2023 NFL Draft Thread

[Hongbit]

1 hour ago, MichiganCardinal said:

I don't think the Lions draft a corner in the 1st round unless they see a Sauce Gardner type. There are just so many available that there will be very good ones still there in the 2nd and 3rd round, who would go in the 1st in a normal year. Similar to when the Lions waited on a WR two years ago, and wound up with ASB.

It’s apparently a super deep draft at CB, RB, Edge, S and TE.

I could see them passing on CB but at the same time I could also see them taking multiple CB’s too.   Lots of room for talent upgrades.   

[RandyMarsh]

I think they may very well go corner with 2 of their first 3 picks. 

Edited February 6, 2023 by RandyMarsh

[Hongbit]

I’m starting to talk myself into OG O’Cyrus Torrence at #18.   He‘s a beast.  

[RandyMarsh]

I'm talking myself into Bijan, I hate the thought of taking a rb early but I also am a believer in taking guys that have a clear separation over their peers and he seems to fit that bill at rb. 

Im skeptical they do it but its something I'm warming up to. 

[Motown Bombers]

In some ways I feel like RB is undervalued. If Robinson is a Marshall Faulk dual threat RB I would definitely take him 6th. You're talking someone that is providing nearly 2,000 yards from scrimmage and double digit TDs. That kind of production is definitely worth the 6th pick. 

[Jason_R]

Would love to see Carolina jump from 9 to 6. Would probably net us their second pick in the second round, #61 I think. Not sure I’m thrilled with anyone who would be available at 6 but would feel OK with Witherspoon or Gonzalez at 9. 

[MichiganCardinal]

I think the Lions will pick up one high-end corner in free agency, and that addition alone would change the conversation about the secondary drastically. If you sign Jamel Dean, then all of a sudden you have your CB1, you have your CB2 in Okudah, and all you really need in terms of draft day starters is your nickelback, of which the 2nd and 3rd rounds should have plenty of. Brian Branch, Antonio Johnson, and Quan Martin are probably the three best nickels in the draft (as of now), and any of the three could drop to the middle of the 2nd round.

[Hongbit]

6 minutes ago, MichiganCardinal said:

I think the Lions will pick up one high-end corner in free agency, and that addition alone would change the conversation about the secondary drastically. If you sign Jamel Dean, then all of a sudden you have your CB1, you have your CB2 in Okudah, and all you really need in terms of draft day starters is your nickelback, of which the 2nd and 3rd rounds should have plenty of. Brian Branch, Antonio Johnson, and Quan Martin are probably the three best nickels in the draft (as of now), and any of the three could drop to the middle of the 2nd round.

Having Okudah penciled in as CB2 is exactly why they need to strongly consider adding many bodies to the CB room.  

[MichiganCardinal]

2 minutes ago, Hongbit said:

Having Okudah penciled in as CB2 is exactly why they need to strongly consider adding many bodies to the CB room.  

Yes, don't get me wrong, those moves alone would probably still allow for two of Jerry Jacobs, Amani Oruwariye, and Mike Hughes to be on the team as depth, and that's not in the team's best interests. They need depth badly as well, but depth can be found even later than the 2nd round or for much cheaper than Dean.

[MichiganCardinal]

I like Bijan a lot. I think he's probably one of the two or three best players in this draft class, and I don't think he drops below the Eagles at 10. The tricky part about taking a RB that high is durability and health. If Bijan is the unicorn that is elusive enough to stay relatively healthy and be a 2000+ yard all-purpose threat out of the backfield, I'm totally okay with it. He could easily be the best player Detroit has seen at that position since Barry.

The last five RBs drafted in the top ten though are Saquon Barkley, Leonard Fournette, Christian McCaffery, Ezekiel Elliot, and Todd Gurley... There is a lot of talent on that list, but also a lot of frustration.

I could really envision Robinson being the Jamo of this draft that we go and get if he is slides a little. I could see taking Carter/Anderson/Wilson at #6 and then trading up to #9 with the Panthers. It's quite possibly a way they could get the two best players in the draft if the cards fall perfectly.

[Mr.TaterSalad]

Does it concern anyone that Bijan Robinson was largely invisible and ineffectual against the two best teams he played all year? He had only 12 attempts and 29 yards against TCU with 2.4 YPC and then 21 attempts 57 yards with 2.7 YPC against Alabama. No TDs in either game.

Edited February 6, 2023 by Mr.TaterSalad

[Hongbit]

1 hour ago, MichiganCardinal said:

I like Bijan a lot. I think he's probably one of the two or three best players in this draft class, and I don't think he drops below the Eagles at 10. The tricky part about taking a RB that high is durability and health. If Bijan is the unicorn that is elusive enough to stay relatively healthy and be a 2000+ yard all-purpose threat out of the backfield, I'm totally okay with it. He could easily be the best player Detroit has seen at that position since Barry.

The last five RBs drafted in the top ten though are Saquon Barkley, Leonard Fournette, Christian McCaffery, Ezekiel Elliot, and Todd Gurley... There is a lot of talent on that list, but also a lot of frustration.

I could really envision Robinson being the Jamo of this draft that we go and get if he is slides a little. I could see taking Carter/Anderson/Wilson at #6 and then trading up to #9 with the Panthers. It's quite possibly a way they could get the two best players in the draft if the cards fall perfectly.

How would you deal with the roster if they draft Bijan in the top 10.  Are you re-signing Jamaal or letting him go?  Would you trade Swift before the season or maybe even on draft day?  Are you going to keep all 3 and hope that Swift somehow will be cool with it? 
 

 

[Cruzer1]

2 hours ago, Hongbit said:

It’s apparently a super deep draft at CB, RB, Edge, S and TE.

I could see them passing on CB but at the same time I could also see them taking multiple CB’s too.   Lots of room for talent upgrades.   

I feel they have to draft at least one corner in the first. If the Lions re-sign Eliot, then I don't think they need another safety. I think the Lions are really deep at edge.

[MichiganCardinal]

5 minutes ago, Hongbit said:

How would you deal with the roster if they draft Bijan in the top 10.  Are you re-signing Jamaal or letting him go?  Would you trade Swift before the season or maybe even on draft day?  Are you going to keep all 3 and hope that Swift somehow will be cool with it? 

I think you still re-sign Jamaal. They are different kinds of backs, with different types of workloads, and if utilized well Jamaal can probably help keep Bijan healthy... I can also think of goal-line formations that include them both that would keep a defensive coordinator up at night. I think you trade Swift, either in the trade to move up for Bijan or for whatever draft capital you can get. It won't be much, but you might be able to get a 3rd or 4th round pick.

[Hongbit]

2 minutes ago, MichiganCardinal said:

I think you still re-sign Jamaal. They are different kinds of backs, with different types of workloads, and if utilized well Jamaal can probably help keep Bijan healthy... I can also think of goal-line formations that include them both that would keep a defensive coordinator up at night. I think you trade Swift, either in the trade to move up for Bijan or for whatever draft capital you can get. It won't be much, but you might be able to get a 3rd or 4th round pick.

Im still high on Swift.  People dog him because he hasn’t turned into an every down back and has struggled to consistently find the holes.  Those are valid concerns but he’s become a really good situational pass catching back.  He’s also been lethal for us getting into the endzone.   For me, rather than spend a high pick on Bijan, I’d prefer to run it back with JW/Swift again and maybe draft a Charbonnet, Spears, or Bigsby for insurance especially if Swift is gone after next year.  

[NYLion]

3 hours ago, RandyMarsh said:

I'm talking myself into Bijan, I hate the thought of taking a rb early but I also am a believer in taking guys that have a clear separation over their peers and he seems to fit that bill at rb. 

Im skeptical they do it but its something I'm warming up to. 

I believe in Bijan for a couple of reasons. He could make this offense elite of the elite. I know they're already really good but he would potentially vault them to another level and if you have an elite offense, you're pretty much an auto contender, how do you stop the Lions with that many weapons? He might have the highest offensive upside in this draft.

Also, they have 4 other Day 1 and 2 picks to address needs so they can afford to go luxury with a high pick if they believe in a guy who will have the most impact, or BPA.

If we're following Holmes patterns and past draft rumors, combined with the amount of high picks, we could very well see a trade up to get a guy he loves. He was heavily rumored to want to trade up for Sewell and Levi, did trade up for Barnes, traded up for Jamo. I think we could very well see a consolidation of the picks for a trade up into the 1st and I wouldn't be surprised if it's a position that we least expect like RB, WR or even offensive tackle.  

I think a trade down is unlikely at least on Day 1 or 2. They already have a lot of picks as is and have a roster that is starting to get overcrowded with young players as is, not to mention that it doesn't fit the Holmes pattern. 

Edited February 6, 2023 by NYLion

[Hongbit]

I don’t see Bijan coming in year 1 and making this offense more dynamic than what a slightly improved Swift could do in 2023.  

In the longterm, I think Bijan would have a huge advantage coming into the organization now versus when Swift came in under the prior administration of idiots.  It’s completely different culture.  

[Motown Bombers]

You mean it wasn't ideal to draft Swift and then right before the season started sign a 35 year old Adrian Peterson and give him over 150 carries? 

[MichiganCardinal]

13 minutes ago, Hongbit said:

I don’t see Bijan coming in year 1 and making this offense more dynamic than what a slightly improved Swift could do in 2023.  

In the longterm, I think Bijan would have a huge advantage coming into the organization now versus when Swift came in under the prior administration of idiots.  It’s completely different culture.  

I think Bijan's ceiling is higher than Swift's, but it's not immensely higher. I think Bijan could be put into some packages where he is a man in motion and goes on a route, or lines up in the slot, or lines up in the shotgun across from Jamaal and really opens up the playbook in a way that, when combined with Ben Johnson's playbook, really keeps defenses on their toes. The best player comparisons I can think of are McCaffery and Kamara, or a better version of Deebo Samuel. I don't think Swift is at that level. Swift can catch the screen pass just fine and find his blocks, but he's not going downfield to be a threat in the air game.

I think the more fair criticism to your first point though is asking how likely it really is that we will ever get to see a slightly improved Swift. If you told me we would get the Swift we saw against the Eagles across a 17+ game schedule in 2023, I wouldn't give Bijan a second look. I just think it's much more likely we see one week of exciting Swift and 16 weeks of frustration (again) than it is we ever see a full and complete season of vintage Swift.

The second point I agree wholeheartedly with, and it could go for any running back prospect compared to any of the past running back failures here.

[MichiganCardinal]

25 minutes ago, Motown Bombers said:

You mean it wasn't ideal to draft Swift and then right before the season started sign a 35 year old Adrian Peterson and give him over 150 carries? 

[Hongbit]

I like Bijan.  He stands out when you watch him and he was super productive playing for essentially the college version of Matt Patricia.    Still, I don’t see him at a Saquan Barkley level.  I don’t want to say it’s not close but it isn’t the same type of explosiveness between the two.   SB is a special kind of talent that you take that high and don’t think twice and we saw the production right away from him.    I’m not seeing that from Bijan. 

Edited February 6, 2023 by Hongbit

[MichiganCardinal]

3 hours ago, Mr.TaterSalad said:

Does it concern anyone that Bijan Robinson was largely invisible and ineffectual against the two best teams he played all year? He had only 12 attempts and 29 yards against TCU with 2.4 YPC and then 21 attempts 57 yards with 2.7 YPC against Alabama. No TDs in either game.

I didn't watch either game, but in reading up on it, it seems a lot was attributed to the Texas IOL, which collapsed on impact against better defensive lines, making a lot of his touches in those games impressive just in the nature of getting back to the line. It seems those two defenses were good, and decided to sell out against the run, and it paid off.

Others put blame on Sarkisian's play calling. Bijan only got 12 rushes and wasn't targeted even once in the TCU game. He was used to some extent in the passing game against Alabama and was pretty effective, with 3 catches on 4 targets for 73 yards. Combine that with his 57 yards and a TD on the ground, and his stat line of 130 APYs was actually pretty decent I think against a really good Alabama team.

[RedRamage]

21 hours ago, Hongbit said:

I’m starting to talk myself into OG O’Cyrus Torrence at #18.   He‘s a beast.  

My problem with this pick is that his first name is O'Cyrus... I'd be totally on board with this if his name was Osiris.

[Shinzaki]

Keion White from GA Tech looks like a fast rising DL prospect...if wedon't go edge at 6...White could be in play at 18. He's a big, versatile edge who could slide inside as needed.

[RandyMarsh]

Id be fine with a guard at 18 if that's who is at the top of their board. Yes OL is a strength and we have more pressing needs but you can improve just as easily by making a strength even better as you can by making a weakness better.

Unless your strength is to the point where there is no improving it but the O line namely guard isn't to that point. 

Edited February 7, 2023 by RandyMarsh