PFW Rankings

[cheeno]

I went through my old 2012 Pro Football Weekly Draft edition from March which has rankings much more closely related to where guys were drafted than most of the experts who made several mocks and rearanged their Big Boards since March, likely buying into their contact's smokescreens hoping other teams would bite on players they weren't interested in.
I thought this might give a little insight into the Lions board.

Reilly Reiff
#2 LT behind Matt Kalil

Ryan Broyles
#2 F (slot) WR behind Kendall Wright

Dwight "Bill" Bentley
#3 Zone CB behind Dre Kirkpatrick and Casey Hayward

Ronnell Lewis
#2 ROLB (3-4) behind Andre Branch

Chris Greenwood
NA

Lavonte Green
NA

Tahir Whitehead
"Best of the Rest"
Lean, high effort Sam backer with potential to provide back up depth and contribute on special teams.

Travis Lewis
#4 ILB behind Kuechly, Hightower, Mychal Kendricks

 

[inkfreq]

Damn cheeno, when you put it that way, it's kind of hard not to be happy with our draft.

 

[tsmith7559]

Damn cheeno, when you put it that way, it's kind of hard not to be happy with our draft.

Im still in a little shock on the Broyles pick....but next year when Burleson is gone(for cap reasons) I'll be happy to know we still have 3 good WR and can spend the money on re-signing some of our FA's. We did go Defense the rest of the draft and if 3-4 pan out we should be OK

 

[Mitchrapp]

Who were those goofs we had 2-3 years ago, Bryant Johnson, Northcutt, Derrick Williams etc. Man were they bad.

 

[inkfreq]

Who were those goofs we had 2-3 years ago, Bryant Johnson, Northcutt, Derrick Williams etc. Man were they bad.

Ouch.. do we have to bring that up?

Seriously though, it sure looks like we have come a long way since then. When you have a QB with an arm like Stafford, you have to get him the weapons to be successful. While I wasn't thrilled with the Broyles pick either, you can't argue that Meyhew has given Matty the tools he needs.

And in all honesty, if the Greenwood pick pans out the way I think it might, none of us will even remember passing on a CB in round two for a WR.

... might still remember passing on Konz though.

 

[zyxt9]

I'll secind everything ink just said. They had their eye on greenwood all along and therefore had no issue passing on CB earlier. Might be a gamble, but even R1 guys are a gamble as we unfortunately know all too well. Gambling on a late round guy against whom you are providing a baseline of talent for him to compete against...well if he beats all those guys out their gamble paid off. If he eventually becomes a shut down #1 CB, then they hit the jackpot.

 

[mhughes0021]

I went through my old 2012 Pro Football Weekly Draft edition from March which has rankings much more closely related to where guys were drafted than most of the experts who made several mocks and rearanged their Big Boards since March, likely buying into their contact's smokescreens hoping other teams would bite on players they weren't interested in.
I thought this might give a little insight into the Lions board.

Reilly Reiff
#2 LT behind Matt Kalil

Ryan Broyles
#2 F (slot) WR behind Kendall Wright

Dwight "Bill" Bentley
#3 Zone CB behind Dre Kirkpatrick and Casey Hayward

Ronnell Lewis
#2 ROLB (3-4) behind Andre Branch

Chris Greenwood
NA

Lavonte Green
NA

Tahir Whitehead
"Best of the Rest"
Lean, high effort Sam backer with potential to provide back up depth and contribute on special teams.

Travis Lewis
#4 ILB behind Kuechly, Hightower, Mychal Kendricks

fine ill be the critic lol:
Ryan Broyles
#2 F (slot) WR behind Kendall Wright

Great future value. Right now he has one knee and will be playing behind 3 other WRs....id normally like to see a 2nd round pick come in and play more snaps and contribute a little more than what he will be asked to do. Get him healthy...we will need him in 2013.

Dwight "Bill" Bentley
#3 Zone CB behind Dre Kirkpatrick and Casey Hayward

we dont play zone....like ever

Ronnell Lewis
#2 ROLB (3-4) behind Andre Branch

We dont play a 3-4...like ever. Hard to see where he fits in here. Undersized DEs in the wide 9 dont mix.

Travis Lewis
#4 ILB behind Kuechly, Hightower, Mychal Kendricks

love the pick and value but he wont be a ILB here. Cant deny the value if he plays up to his potential.

 

[zyxt9]

Another thing I love about greenwood is his mentality. Comes across as a humble guy who won't become a problem in the locker room nor a distraction with legal problems. Wants to work hard and be a great player with realization how quickly and easily everything can fall apart and leave you desperately clinging to your dreams which are on life support. Knock him going to small schools and transferring all you want, it is justifiable...but once in awhile a guy comes through such experiences. With a whole new perspective about priorities and what matters in life.

 

[lp4ever41]

Ouch.. do we have to bring that up?

Seriously though, it sure looks like we have come a long way since then. When you have a QB with an arm like Stafford, you have to get him the weapons to be successful. While I wasn't thrilled with the Broyles pick either, you can't argue that Meyhew has given Matty the tools he needs.

And in all honesty, if the Greenwood pick pans out the way I think it might, none of us will even remember passing on a CB in round two for a WR.

... might still remember passing on Konz though.

Falcons second-round pick Peter Konz fell to the 55th pick in the draft due to medical concerns about his ankle and blood clotting.
He checked out medically with Atlanta, though, and the Falcons plan to use Konz at right guard while grooming him as their center of the future. "Everything checked out fine," GM Thomas Dimitroff said of Konz's medical. "The blood clots were an anomaly. ... He's cleared up very well. He's a durable guy."

 

[evolutionkb]

I think people are acting like Broyles is all gimped up. ACL is a bad injury, yes, but his pro day 2 weeks he ran his 40. It's not like he is on crutches and can't participate in camp or practice when they come around.

 

[kmd47]

I think people are acting like Broyles is all gimped up. ACL is a bad injury, yes, but his pro day 2 weeks he ran his 40. It's not like he is on crutches and can't participate in camp or practice when they come around.

Exactly what I've been trying to tell people since we drafted him.

 

[Mitchrapp]

Exactly what I've been trying to tell people since we drafted him.

Its just a couple-three that won't let it go. If Bentley was drafted in the 2nd and Broyles in the 3rd no one would care as much. Even know its the same 2 players.

I'm looking forward to Broyles in the slot.

 

[elrod817]

I'm looking forward to Broyles in the slot.

Me too Mitch. Until he suits up I'll wonder if it was the right call and in the right round, but all in all I'm on board. Fully healthy he'll do some damage. The Bentley pick makes the Broyles pick not seem as bad and I'm excited to see this kid from Albion.

 

[cheeno]

Its just a couple-three that won't let it go. If Bentley was drafted in the 2nd and Broyles in the 3rd no one would care as much. Even know its the same 2 players.

I'm looking forward to Broyles in the slot.

Very true many experts mocked Bentley to us in the 2nd. I don't see anyone but a few on this board knocking the Broyles pick:

5. Ryan Broyles, WR, Detroit: Broyles was once the saddest story in the draft, a talented, ultra-productive prospect who saw his senior season end with a torn ACL. Now he should be thrilled about where he'll be playing this fall. Detroit needed a slot receiver who could create mismatches in the middle of the field and ease the pressure on Pro Bowl receiver Calvin Johnson. Broyles needed an opportunity with a team that is committed to utilizing multiple options in the pass game.

The end result is another weapon for quarterback Matthew Stafford -- who had to lean heavily on Johnson late in 2011 -- in an offense that should be more dynamic in 2012. If Broyles doesn't catch between 50-60 balls as a rookie, something went horribly wrong in Motown.

The Bentley pick is widely applauded as well. We had a very good draft:

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:7872063

 

[wheels002]

I really like the Bentley pick. Yes he played at a smaller school but he had his better games against the better competition. He excelled against Blackmon and caused Okla st fits. And I have listened to a few of his interviews and he has an attitude about him that he can cover anyone one on one and take em out. And I am intrigued by the Greenwood kid. I doubt he would be ready to step in right now but given time he could be really really good. He has the size and speed that most corners dont have and he gets to go against the best WR core in the NFL every day at practice which should help him get better. After going against CJ day in and day out it has to only get easier.

 

[Mitchrapp]

Greenwood is probably more of a project right now but he has attributes that can't be taught. Kind of looking forward to him as well. Its the most intriguing draft for Detroit, IMO, in some time.

 

[jde7676]

Good thing about Broyles for his sake is that he should be put in a position where fans can immediately see his impact. I've seen where he might end up the return man, and as much as we pass the ball he will get some looks. Hopefully he can get on the field quick and start making some big catches and we can all forget about it.

 

[mhughes0021]

Very true many experts mocked Bentley to us in the 2nd. I don't see anyone but a few on this board knocking the Broyles pick:

5. Ryan Broyles, WR, Detroit: Broyles was once the saddest story in the draft, a talented, ultra-productive prospect who saw his senior season end with a torn ACL. Now he should be thrilled about where he'll be playing this fall. Detroit needed a slot receiver who could create mismatches in the middle of the field and ease the pressure on Pro Bowl receiver Calvin Johnson. Broyles needed an opportunity with a team that is committed to utilizing multiple options in the pass game.

The end result is another weapon for quarterback Matthew Stafford -- who had to lean heavily on Johnson late in 2011 -- in an offense that should be more dynamic in 2012. If Broyles doesn't catch between 50-60 balls as a rookie, something went horribly wrong in Motown.

The Bentley pick is widely applauded as well. We had a very good draft:

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:7872063

If he gets 50-60 catches this year id be surprised. Not because of his talent but because that means hed be playing ahead of Burleson or Young on a lot of downs. If hes 100% healthy i really have no problem with him playing over Burleson to be honest....hes a better fit in the slot and he is the future. Burleson should be gone by next year.

 

[Mitchrapp]

Injuries can happen and if they do, it'd be nice to slide in a solid wideout over the usual 4th.

 

[wheels002]

Its sad that our 4th wr this year would have easily been our #2 wr 3 years ago. This team is so much better talent wise not to mention the better coaching and game planning.