2023 NFL Draft As-It-Happens

[MichiganCardinal]

One of the more encouraging pieces for me regarding winning the North is Campbell’s record against the North. I think he sees those games as the must win and motivates the boys even more. We were 5-1 against the North last year (should have been 6-0) and even our 3-13-1 season, two of the wins were in-division.

[NYLion]

17 minutes ago, Motown Bombers said:

But you keep saying the Vikings are a threat so I'm going back to that well because they are not a threat. If they went 8-9 last year like their played indicated, you wouldn't be saying they are a threat this year. 

I don't see the Lions as a 12-13 win team yet so I see the Vikings as a threat. I could see the Lions going something like 10-7 while the Vikings go 9-8. I don't think the Lions are far and away the best team in the division, the Vikings have a lot of vet pride over there.

[Motown Bombers]

The Vikings only have $1 million in cap space. They still need to sign their rookie class. There's a good chance they lose Za'Darius Smith or Danielle Hunter. Dalvin Cook also could be gone. If Hunter or Smith are cut, the Lions should swoop in. 

[buddha]

if i had to rank the nfc north right now, i would say:

1) lions

2) packers

3) bears

4) vikings

the vikes has the best player in the division, but little else imo.

[NYLion]

12 minutes ago, Motown Bombers said:

The Vikings only have $1 million in cap space. They still need to sign their rookie class. There's a good chance they lose Za'Darius Smith or Danielle Hunter. Dalvin Cook also could be gone. If Hunter or Smith are cut, the Lions should swoop in. 

I'd love for the Lions to sign one of those guys.

I think Holmes has another fairly significant up his sleeve. I can't see him sitting on that cap space, unless he wants to save it for in season moves.

[Motown Bombers]

I have the Lions 1st and the Bears last, but I do believe the Bears will be better than last year. I go back and forth between the Vikings and Packers at 2 and 3. 

[Jason_R]

Vikings are more likely to win seven games this year than they are to win thirteen. 

Holmes picked the LB so high to compete against teams like Philly, Seattle, Carolina who destroyed us on the ground last year. 

[Motown Bombers]

3 minutes ago, NYLion said:

I'd love for the Lions to sign one of those guys.

I think Holmes has another fairly significant up his sleeve. I can't see him sitting on that cap space, unless he wants to save it for in season moves.

If I had to guess, I would say Smith is the one they let go. Rumors are he's unhappy. I think they are going to move on from Cook. I'm not sure what they can do with Cousins contract since he has multiple void years. He's 35 so I'm not sure they want to sign him long term. They still have Jefferson to sign long term. June 1st is going to be interesting for them. 

[chasfh]

I don't know who Charles McDonald is and whether his opinion should matter, but he sure didn't like the Lions' draft.

https://sports.yahoo.com/2023-nfl-draft-grades-for-nfc-eagles-get-top-marks-so-do-rebuilding-cardinals-and-one-team-received-an-f-185301750.html

Detroit Lions

Favorite pick: Brian Branch, DB, Alabama (45th overall)

This was by far the best pick that the Lions made over the weekend. Brian Branch was a projected first rounder for most of the draft season, but slipped to the second round for whatever reason. He’s not the most athletic defensive back out there, but he’s a smart player that played a variety of roles in Alabama’s defense. He’ll play a lot of snaps as the Lions’ overhang defender this year and he’ll make a whole lot of plays.

Least favorite pick: Jack Campbell, LB, Iowa (18th overall)

The positional value is one thing, but the bigger issue is taking Jack Campbell in the first round. He just wasn’t projected to go anywhere near this spot and likely could have been had a full round later than where he was selected. Campbell is a quality linebacker when he’s coming downhill in the box, but his ability to be an impact player in coverage and in space down the field is a major question mark moving forward. That’s not the profile of a first-round linebacker — those types of players have to be weapons in the passing game to be selected and Campbell isn’t that guy. Really odd selection at the 18th pick, even stranger than the Jahmyr Gibbs pick at 12th overall.

Overall grade: F

Yeah, an F. Perhaps this take will get Old Takes Exposed in two or three years as a laughably bad take, but as things stand right now the Lions’ draft class was just baffling. Taking Gibbs with the 12th pick in a year that they signed David Montgomery felt extremely rich. Even taking Sam LaPorta with the 34th overall pick over Michael Mayer was a head-scratcher. Gibbs and Campbell made up the most shocking first round picks in quite some time, and not in a positive way. Hopefully for Lions fans, this take ends up wrong. To put it nicely, they had an unorthodox strategy in the 2023 NFL Draft.

[Motown Bombers]

Hockenson's cap hit is $9 million and it's all guaranteed. I suppose they can sign him to an extension and lower his cap hit this year. 

[Motown Bombers]

Almost every mock I have seen for 2024 have the Lions picking around 25. That would place the Lions at least in the divisional round of the playoffs. 

[RedRamage]

1 hour ago, Motown Bombers said:

Wait, when did Seattle get moved to the NFC North? 

[Motown Bombers]

 

[gehringer_2]

2 hours ago, MichiganCardinal said:

I think it's ok to be cautiously optimistic while also acknowledging that on paper there are very few excuses out there for the Lions to not succeed this season.

yup - Football season predictions are matters of caution and also crossed fingers, because In the end, a football season turns about as much on injuries as anything else. No matter how well a team projects it can be done in by a cluster of injuries - esp if they concentrate in one position group.

[RandyMarsh]

After a few days to digest the draft I think the one thing that you could possibly criticize the Lions of is not getting enough value in their trades. Maybe it just wasn't there but it seems like they could've extracted more from the cards or at the very least maybe could've subbed that 3rd we gave back for a 5th. 

Also I thought a couple of their day 2 and day 3 trades were a little too much/ received too little but according to the charts they weren't egregious either way. 

But as far as the players go, I love them and aside from Hooker all the first 6 should contribute to some degree from the get go. 

Edited May 2, 2023 by RandyMarsh

[Motown Bombers]

If the Raiders beat the Rams, it could have been the Lions getting that haul for the 3rd pick or they could have had Anderson. After seeing them draft Hooker, I wonder if they would have drafted Richardson? Either way, **** the Raiders. 

[Motown Bombers]

Nevermind...

Edited May 2, 2023 by Motown Bombers

[RedRamage]

2 hours ago, RandyMarsh said:

After a few days to digest the draft I think the one thing that you could possibly criticize the Lions of is not getting enough value in their trades. Maybe it just wasn't there but it seems like they could've extracted more from the cards or at the very least maybe could've subbed that 3rd we gave back for a 5th. 

I kinda felt that way too... in might be explained, in part, because of the nature of this draft. Everyone seems to be saying something to the effect that outside the top QBs and one or two other guys, the rest of the "top" talent was just all sort clumped together. If that's truly the way most teams were seeing it, then there isn't as much of a market for another team to move up. If Arizonia is targeting Paris Johnson but would be nearly as happy with Wright and pretty okay with Skoronski... they're not going to offer a ton to make sure they get their top of the line OT.

[RedRamage]

2 hours ago, Motown Bombers said:

If the Raiders beat the Rams, it could have been the Lions getting that haul for the 3rd pick or they could have had Anderson. After seeing them draft Hooker, I wonder if they would have drafted Richardson? Either way, **** the Raiders. 

Obviously impossible to say unless Holmes is presented with the hypothetical and answers (and we assume he answers honestly), but I tend to think not. I don't think they were targeting a QB. Again we don't know if they had a much higher grade on Richardson but the fact that they didn't draft Hooker until the 3rd... even trading out of their third 2nd round pick... it doesn't feel like they were thinking: "We need/want a QB." I think it was as much of a "Oh, he's still available here? Sure we'll take him then!"

[Shinzaki]

I love the "no one had player X mocked anywhere near that spot"  bit...none of the people actually drafting players does a mock...team sources have a pretty strong incentive to lie about how they view players so there's a lot of GIGO creeping in there

[Motown Bombers]

 

[buddha]

athletic:

according to the draft boards, lions had the best value pick: branch

lions had three of the biggest reaches: campbell, martin, and gibbs.

[Motown Bombers]

It's weird how RB and LB are considered low value positions when RBs touch the ball more than any player on offense other than the QB and LBs tackle more people than any other player on defense. 

[Jason_R]

13 minutes ago, buddha said:

athletic:

according to the draft boards, lions had the best value pick: branch

lions had three of the biggest reaches: campbell, martin, and gibbs.

Martin remains a head scratcher.

Gibbs was not a surprise (since I read Charlie Campbell) but there is always the possibility of your RB getting dinged. OTOH, if he and Jaymo can get on the field at the same time for a few seasons with Johnson as OC, this may be the new greatest show on turf. 

You can probably pencil in Jack Campbell as the anchor of the LB corps for a decade. Tell me when he is going into the team’s ring of honor that they picked him five slots too early. 

[slothfacekilla]

I'm oddly really intrigued by Martin.  I haven't seen a ton of plays from him but I did see a few where he was really eating up blocks and then pouncing on the running back as they went by him.  He also seemed to randomly have good pass rush metrics too when people were discussing him on Twitter.  It sounded like he showed really well at the Shrine Bowl too.  I'm hoping there's a hidden gem in there especially when you get him in professional strength and health programs.