NYLion

Not a premium position but the Lions are loading up on premium positions in the draft with Sewell in the last draft and likely a DE in this draft with the first pick so if you have that anchor on the line and at safety, this defense could be completely transformed going into next season especially if they can find a capable LB.

For Williams? Why not? He's only 25, he'll be a part of this young core for a long time. Then again, Flowers wasn't much older than that when he signed so who knows.

That's true, the difference in money available immediately doesn't seem too significant. Either way, this was the right move. I was getting a little concerned that they might not cut him and give it one more shot with him to see if he can stay healthy. This is best for both parties.

Yeah, that's what I'm trying to figure out. Based on the tweet Hongbit posted, it would appear that they don't get the post June 1st designation benefit until AFTER June 1st so less money to spend on free agency this season. I'm not sure what that benefit would be since the NFL offseason of roster adds pretty much dies off by that time. Either way, it looks like they're loading up for next offseason.

I had a feeling that's what you meant. So essentially the team gets the cap space for free agency (the added cap space as if it's a post June 1st cut) and the player gets to choose his free agency destination? How can a team pull this off though getting the benefit of a post June 1st cut by announcing the cut pre June 1st?

Also, who do you guys like in free agency? Now that Flowers is cut, the Lions have about $35m to spend I believe? Considering that they need to save some of that for their draft picks, I see one potential big splash move. If I was to pick one, it would be Marcus Williams. An elite 25 year old safety who is familiar with Glenn and I think it's fairly realistic. If possible, I'd love to get Allen Robinson as well on a hometown discount but don't think that's likely.

Curious. What does "carry a post June 1 destination for cap purposes" mean exactly?

There is a top tier in this draft but it's not as pronounced as other drafts, there's no Cade or Mobley in this draft. Smith, Holmgren and Banchero all have significant flaws, Ivey too if you want to include him in a "top 4" (his 3 point shooting isn't good btw, it's an issue to go along with his lack of a mid range game). Smith is pretty one dimensional on offense at this point in his career (plenty of room for growth though), Holmgren's frame and lack of offensive versatility, Banchero's long range shooting and defense. I like the 3 bigs and would be elated to have any of them (Smith and Holmgren in particiular) but I don't think there's a steep drop between the top tier and the 2nd tier of guys like Mathurin, Griffin, Davis, Murray, Sharpe so this is part of the reason why I'm not getting all caught up in the tank, not to mention the odds being fairly equal as I mentioned above, so if they go on a bit of a run here and create momentum headed into the offseason I'm ok with it. I'd like to get a higher pick of course but I don't think there is as much urgency to finish top 4 as there was last draft. They already got their franchise guy in Cade.

Yep, don't really care about the tank anymore. The lottery balls will dictate if they get a top 4 pick or not regardless. The team is coming together mostly driven by the young core. This is a good thing and for the fans, it's fun to watch after years of watching garbage basketball.

The odds of finishing top 4 are exactly the same for the bottom 3 teams and they're 4 games clear of OKC. Winning some games down the stretch isn't going to effect their lottery odds at all unless they go on some crazy run and jump some other teams.

You're really worried about this? The odds of finishing top 4 are exactly the same for the bottom 3 teams and the Pistons are firmly entrenched in the bottom 3. 5-7 doesn't really make much of a difference in this draft, or most drafts for that matter. It'll all come down to the lottery balls wherever they finish. It's good for the future that they're starting to come together. Bey, Stewart, Cade (although highly inconsistent), Diallo and even Hayes in certain aspects are showing real growth and the team is fun to watch. If they get some wins along the way all the more better because, as I mentioned with the lottery odds, it doesn't make much of a difference anyway. They executed the tank already with the poor record in the first 60 games.

I'd be shocked, really shocked, if they get Williams straight up for Grant, never mind all the other stuff added in. Lets face it, Grant isn't getting traded tomorrow. It's more than likely that Weaver values him higher than the rest of the league does and since Grant chose "the black city, the black GM and black coach" as reasons for signing with Detroit, I have a feeling that Weaver takes that very seriously and will let his personal feelings dictate what to do with Grant as opposed to what is a smart business decision. Weaver kept Rose too long for similar reasons, because Rose CHOSE to be here. Not a smart way to GM but that's just me.

Franchise QB wins zero playoff games with Lions, franchise QB goes to Superbowl the moment he leaves the Lions. If this isn't the most SOL thing to ever happen, I don't know what it is. Congrats to Matt but my god does it suck to be a Lions fan and tonight was just another big swift kick in the balls to Lions fans everywhere.

A couple of role players with modest upside and a mid to late 1st? Nah If that's the best offer Weaver can get in this sellers market then just keep him and reassess in the offseason. I'm not a big Grant fan but I don't think they should trade him just for the sake of trading him. I get the arguments for Grant not being a great fit for the team anymore and not being worth his next extension but I feel like that Minnesota package would be selling somewhat low considering the way the market is shaping up.

Yep, it was Holmes best move to date.

Philly says, hell no. Ben Simmons probably says no as well. Good for Detroit though I'm not sure we'll see Grant traded. I have a feeling it's one of those situations with Weaver fielding offers but not really wanting to trade him unless it's an offer that blows him away. I think this is THE opportunity to maximize his value because I don't think his value will ever be higher than it is right now with it being a hot sellers market but I wouldn't want Weaver trading him for less than optimal value either.

Most of us said that Stafford wasn't the problem here and will start winning important games the moment he leaves this franchise. There were only a few posters who put most of the blame on him for the lack of team success. Stafford was the only thing keeping the last decade from being possibly worse than the Millen era.

No it's not and I'm ok with this season as a whole considering expectations but it just gets magnified how sad it is that we're considering a 3 win season somewhat of a success when the franchise QB they failed for 12 seasons goes to the NFC Championship in his 1st season away from this toxic place. I'm happy for Stafford but it's just more pain for Lions fans.

Just goes to show what a disgrace the Lions franchise is and continues to be. Zero playoff wins in 12 seasons, absolutely destroys two playoff teams the season after he's freed from the Lions while the Lions are holding locker room celebrations for a 3 win season.

Yes and there were also mocks of Fields going to the Lions at 7. Lance wasn't the clear 4th QB leading up to the draft. The only thing clear was Lawrence going 1st and Wilson going 2nd. It was muddied after that. I agree that the trade was a surprise but there was a lot more trade up chatter last year because the QB was significantly better so I wouldn't use that trade as a benchmark for what the Lions could get for the 2nd pick. As I said before, this seems more like the Okudah draft where the Lions are in a spot that doesn't appear to be a viable trade up spot. I'm sure there will be some rumors leading up to the draft, as always, but I don't see much motivation for teams to trade up that high in the draft.

This isn't really true though. It was Lawrence at 1, Wilson at 2 and Lance or Fields as a toss up for 3rd QB taken with Jones sneaking up late. There was tons of chatter of teams looking to trade up for months before the draft hit. The QB desire in this draft isn't even in the same stratosphere even when comparing the top QB on the board to the 5th QB on the board last year so I can't imagine that the 2nd pick has near the value of what the 3rd pick had last year. Of course this could change as we near the draft but based on what we know now, no QB seems desirable enough to give up a big haul for. It's similar to the Okudah draft in a way. The Lions have that high pick but does anybody REALLY want it? And that was a draft with higher regarded QBs.

The big difference is that Lance was a far better prospect than any in this draft and this draft is unique in the sense that there are no QB prospects that are considered surefire top 10 picks (when was the last time this was the case?). It's why I don't take those trade value charts seriously because it doesn't take into account situational value. Of course, the valuation of prospects can vary wildly from team to team but if the scouting consensus is any indication, I don't see it being in any way realistic that Philly would offer 3 1sts (mid 1sts in this case) for #2 but crazier shit has happened so who knows.

I guess it's because people are desperate to find a QB, any QB, that can be elite in this class but I don't get the Pickett hype. He seems like a pretty generic QB to me, nice arm but nothing special, decent mobility but not a burner by any means, decent size, pretty good accuracy, tiny hands. These physical traits can also describe Burrow although Burrow's accuracy is deadly accurate but he's a rare breed. I think Pickett could be good but I don't see elite upside even if all goes well with his development whereas guys like Corral and Willis are higher risk but have higher upside IMO.

3 picks in the mid teens is a massive overpay for #2 in this draft. I think it's completely unrealistic that the Eagles would offer all three of their 1sts for that pick in a draft without an elite QB prospect. IF the Eagles offer that, you run away laughing. Maybe it's possible that the Eagles love a QB more than just about everybody else does and is willing to offer a haul for #2 but I think it's pretty unrealistic.

4-2 in the New Year all without Grant with the young guys driving it (namely Bey and Diallo who have flourished without Grant). I keep repeating myself but I don't see the point in keeping Grant anymore and in fact, I think his return might stunt growth if anything. Sell High Troy, you have a month to do the right thing.