After a hectic summer I did not really have time to put together a Lions draft recap or an NFL draft winners and losers post, so I’ll touch on the Lions draft a bit here. The cliff notes version for all of this is that any time you can draft four starters with your first four picks, you’re doing a great job. Period. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Nothing will cook a team more than torching picks inside the top 50 of a draft. And when you have four of them, they absolutely and unequivocally must be hits, no matter what position they’re going to play. I totally get the arguments against the positional value of the players chosen and I admit that I did not love it at first either. But the key is to think the way Brad Holmes has laid it out. Jahmyr Gibbs and Jack Campbell are not just a running back and a MIKE linebacker…they’re chess pieces. Gibbs is going to catch a ton of passes and line up all over the field and Campbell can do just about anything on defense. Kirk Ferentz tried to get him to move to EDGE to help the pass rush last season at Iowa but he wanted to stay at MIKE because he thought he could help the defense the most there. That’s the kind of versatility you cannot teach and you definitely cannot teach his athleticism. And let’s be honest, if Brian Branch had been the pick at #18, everyone would have been ecstatic. So maybe just rearrange the order of the picks into a spot that fits your eye and be cool with it. Take solace in the fact that they drafted football players that are going to contribute early and often.

The fact that they traded down and added Gibbs was huge. If you watch the Lions Inside The Den Draft episode, they clearly thought about taking Gibbs at #6. So they trade down to get more picks and still get the guy they wanted. On top of that, they drafted Sam LaPorta with the pick that they acquired in the trade. In my opinion, Sam LaPorta is going to be much better than TJ Hockenson. He’s a much more willing blocker and will be way more dynamic after the catch. Iowa used him as their wildcat quarterback, need I say more? Picture George Kittle and that’s what LaPorta can turn into with some development. As for Brian Branch, do I need to say anything? He’s going to be the day one starter at nickel and if he had not run such a bad 40 time he would have gone round 1. Frankly, he should have gone in the first round anyways and teams that let him drop are going to regret it. The Lions said they only had about 12-14 first round pick grades this year and Branch was one of them. As for the rest of the class? I think Hendon Hooker’s future is a high-floor backup. I think if you’re expecting him to replace Goff that you’re dreaming. He’s already pretty old and probably done developing as a player, and he played in a very QB friendly offense at Tennessee when he finally put up numbers. He’s a very solid athlete coming off his torn ACL and definitely has a strong arm, I just do not think the ceiling is there given his age and his trajectory from college. He’ll be 30 years old by the time he starts his second contract. I would be happy to be wrong, it would be a great way for the Lions to save money, but I just do not see it. As far as third round picks go, you could spend it on something far worse. The fact the Lions also went out to sign Teddy Bridgewater was all you needed to know about how concerned they have been about backup QB since last year.

The first move the Lions made that I did not really like was the trade up for Brodric Martin. It seemed like a lot to give up but the Lions had been calling to trade up for him for a while so they clearly loved him. I cannot say I watched a lot of Western Kentucky so we will just have to trust them on this. He certainly has the build of a nose tackle that can disrupt and the fact he got some run with the first team defense in camp was encouraging. In the fifth round, they snagged Colby Sorsdal who will be a developmental/depth guard and he played pretty well in the preseason. He has good strength and was solid in the run game. I do not think he will be a future starter, but the entire league is desperate for depth so hopefully he can become useful in a pinch. Finally in the seventh round they grabbed Antoine Green, an athletic vertical threat that can play the X…I’m a fan of his but he will probably be a roster casualty once Jameson Williams is done with his suspension.

OFFENSE

Here’s a look at your unofficial depth chart. Will Jared Goff be able to repeat his season from last year? I’m not sure, but I think as long as the offensive line is healthy, there is no reason he cannot produce at a similar level and keep the turnovers down. Fortunately, the Lions signed Teddy Bridgewater to at least give some semblance of a backup in case Goff were to go down. The Lions have a good enough team to win the division and they could not let a Goff injury blow a hole in the entire plan. There’s really not much to say about the QB position, both Goff and Bridgewater are what they are and if things are going according to plan, neither one should have to put the team on their back and carry them to a win.

You could see early on in Hard Knocks last year that De’Andre Swift had started to wear out his welcome. It was not much of a surprise to see the Lions move on from him at the draft, even if they had not drafted Gibbs. I may be alone in this but I’m glad Jamaal Williams turned down the contract offer from the Lions. He was an incredible heart and soul guy and will forever be a part of the nucleus that got the Lions turned around, but he is not the running back that David Montgomery is. Consider the terrible offensive lines that Montgomery played behind and then think about the fact he has had at least 800 yard rushing each of the last 4 years. Now mix in a healthy Lions offensive line that opens tons of holes? The biggest issue last year was Jamaal Williams could not turn these gaps into big plays and De’Andre Swift seemed to always want to bounce the ball outside and not follow his blocks. With Montgomery and Gibbs you have two playmakers that play hard and play down hill. You may be thinking that they won’t be on the field at the same time but you would be mistaken. I expect both to be on the field at the same time quite frequently. Gibbs can motion out of the backfield and go to the slot and run routes, both can catch passes out of the backfield, and both can run the ball quite effectively. Remember, Gibbs is a chess piece, not just a running back.

When looking at the pass catchers, you cannot help but think how badly the six game suspension for Jameson Williams hurts. He broke the rules and he should be punished…period. Now I think the six games is a little steep considering some of the other punishments being handed out, but there’s nothing to do about it now. The suspension does not only hurt the offense but it hurts his development. He had drops in the preseason, a prominent issue since he’s a body catcher, and now he hardly played in the preseason because of a pulled hamstring before the second preseason game. I’m not going to call him a bust yet, he’s too young for that. But his development has taken a big time hit this offseason. This means that Josh Reynolds, Kalif Raymond and Marvin Jones are going to have to step up in his absence. Reynolds has fit in well with the Lions and Raymond had an outstanding preseason. I think Raymond is actually the Lions WR2 going into the season right now and that contract extension they handed out was not just for charity, he has earned it. t’s hard to ask Amon-Ra St. Brown to step up anymore than he already has because he is a bonafide stud. I was a huge fan of his coming out, but hard to imagine he would turn into a top 10-15 WR in the league this early on his career. After he got hurt at the joint practices the offense struggled mightily and Raymond picked up some of the slack, but after Goff, I think ARSB is the Lions most important player on offense. He’s always open and always makes the play when you need it. Hopefully his practice habits will rub off on Jameson at some point.

As for the tight ends, Sam LaPorta is going to be your day one starter with Brock Wright filling more of a blocking role. I actually like the trio they have a lot. Mitchell has shown to be very good with the ball in his hands and Brock Wright is not allergic to making plays either. LaPorta had a couple drops in the preseason, but no reason to be concerned as of yet. Each one brings a unique skillset to the table and I would expect all of them to play a role, especially with Jameson Williams suspended.

The offensive line is set in stone right now with a “battle” at the RG spot going on between Graham Glasgow and Vaitai. I think ultimately a healthy Vaitai will win out and Glasgow’s versatility makes him a perfect 6th man. It would be great to finally have Decker-Jackson-Ragnow-Vaitai-Sewell all on the field at the same time (if Glasgow wins the job that’s fine too). It is just well past time for the starting offensive line to play together. The Lions were 8th in passing yards per game last year and 11th in rushing yards per game…and that is with running backs missing holes and not turning small gains into bigger plays. The whole offense runs through this group and they have to keep the pressure off of Goff. There’s really not much to say about this group…it’s one of the best offensive lines in the NFL.

DEFENSE

Again take this depth chart for a total grain of salt because it’s just not correct. The Lions will spend most of their time in a 4-2-5 and Emmanuel Moseley may have been activated off the injured list but he’s not quite ready to play. Furthermore, Brian Branch has been so good in camp he’s starting at nickel and CJ Gardner-Johnson has been bumped to the FS spot and taken Tracy Walker’s job.

The defensive line is probably as deep of a group as the Lions have had in a while. Which is funny because so many players are actually castoffs from other teams. I fully anticipate there to be a steady rotation along the line, especially at the EDGE spot opposite Aidan Hutchinson. He was as good as advertised last year and you can only hope that he has taken another step this offseason. They’ll lay him all over the line again and he needs to be a dominant force again. Charles Harris should start opposite Hutch and has had quite a career turnaround. He’s not perfect but he can get after the passer and the front four is going to need to get consistent pressure to help the rest of the defense as much as possible. I expect Cominsky and Romeo Okwara to rotate in a fair amount and Josh Paschal should play inside and out. None of them are particularly special but they are all great contributors. Paschal staying healthy would be great because his versatility is big time asset for the offensive line.The real wildcard is James Houston. He has gotten some reps at linebacker in the preseason and I’m curious to see how they will use him this year. He is a fantastic pass rusher and has been a fantastic development over the least 16 months; his versatility and athleticism is a huge asset. In the interior, you have a solid Isaiah Buggs and a dynamic Alim McNeill. McNeill has turned into an absolute force and for my money is one of the best DT’s in the game. The real news here is that Levi Onwuzurike has been practicing and playing and has actually looked quite good in the preseason. This is huge development and if he can stay healthy, he has the talent to be a strong interior rusher but has not been on the field much the last 16 months. His preseason play gives me optimism that he’s going to be able to play at a consistent level this year. Brodric Martin should get plenty of work but I always expect growing pains for rookies. I’ll be curious to see how often he spells Buggs and how he adapts to the speed of the game.

At linebacker, the Lions ended up keeping six players and I did not expect them to keep Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Anthony Pittman. Obviously they valued both enough on special teams that they wanted to keep both. Barring injury, you should not see them on the field at linebacker at all during meaningful minutes. The coaching staff and Brad Holmes love Alex Anzalone, even though I do not and most fans do not. They clearly see him as leader and another coach on the field, but I’m hoping that Derrick Barnes renewed development or Malcolm Rodriguez will push him off the field. Jack Campbell could be a day one starter, but I’m really expecting a healthy rotation opposite Anzalone until someone grabs ahold of the job.

The Lions knew the secondary was terrible going into the offseason and went into severe overhaul mode. They signed Emmanuel Moseley, Cameron Sutton, CJGJ and drafted Brian Branch. Assuming all are healthy at some point, that will be 4/5 starting pieces in the secondary with second year man Kerby Joseph. That is an incredible turnaround in a matter of two years. I’m not sure what to expect out of Moseley coming into the year and off of injury, but the rest of that group…I’m expecting big things. Jerry Jacobs should be starting opposite Sutton in the meantime and he will not give up that spot quietly. Steven Gillmore and Khalil Dorsey had great preseasons and flashed at times. I think they can contribute if need be, but the Lions will be in some trouble if they get down to the 4-5-6 CB. Will Harris still stinks, but his position versatility makes him a huge asset and clearly the Lions value that, especially out of backups. At safety, it’s hard to imagine that Tracy Walker is not starting, but that’s where we’re at. It’s as deep as the Lions have been at safety in a long time. I’m still waiting for Melifonwu to go on IR so I’m not expecting much out of him this year. Kerby Joseph and CJGJ will form one of the most dynamic safety groups in the league and they definitely talk the most trash out of anyone. CJGJ has that electricity that just draws you in and that unwavering confidence and swagger is what this defense needs.

This is a defensive unit that still has some questions in the run game for me. They have strong players at linebacker that can play down hill, but they were somewhere around 29-30 in defensive rushing categories and gave up 5 yards per carry last year. They struggled mightily against mobile QBs and that’s not something that gets fixed overnight. It’s possible with the improved secondary that it can allow for some better scheming on the defensive side of the ball to guard against this, but we won’t know until they step on the field.

SPECIAL TEAMS/PRACTICE SQUAD

First thing is first, the fact the Lions looked at trading for a kicker and subsequently brought Michael Badgley back on the practice squad means that Riley Patterson is on a short leash. He had a great season kicking for Jacksonville after the Lions cut him last year and he definitely struggled a bit in the preseason this year. How this ends up working out, I’m not sure, but we’re going to find out rather soon. I’m a Patterson fan, but you cannot afford to have question marks in the kicking game. Jack Fox is unquestionably your punter and Scott Daly won his camp battle at long snapper…hooray. As for the return game? I expect Raymond to return punts, but I think that someone like Khalil Dorsey will return kicks. The Lions dabbled in some guys returning kickoffs during the preseason and I think they will use someone other than Raymond, particularly while Jameson is suspended.

As for the practice squad, it’s a solid mix of guys. It’s too bad that Starling Thomas did not clear waivers but being able to add Bam Knight was a pretty big pick up. Carrying only three running backs right now with an offense that relies on the run game as much as they docertainly was going to be a risky prospect. This gives you a guy with some experience and he can return kicks.

SEASON PREDICTION

I think it speaks volumes that the Lions did not play any starters at all throughout the preseason and were instead content to just let their joint practices serve as the first team reps. They definitely prefer the control they have with the scrimmages and it would not surprise me if Lions starters did not play in the preseason ever again. Keep your guys as healthy as possible and get a look at all of the guys fighting for roster spots for three games. I’m sure there will be a little rust to knock off against Kansas City but the joint practices and scrimmages are no joke.

I think ultimately the Lions end up around 11-6 and they win the NFC North for the first time ever (the NFC North was created in 2002 and thier last NFC Central title was 1993…yikes). There are some tricky road games that will likely cause a few slip ups but they have a very favorable draw with the NFC South to balance out the AFC West and I think that the NFC North will be a largely average division. I think the Bears are a year away from taking another step, the Vikings got very lucky in every single close game they played last year and should regress to the mean. As for the Packers…well the Packers have Jordan Love at quarterback and I’m not a fan.

Provided the Lions stay healthy, they have the personnel and play calling to have one of the best/most dynamic offenses in the league. Couple that with their pass rush and pressure cooker defense and they should be able to terrorize opponents. They need to find a way to get more turnovers and I think that will help the defense get to another level. Expectations have never been higher for the Lions which is kind of funny to say or even think about. Last year after the 29-0 loss to New England I thought that they might be toast again, but they climbed out of that hole and have battled. Now they’ve been able to add playmakers through the draft and free agency to fill needs and they even kept their coaching staff intact. Something that people did not think would happen with the rise of Ben Johnson. Now they’re playing the first night of the season and they’re one of the darlings of the league. If there was ever a coaching staff that would get this group ready despite the expectations and excitement, it would be Dan Campbell and company. Yes, I have 100% drank the kool-aid and it is the Lions time.

Photo via: MLive