NFL Draft: Hint Of Strategy In Detroit Lions Pre-Draft Visits
By Tony Fischer
While fans were wringing their hands about the Detroit Lions free agency faux pas, Martin Mayhew and company were quietly doing their due diligence for the up coming NFL Draft. Ten potential draft prospects have visited Allen Park so far. Some of the name you’ll recognize and some you won’t but if fans want a hint at what the Lions are planning for the 2015 NFL Draft, they might want to analyze who the team has interviewed so far.
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Sometimes teams interview potential draftees just for information gathering purposes but in the Lions case their may be more to their slate of interviews. So far 3 defensive tackles, 3 cornerbacks, 2 running backs and 2 offensive linemen have come to Detroit; all of which play positions of need for the Lions. So what about these visits might provide a glimpse into the Detroit Lions war room?
Hint #1
Lets take a look at the timing of the visits as it related to the departure of Ndamukong Suh. There were four visits prior to Ndamukong Suh signing with the Miami Dolphins. Two of those visits were defensive tackles. In the six visits after Suh and the subsequent trade for Haloti Ngata, the Lions conducted one visit with a D-tackle.
One could assume that the acquisitions of Ngata and Tyrunn Walker filled the need for the Lions on the defensive line.
Hint #2
Looking at where the draft prospects are projected can provide another hint into the Detroit Lions draft strategy. Take for instance the cornerbacks. The corners the Lions have brought in all have a lot of upside but all are projected for the 2nd or 3rd rounds. Certainly the Lions will have some first round prospects in to visit before the draft clock starts but early indications are that the Lions are preparing to draft a corner in the 2nd round.
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If the Lions are expecting to draft a cornerback in the second then who are they planning to draft with their first pick? They recently had top prospects Todd Gurley and Tevin Coleman in for visits. They could be looking to fill the need at running back right away.
Hint #3
Again we can look at the corners for hint about the type of player the Lions are hoping to draft. All the prospects are corner are big physical players who have an aptitude for stopping the run. The early appearance is the Teryl Austin, a former defensive back himself is definitely looking for a particular type of player to roam the defensive backfield. As for the running backs, so far the Lions seem to be looking for a back with breakaway speed and good hands out of the backfield.
The Sweet Inexact Science
Predicting the draft is a inexact science. Just ask draft guru Mel Kiper who once suggested the Lions should draft Brady Quinn rather than Calvin Johnson. But any predictions about draft picks are all based on the little hints leading up to the draft.
The Detroit Lions pre-draft visits have provided a few of those hints. Fans can count on many more leading up to the 2015 NFL Draft.