Lions 2009 Draft Review

So everyone knows who the Lions drafted No. 1 overall. How about the guys behind Stafford.

This is the following list of all the Lions 2009 NFL Draft picks

Round 1 (1st pick overall) QB Matthew Stafford (Georgia)

Round 1 (20th pick overall) TE Brandon Pettigrew (Oklahoma St.)

Round 2 (33rd pick overall) S Louis Delmas (Western Michigan)

Round 3 (76h pick overall) LB DeAndre Levy (Wisconsin)

Round 3 (82nd pick overall) WR Derrick Williams (Penn St.)

Round 4 (115th pick overall) DT Sammie Lee Hill (Stillman)

Round 6 (192nd pick overall) RB Aaron Brown (TCU)

Round 7 (228nd pick overall) OT Lydon Murtha (Nebraska)

Round 7 (235th pick overall) LB Zach Follett (California)

Round 7 (255th pick overall) TE Dan Gronkowski (Maryland)

Let's go over each pick (with the exception of Stafford) and play GM for a bit as I go over what I would have done if I was the Lions in the war room. After analysing their selections I gave the Lions a draft grade of a C+. I'll tell you why.

First off every year you see some players fall in the NFL Draft to spots where you didn't think you could get them. Offensive tackle (OT) Michael Oher (Ole Miss) was one of those guys in the first round this year. Most draft experts expected him to get drafted somewhere between 10-14 but he slid for whatever reason. As a result he was available to the Detroit Lions at No. 20 overall. The Lions needed a lot of help on the offensive line especially at the left tackle position. That position is currently held by Jeff Backus but there had been talks leading up to the draft that they would slide Backus over to left guard if they selected a tackle in the first round. In any event they chose to go a different route and passed on Oher.

They chose tight end (TE) Brandon Pettigrew (Oklahoma St.) who was the consensus No. 1 TE in the draft. Pettigrew is an exceptional run blocker who can also be a reliable possession receiver by throwing his 263 pound frame around the middle of the field. I like what Pettigrew brings to the team but by choosing him you say that Michael Gaines a free agent you signed last off season was a bust. Thank you Rod Marinelli and Matt Millen yet again as we have a backup TE who is extremely overpaid to sit the bench.

I just felt like you had to go with Oher at No. 20 because the left tackle position was more of a need than TE. Although GM Martin Mayhew must have felt otherwise. One thing the Lions could have also done if they were in awe of Pettigrew, they could have pieced together the No. 33 pick along with a fifth or sixth round choice to move up to the middle 20's to select Pettigrew. They missed on that option and that was just one of the reasons they didn't have the best draft in the NFL.

Then came the No.33 pick in which the Lions chose safety Louis Delmas (Western Michigan). Detroit chose to go with Delmas over the likes of linebackers Ray Maualuga (USC) and James Laurinaitis (Ohio St.) as well as defensive end Everette Brown (Florida St.) That would have never happened with me as GM. Safety was a position where I felt you had the most depth at on the defense with Gerald Alexander, Kalvin Pearson, and Daniel Bullocks. I felt Bullocks was the second best player on the defense last year behind Ernie Sims. Pearson also asserted himself very nicely toward the end of the season. He showed he can make contributions in the secondary by making open field tackles.

Delmas by all reports should be able to come in and start right away. Some experts have compared him to Troy Polomalu while others didn't really have them on their radar. The jury is out on him and we shall see what kind of impact he can have on the Lions as the summer wears on. He will be in action as soon as this weekend in Allen Park at the Lion's team facility for rookie minicamp.

Now let's go to the third round selections where the Lions chose linebacker DeAndre Levy (Wisconsin) and wide receiver Derrick Williams (Penn St.). I really liked both of these picks because both players could be big contributors two or three years down the road for the team. I especially liked the Williams selection because he not only had a great college career but he projects well as a No.2 receiver in the NFL and would be great to see lined up next to Calvin Johnson for years to come. Williams also can help in the return game while Levy gives you more depth in the linebacking core and helps sure up the special teams unit for Detroit.

Then in the fourth round Detroit drafted defensive tackle Sammie Lee Hill (Stillman) who is from a division II school but he brings a lot of size. That is a much needed selection, somebody who can stop the run and be a stop gap in the middle of the Lions defense. It could take a few years to see Hill full potential come out though. So Lion's fans must be patient with him. Then in the sixth round the Lions drafted running back Aaron Brown (TCU). Brown has exceptional speed out of the backfield and can play in the slot if needed. Brown also can help out in the return game along with Williams. This was something the Lions lacked a lot last season-- a return game.

The last three selections will not see much time on the field and will probably not even make the 53 man roster come September. They will most likely get cut or get thrown on the practice squad. In any event the three players they selected in the 7th round are offensive tackle Lydon Murtha (Nebraska), linebacker Zach Follett (California), and tight end Dan Gronkowski (Maryland). I am very surprised it took the Lions seven rounds before they drafted an offensive lineman. They must be seeing something I'm not with their current offensive line.

With all of these selections the team did improve one must think. How much of an improvement is the question? An 0-16 team needs a lot of improvement to come back to respectability. It's going to take more than one season before that happens. I was just disappointed with the Lions and GM Martin Mayhew for passing on guys like Oher, Maualuga, Laurinaitis, and Brown. Most of all I felt like the Lions could have taken a quarterback in next year's draft instead of drafting one this year because they would have been more of a complete team 365 days from now.