Draft Recap

[wheels002]

OK so I watched all the Ansah highlights I could find. A few things that are clear he is an athletic freak. I also now understand why he doesnt have the stat numbers that you may look for. They lined him up at DT as much as DE. I saw several plays where he was lined up as a NT in a 3-4. He also dropped into coverage a lot. He looked better vs the run than I expected and chased RB's and WR's from behind. He has trouble when double teamed but he wont face much of that with us. I am warming up to the pick. Dont love it yet though.


Also saw a really good story on Slay. He had a son at 15. He was going to quit school and football but his family wouldnt let him. His mother and family watched his son while he was at school and practice but after that he was dad. He stepped up and his main goal is to make his son proud of him. Sounds like a quality character kid.

 

[cheeno]

unless your mayhew ofcourse....where a 5 turns into a late 6th.

Lmao. True.

 

[Monster]

Lions coaches worked with him for a week, riight? I'm sure they saw good things. Not sure why everyone is so pissed off. Doubt they would have taken him so high solely on potential.

 

[tomdalton22]

Lions coaches worked with him for a week, riight? I'm sure they saw good things. Not sure why everyone is so pissed off. Doubt they would have taken him so high solely on potential.

I think they took him on ability and potential. They definitely didn't take him based on what he has already done. There were other players available that are more polished and NFL ready. I kind of like the pick as he has huge upside. I think the safer route would have been to take Milliner and Tank. I think that combo is better than Ansah & Slay.

 

[Monster]

I think they took him on ability and potential. They definitely didn't take him based on what he has already done. There were other players available that are more polished and NFL ready. I kind of like the pick as he has huge upside. I think the safer route would have been to take Milliner and Tank. I think that combo is better than Ansah & Slay.

What I mean is that they spent an entire week coaching him. They know him and what he can do now and what he can become. I doubt they'd take him if they had questions ofhis immediate ability.

 

[cheeno]

I think they took him on ability and potential. They definitely didn't take him based on what he has already done. There were other players available that are more polished and NFL ready. I kind of like the pick as he has huge upside. I think the safer route would have been to take Milliner and Tank. I think that combo is better than Ansah & Slay.

Better for Dr. Andrews maybe. If MM took two guys starting camp on the pup 1 2 I for one would have lmao.

 

[cheeno]

What I mean is that they spent an entire week coaching him. They know him and what he can do now and what he can become. I doubt they'd take him if they had questions ofhis immediate ability.

We understood Monster. Your right it's not an only an upside pick if the guy is a day one starter. They knew that after the bowl. I guess they knew the same but opposite with Cornelius Washington.

 

[mhughes0021]

i always said ansah had the edge cause of the senior bowl. But if they had a week working with milliner they would have said the same things. With all the busts weve drafted lately id just feel safer taking the more polished guys that started on top notch programs for years. We got a back up at byu and a juco transfer with a partial season under his belt. That being said they were good picks....just inexperienced picks that HAVE to work out.

 

[zyxt9]

He likely proved himself "coachable". Tell or show him something and he gets it. That is huge in itself. Not that I know that for fact, just betting he was showing a quickness in both learning and play.

Still, everyone does need to remember JPP showed flashes as a rookie but didn't produce as a rookie as much as many might demand of Ansah before calling him a Bust. He will require some patience from us, but he will be awesome and help make Suh and Fairley better in ways Avril was never able to show. And he will cost, what...a fifth???...of Avril's contract.

 

[jrange378]

I think we had a good draft, covered a lot of bases. The only position I really want a change at now is Center. Raiola has no place here and has been bad for a while.

 

[LKP]

I think we had a good draft, covered a lot of bases. The only position I really want a change at now is Center. Raiola has no place here and has been bad for a while.

Nagy can battle Raiola now with Warford at Right Guard

 

[zyxt9]

Nagy can battle Raiola now with Warford at Right Guard

I'm down for that!

 

[zyxt9]

Reiff, Sims, Nagy, Warford, Fox/Hilliard

What a difference a year makes!!!

Took them long enough, only been wanting a wholesale change to OL since 2009.

 

[cheeno]

Reiff, Sims, Nagy, Warford, Fox/Hilliard

What a difference a year makes!!!

Took them long enough, only been wanting a wholesale change to OL since 2009.

Jason Cole thinks we are looking at Branden Albert. I call BS, connect the dots, but who knows.

 

[mhughes0021]

Jason Cole thinks we are looking at Branden Albert. I call BS, connect the dots, but who knows.

trade them broyles....hes a first round talent.

 

[motown1958]

OK so I watched all the Ansah highlights I could find. A few things that are clear he is an athletic freak. I also now understand why he doesnt have the stat numbers that you may look for. They lined him up at DT as much as DE. I saw several plays where he was lined up as a NT in a 3-4. He also dropped into coverage a lot. He looked better vs the run than I expected and chased RB's and WR's from behind. He has trouble when double teamed but he wont face much of that with us. I am warming up to the pick. Dont love it yet though.


Also saw a really good story on Slay. He had a son at 15. He was going to quit school and football but his family wouldnt let him. His mother and family watched his son while he was at school and practice but after that he was dad. He stepped up and his main goal is to make his son proud of him. Sounds like a quality character kid.

This is why I was high on him early on and I still really like the pick. Love the film on this guy when he plays as a rush end and fires off low. He has surprising strength and plays with heavy hands which is a must in the NFL. He has good flexibility to get around the outside and a very high motor. You can see his lack of experience which wasnt helped by him playing so many other positions along the line in college. Also really like his football IQ. he shows the ability to block down passes and read plays which is where a good player can be a great player. Its not just about having great moves and getting to the qb but affecting the play even when you cant get there.
The slay pick is one I didnt like initially but have warmed to. He was among the best athletes at the position and has the production to back it up. He has optimal size and very good measurable's. He needs to work on technique but what rookie doesnt. He reminds me of other solid guys in the NFL coming out someone like chris houston or even Carlos Rogers. Two guys that had high draft grades because of athleticism and you could see the production on the field. Also two guys that were decent early in there careers but got better as they developed and learned. I hope Slay learns quickly because I would rather not wait four years. I know im going to take shit for comparing him to Rogers since he went early in the first round but he was drafted way to high and played on a very good auburn team that helped inflate how good he looked on film. Not that he wasnt a very good college player but his playmaking ability was a little exaggerated. But all three play in the wrs pockets and make good plays on the ball in the air.
Warford is a day one starter and I was shocked he was there in the third. He will really help us since we run a power run game. He is a crap athlete so had to go to an offense like ours where he either needs to absorb rushers or move downhill. He is a good height and weight as well as has very good strength. He is an old school type of guard that may struggle when he needs to pull but I like his all around game.
Taylor again is a huge upside pick. Questionable motor at times but has a lot of skill and has showed ability to get to the passer. As a rotational guy I think he makes some impact this year. Good against the run as well. He is strong and fast and very tall. Like ansah he has good play awareness and gets his hands in passing lanes.

 

[lgolfer]

This is why I was high on him early on and I still really like the pick. Love the film on this guy when he plays as a rush end and fires off low. He has surprising strength and plays with heavy hands which is a must in the NFL. He has good flexibility to get around the outside and a very high motor. You can see his lack of experience which wasnt helped by him playing so many other positions along the line in college. Also really like his football IQ. he shows the ability to block down passes and read plays which is where a good player can be a great player. Its not just about having great moves and getting to the qb but affecting the play even when you cant get there.
The slay pick is one I didnt like initially but have warmed to. He was among the best athletes at the position and has the production to back it up. He has optimal size and very good measurable's. He needs to work on technique but what rookie doesnt. He reminds me of other solid guys in the NFL coming out someone like chris houston or even Carlos Rogers. Two guys that had high draft grades because of athleticism and you could see the production on the field. Also two guys that were decent early in there careers but got better as they developed and learned. I hope Slay learns quickly because I would rather not wait four years. I know im going to take shit for comparing him to Rogers since he went early in the first round but he was drafted way to high and played on a very good auburn team that helped inflate how good he looked on film. Not that he wasnt a very good college player but his playmaking ability was a little exaggerated. But all three play in the wrs pockets and make good plays on the ball in the air.
Warford is a day one starter and I was shocked he was there in the third. He will really help us since we run a power run game. He is a crap athlete so had to go to an offense like ours where he either needs to absorb rushers or move downhill. He is a good height and weight as well as has very good strength. He is an old school type of guard that may struggle when he needs to pull but I like his all around game.
Taylor again is a huge upside pick. Questionable motor at times but has a lot of skill and has showed ability to get to the passer. As a rotational guy I think he makes some impact this year. Good against the run as well. He is strong and fast and very tall. Like ansah he has good play awareness and gets his hands in passing lanes.

+1. Essentially sums up my thoughts too.

 

[mhughes0021]

Put Ansah on our def line full time next year and he should have 10ish sacks. Im just worried they baby him a long for some stupid reason.

Slay is better than any cb on the roster not named Houston.

I hope to god they both plug n play....god knows the holes are there to be filled.

 

[mhughes0021]

Mcdouche's draft recap for lions:

Detroit Lions


Best pick: DE Ziggy Ansah (No. 5 overall) -- The Lions, who had a need at offensive tackle and watched the top three at that position come off the board in the top five picks, didn't panic and give up the farm to move up a couple picks. At No. 5, they took the best available player in Ansah. Yes, there is some risk, but the potential reward is huge. I don't say that lightly, because I know what's at stake. Ansah made big strides over the course of the season, and he was the best player on the field during the Senior Bowl. His rise has been astronomical. He has the size, power, speed and athleticism teams covet. Put him alongside DTs Nick Fairley and Ndamukong Suh, and a year from now we could be talking about the best defensive front in the NFL. Honorable mention: I love the pick of guard Larry Warford in the third round.


Questionable pick: CB Darius Slay (No. 36 overall) -- A lot of people graded Slay higher than I did. He could develop into a good outside starter, but I think it's a gamble to draft him that early. He has only 13 starts at the FBS level, and doesn't have great natural instincts in run support. He has good cover skills and you can see the natural ability on tape, but you worry about him peeking in the backfield too often. He needs coaching in terms of his eyes and his undisciplined play. He could be a good pick, but the Lions may have reached further than their need at the position dictated.

 

[mhughes0021]

Kiper's:

Detroit Lions
Top needs: DE, CB, OT, WR, OLB



Summary: The strength of the Lions on defense is up the middle, with Nick Fairley and Ndamukong Suh. Ezekiel Ansah is an unfinished product as a defensive end, and I have questions about how much he can contribute in 2013, but he converts speed to power well and that power can take tackles into the pocket, where QBs will step up into the strength of the defense. Or at least that's the hope. But the bottom line is DE was the top need, and the Lions got the top 4-3 option in the draft. Darius Slay was a slight reach on my board at No. 34, but I don't mind the pick at all. Huge need, and I have him penciled in as a starter. Same story with Larry Warford, who should start at guard after being taken in the third. I know tackle is also a need, but the Lions could use a blocker who can move people inside so they can run the ball more effectively. Devin Taylor can jump into the rotation as a pass-rusher, and they also got a needed punter. The pivot point for how we see this draft in three years will be Ansah. If he's great, then it looks good. If he's not, and Dee Milliner thrives with the Jets, fans will wonder. But Detroit checked off needs.