Over the course of the next few days, I will highlight each NFL team’s three greatest weaknesses that they need to address during free agency and through the draft. As the Lions were eliminated this weekend, I feel that as a devout Lions fan, the best coping mechanism is to start with them and the rest of the NFC North. From there I will make my way through the rest of the NFL, division by division. So without further adieu, here are the NFC North team’s greatest needs for the offseason.
Detroit Lions:
That loss was a killer for me, particularly after the season that they had. But it became evident throughout the year that the absolute lack of depth of defense was a killer. The team needs a true #1 corner in order to allow themselves to make a deep run into the playoffs. Eric Wright, Chris Houston and Alphonso Smith are all good corners, but none of them are a true #1. It would be ideal for them to take a guy like Morris Claiborne out of LSU in the draft, but there is a 0% chance that Claiborne falls to the Lions at pick #23. I’d look more towards Janoris Jenkins, a corner that started his career at Florida but was dismissed from the team and is now playing for North Alabama in the FCS. The second biggest need for the Lions after corner is a left tackle. Jeff Backus is getting older and while he had a pretty solid year in 2011, the team needs to start thinking of the future. The offensive line gave up 36 sacks and 78 quarterback knockdowns good for 17th and 21st respectively in the NFL (nfl.com stats). The organization must protect Matt Stafford and find a way to open up holes for Jahvid Best and keep him healthy, not to mention Mikel Leshoure, who spent the whole year on the IR. The third and final need that must be addressed is a toss-up between strong-side linebacker and strong safety. I thought that Justin Durant and Amari Spievey did decently throughout the year, but if the Lions want to become an elite team and stop the elite teams, they need to gain depth and get better at these positions. The defense was absolutely shredded by New Orleans, and the team won’t be able to go anywhere until they can compete with the Big Boys of the NFC. Continue reading
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