Are the Detroit Lions Destined to Repeat the Aaron Donald Fiasco?
By Eli Kaplan
Detroit Lions fans know the team erred when they passed on Aaron Donald in 2014. But good teams learn from mistakes. So history won’t repeat itself. Right?
The Detroit Lions had a chance to select defensive tackle Aaron Donald in the 2014 draft. They didn’t, as they decided they already had plenty of depth and talent at the position. That thinking had some truth to it, as the Lions did have Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley under contract.
Even so, things didn’t work out too well for Detroit. The following year both Suh and Fairley departed to other teams via free agency, while Donald has gone on to be a superstar in the trenches for the Los Angeles Rams.
The 2014 Donald fiasco isn’t new GM Bob Quinn’s fault. He just took over the reins for the Lions this offseason, and he was still an important member of the New England Patriots scouting department in 2014 when Martin Mayhew was making draft blunders as the Lions GM.
Even so, as far Detroit Lions fans are concerned, Quinn would be wise to learn from Mayhew’s mistakes.
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Whatever Mayhew did in the draft Quinn should do the opposite right?
Of course it’s not that simple, but it does appear that the Lions are in a similar position in 2016 as they were in 2014.
Free agency is far from over, and the draft is still weeks away, but Quinn appears to be positioning the Lions to pass on franchise building defensive tackle prospects in the first round, in favor of other positions of greater immediate need.
The Lions have serious needs at offensive tackle and linebacker, with slightly lesser needs at safety, wide receiver, defensive end, center, running back and cornerback.
So what is going on at the defensive tackle position? Entering free agency, the Lions only had Caraun Reid and Gabe Wright under contract. Detroit made moves quickly, re-signing Haloti Ngata and Tyrunn Walker, and signing Stefan Charles.
Consequently the Lions will enter this year’s draft with enough talent and depth at defensive tackle to look elsewhere for upgrades.
So what’s wrong with this picture?
The problem is, just as in 2014, the Lions currently have some talent at defensive tackle, but none of their most talented players are signed long-term. Tyrunn Walker and Stefan Charles are on one year contracts, while Ngata signed a two-year contract (with a club option for the second year). If the Walker and/or Charles perform well this year, they might be difficult to re-sign moving forward.
If Ngata plays well this year, the Lions will want to pick up his option. But at 32 years of age, Ngata isn’t getting any younger, and his healthiest and best playing days may soon be behind him. Any way you slice it the situation is eerily similar to 2014. The Lions don’t have a dire need for a defensive tackle today, but they certainly could tomorrow (or rather a year from now).
That being the case, the Lions should learn from their draft mistakes of 2014, and make sure no defensive tackles from this draft class become their 2016 version of Aaron Donald.
A’Shawn Robinson, Jarran Reed and Vernon Butler are all solid first round talents. Robinson may be the first defensive tackle off the board, and should be gone before the Lions select. Reed is good at everything, but not great in any one area. Butler, who has drawn much interest from the Lions, is more of a run-stuffer. All would help Detroit improve their defensive tackle position immediately.
But Sheldon Rankins plays remarkably like Aaron Donald lite. At 6’1″ and 299 lbs., Rankins is slightly undersized for a defensive tackle but he holds up against the run, while being a force to be reckoned with as a pass rusher.
If Rankins is available when the Lions select at #16, he should be the pick, no questions asked. Sure, the Lions have needs at other positions. And this year’s group of defensive tackles is deep enough in talent that Detroit could get a contributor in later rounds.
If that’s how Bob Quinn wants to play it, we’ll just have to trust he knows exactly what he’s doing. But if Rankins turns into a pro-bowl player, and the Lions enter the 2017 draft with no viable defensive tackles to speak of, don’t say you weren’t warned.