Detroit Lions Pre-Draft Visits: How They Fit And Where They Fall
By Tony Fischer
April 13, 2013; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles defensive back Pj Williams (26) celebrates the start of the Florida State spring game at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports
Cornerback
Alex Carter – Junior Cornerback – Stanford
Date of pre-draft visit: March 11th
Projected Round: 2nd or 3rd
Height 6 ft
Weight 196 lbs
The hard-hitting Alex Carter is a physical corner who, according to CBS, can get a little handsy with receivers downfield putting him at risk to draw some flags. The former Stanford corner has good size and speed and could match-up well against some of the bigger wide-outs in the league. Size at corner is something the Lions have missed in recent years and a big physical corner could have a profound affect on the teams ability to pass defend in the red zone.
Carter also has the right mindset and evidence by his comments to detroitlions.com:
"“You have to get guys on the ground,” Carter told detroitlions.com. “It’s good for (cornerbacks) to be good tacklers and to know a lot of positions because you might play corners, you might play nickel and you might play safety. You have to be able to adjust to everything. “Some people don’t want to hit. They don’t want to get touched. So you must have that mentality where you want to go down and hurt somebody.”"
Carter also fit nicely into the Detroit Lions draft strategy and would make a nice third round pick-up if the Lions decide to bolster the offense in the first couple of rounds.
Steven Nelson – Senior Cornerback – Oregon
Date of pre-draft visit: March 17th
Projected Round: 2nd or 3rd
Height 5′ 10″
Weight 197 lbs
Another broad bodied, physical draft prospect who doesn’t shy away from contact. Nelson played against some serious pass offenses in the high octane PAC-12 so it is easy to see why he would be high on the Lions list. Physically he is a little small at 5-10 but scouting reports say he plays much taller than he stands.
"Broad build for a cornerback and he uses his size and aggressive hands well to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage. Does not concede anything on the field. Plays like the biggest player on the field with supreme confidence and the competitive spirit that allows him to match up with anyone."
No matter what the chicks say size doesn’t always matter. All indications are that Nelson makes up for his lack of height with intensity and technique. Nelson could be a great fit for the Lions in the third round. He has a ton of upside and could have something to prove after being passed over in the 1st and 2nd.
P.J. Williams – Junior Cornerback – Florida State Seminoles
Date of Pre-draft visit: March 19th
Projected Round: 1st or 2nd round
Height 6 ft
Weight 197 lbs
By looking at the draft prospects the Lions have hosted so far, its easy to see a trend developing. Teryl Austin wants big physical corners who can punish a ball carrier if called upon to do so. P.J. Williams seems to fit the Lions draft profile for a cornerback and could be available late in the 1st round. That said Williams is hoping to boost his stock in the draft by hosting pro-day after a disappointing performance in the combine.
via Detroitlions.com:
"“I didn’t run as good as I wanted to at the Combine, so I’m definitely looking to improve on that because I know I’m a lot faster than that. I definitely believe I’m a low 4.4 and the fact that I was sick at the Combine is definitely the reason I think I didn’t perform the way I could have.”"
The biggest knock on Williams is that sometimes he can be overly aggressive and give up the big play but that can be fixed with some coaching. If the Detroit Lions decide to draft a corner in the first round, Williams could be a great choice without having to trade up.