madness.

Fairley was a monster in his final season. He was basically Suh with a more questionable work ethic, he and Suh were two of the most dominant DT's I've ever seen in my 30+ years of watching college football along with Sapp. He was a steal where the Lions got him but unfortunately, he never wanted it enough so he became a case of "what could have been".

Is this in reference to Cade? He was definitely not a "no brainer", Mobley and Green had good cases to go #1. Regardless, it remains to be seen if Cade was even the right pick until he can prove to be healthy. 2 fairly significant injuries in 2 years is concerning so Weaver shouldn't get credit for Cade either until he proves something. I'm a big fan of his upside but he needs to get, and stay, on the court.

The problem is that Weaver gave up assets to acquire the Bey and Stewart picks so I don't think you can look at the success rate of those draft positions in isolation. Granted, the Bey assets were fairly inconsequential depending on what one thinks of Kennard but that 1st rounder given up for Stewart is still handcuffing them from making any real trades because they don't have a 1st to trade until it conveys so while Stewart is somewhat covering the bet for a player picked in that range, I think I'd rather have the 1st to use as trade bait going forward. Then there's Killian who some are fawning over him as much improved but in reality, he went from a non-NBA player to a barely NBA player. In any event, I'm still fine with the direction this is moving in but that 2020 draft really set this thing back. Nothing short of Wiseman panning out is likely to save that draft class from being considered a bust overall since I think Stewart has a limited ceiling.

That's fair although I wouldn't call Cade, Ivey and Duren piles of shit, they're just.... young. I'd take that over the Griffin, Rose, Drummond, Jackson core that was on a one way treadmill to nowhere. My main point is, compared to the other rebuilding teams, he had garbage assets to work with to build a foundation while those others teams all had stars that they could sell off for multiple 1sts.

This is the one thing I'd give Weaver a pass on and more patience is required, because he was handed a pile of dung when he got here 3 years ago. People point to OKC, Houston, Orlando, Utah and San Antonio having this "treasure chest" of future 1sts while the Pistons have jack. Well, the Pistons didn't have George, Westbrook when he was good, CP3, Harden, Vucevic, Gordon, Mitchell, Gobert and Murray to sell off, he had broken Griffin and Rose, so no shit that those franchises have all these extra 1sts to work with. What I can't forgive Weaver is what has now turned out to be a disastrous 2020 draft. You can't have three top 18 picks (and give up assets to get the last two) and end up with a bench big, a barely NBA caliber PG and a reclamation project in Wiseman. Getting no surefire starters 3 years after the drafting 3 guys in the 1st is a massive fail and has set this thing back. Now we wait on Cade to be healthy (concerning since he's had multiple injuries in his first 2 years), Ivey and Duren to develop, lottery luck and for this or the next coach to develop somebody/anybody who isn't a very high draft pick. I'm still on board with this process but Weaver needs to start making some hay starting this offseason.