Detroit Lions: Team Draft Needs

Team draft picks

Round 1 (5)
Round 2 (36)
Round 3 (65)
Round 4 (132)
Round 5 (137)
Round 6 (171)
Round 7 (211)
Round 7 (245)

1. Offensive tackle

Jeff Backus retired, and Gosder Cherilus left for Indianapolis in free agency. That leaves the Lions with Reilly Reiff as their top left tackle, and his short arms figure to make him a liability in blindside pass blocking. For a team so heavily invested in quarterback Matt Stafford and receiver Calvin Johnson, it would be highly irresponsible of the Lions to not land one of Luke Joeckel, Eric Fisher or Lane Johnson in the first round.

Potential targets:

First round

-Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M
-Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan
-Lane Johnson, OT, Oklahoma

Second round

-Menelik Watson, OT, Florida State
-Kyle Long, OT/G, Oregon

Third round

-Brennan Williams, OT, North Carolina
-Terron Armstead, OT/G, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
-Reid Fragel, OT, Ohio State

Fourth round

-Xavier Nixon, OT, Florida
-Chris Faulk, OT, LSU
-Luke Marquardt, OT, Azusa Pacific
-Ricky Wagner, OT/G, Wisconsin

Fifth through seventh rounds

-Emmett Cleary, OT, Boston College
-Nick Becton, OT, Virginia Tech
-Oday Aboushi, OT/G, Virginia

2. 4-3 Defensive end

With Cliff Avril and Kyle Vanden Bosch gone, the Lions are down to Willie Young and Ronnell Lewis as their top two ends. The free agent addition of Jason Jones could provide some relief there, but Jones is at his best at tackle, not end.

Potential targets:

First round

-Barkevious Mingo, DE, LSU
-Ezekiel Ansah, DE, BYU

Second round

-Datone Jones, DE, UCLA
-Cornellius Carradine, DE, Florida State
-Alex Okafor, DE, Texas
-Corey Lemonier, DE, Auburn
-Margus Hunt, DE, SMU

Third round

-Sam Montgomery, DE, LSU
-Damontre Moore, DE, Texas A&M

Fourth round

-Lavar Edwards, DE, LSU
-David Bass, DE, Missouri Western State
-Malliciah Goodman, DE, Clemson
-Stansly Maponga, DE, TCU
-John Simon, DE, Ohio State
-Brandon Jenkins, DE, Florida State

Fifth through seventh rounds

-Quanterus Smith, DE, Western Kentucky
-Armonty Bryant, DE, East Central University
-Devin Taylor, DE, South Carolina
-Tourek Williams, DE, Florida International
-Ty Powell, DE, Harding

3. Wide receiver

The Titus Young problem is gone, but his exit paradoxically creates a nasty depth problem at receiver, particularly in light of Ryan Broyles' ACL tear in December. Calvin Johnson and Nate Burleson are good enough at the top two spots, but the extremely pass-heavy nature of the Detroit offense means they need at least three capable wide receivers to operate anywhere near an optimal level.

Potential targets:

Second round

-Justin Hunter, WR, Tennessee
-Keenan Allen, WR, California

Third round

-Stedman Bailey, WR, West Virginia
-Chris Harper, WR, Kansas State
-Robert Woods, WR, USC
-Quinton Patton, WR, Louisiana Tech
-Markus Wheaton, WR, Oregon State
-Da'Rick Rogers, WR, Tennessee Tech
-Josh Boyce, WR, TCU
-Marquise Goodwin, WR, Texas
-Kenny Stills, WR, Oklahoma
-Terrance Williams, WR, Baylor

Fourth round

-Mark Harrison, WR, Rutgers
-Chad Bumphis, WR, Mississippi State
-Justin Brown, WR, Oklahoma
-Aaron Dobson, WR, Marshall
-Tavarres King, WR, Georgia
-Ace Sanders, WR, South Carolina

Fifth through seventh rounds

-Cobi Hamilton, WR, Arkansas
-Marquess Wilson, WR, Washington State
-Corey Fuller, WR, Virginia Tech
-Ryan Swope, WR, Texas A&M
-Tobais Palmer, WR, North Carolina State
-Alec Lemon, WR, Syracuse
-T.J. Moe, WR, Missouri

Other needs: Cornerback, safety, interior offensive line depth