Also... DJ Chark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo. DJ Chark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo. DJ Chark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo. DJ Chark!
Walker’s deal is only counting for like 3.5 mil against next years cap, so we should still have some money to add another decent ticket FA, assuming we get creative with how the money gets spread out.
Hard to argue with that contract considering the market, but disappointing if we don't end up with a long term impact player considering the amount of space we have. Still a lot of guys out there, obviously, and we still have a good amount of room. Sounded like the Jets were pushing pretty hard for Marcus Williams last night.
Can they tag Chark next offseason after a 1 year deal? I don't expect him to be that good, just wondering.
I’ll be curious how we spend the money we have left if we don’t pursue Williams. I’m not sure we will spend big on any one position besides safety.
If we're not adding a big piece from elsewhere, I think Charles Harris could be resigned and we start looking squarely at Hamilton as the future #2 pick.
That isn’t a bad deal for a guy that showed a fit in our system. And since I don’t think Malik is truly an option at 2, I am starting to convince myself that trading Decker and drafting Neal might be the best thing for us.
I am not against Hamilton at 2, since this is a year where there isn’t a clear #1 guy. But if Okudah might move to safety, does it make sense to also draft Hamilton? Especially when Holmes has a history of finding safeties from all walks of life? So if you don’t think Hamilton is the guy, you’re looking at Thibodeaux or an OT if you can’t trade down.
If we can’t trade down, I’d take Thibs or Walker before trading Decker to take Neal or taking a safety #2. We can’t keep making safe, need-filling picks at positions of lower value* in the top 10. At some point, we need to swing for the fences. *Neal would be great at 2 most of the time, but Sewell was sold as a future LT at 7 last year. Plus we’d be trading a decent tackle (albeit a stupid asshole tackle) just to fill his spot or RT? That’s like Bobby Q trading Slay and taking Okruddah 3rd overall
Especially a player like Walker that can also lineup inside if needed. Harris plays a similar role Thibodeaux potentially, so Walker's versatility likely has him higher on the Lions board.
Harris was 30th in sacks in the NFL last year, while 8th in snaps among DL. He's a fine rotation piece, and would be very useful alternating with Julian Okwara, I think. But the plan can't be to run a DL with Harris, Okwara, Okwara and Austin Bryant out there at the defensive ends.
I get what you're saying, but I think it's a mistake thinking that someone like Walker automatically is a more impactful player than someone like Hamilton just because he plays a position that is traditionally more valuable.
Yep. He’s likely our 5th WR/KR, which is fine. It’s a two year deal, so chances are he’s making the team, making it even less likely we draft a WR until the later rounds.
St. Brown, Chark, Reynolds, Cephus and Raymond is an okay group, but not a reason to not draft a guy at 32 or 34 and cut whoever between Cephus and Raymond or not dress the 6th guy.
Its really all a formula based on what you lose in FA. Golladay for sure got us the 3, but a mix of guys like Agnew, Prater, etc got us the other picks.
Hot take: I don't think our edge rushers are that bad. Who knows with PFF stuff, but Julian Okwara and Harris both ranked among the top 25 edge rushers (out of 100+ guys) in pass rush grade last year. Romeo had a higher grade than both but didn't qualify because he got hurt early in the year. Those three + Bryant combined for 18 sacks last year. Derrick Barnes has some potential there, too, and played some DE at Purdue. Our bigger issue is our DTs were not good last year and we need more out of them in pass rush situations. We got 4.5 total sacks last year between McNeil, Onwuzurike, Brockers, Williams and Penisini, who were our main 5 interior guys. Get more there, and maybe the edge guys are more productive. It's why I think we should seriously consider Devonte Wyatt if we end up trading back. The rookies from last year should improve at least a bit there, but we need more on the interior. I guess that might be the best argument for Walker being the best option at 2 even if Hutchinson is on the board, because Hutchinson doesn't want to play inside and has lost a lot of weight over the last 18 months.
I agree on the current edge guys. They’re solid and not the biggest need. We should still take one with the second pick. If we trade down, that opens up a lot of possibilities with wherever our first pick is. I wouldn’t hate the idea of Wyatt in the teens.
Staff has to be banking on Onwuzrike making significant strides this year, especially factoring in that lost covid year. Seems like both he and Okudah are being counted on becoming contributors and that could easily be a recipe for disaster.
If I'm projecting our top 3 picks right now, seems like it's most likely something along the lines of... Walker Devin Lloyd Jaquan Brisker I'll believe we take a QB in the first round when I see some actual intel linking us to someone beyond "played for us at the Senior Bowl".
I do agree with you that our first three picks will be on defense, all things being equal. I think the idea is that with a better defense, this could be 8/9 win team next season, which then allows us to make aggressive moves in 2023 to improve the offense. As far as QB’s go, I think we might hear more about any interest we have in a signal caller once Pro Days finish up in the next 7-10 days.
this is a stupid idea, but it would be fun to roll the dice on a team that is going to suck -- trade #2 this year for like, the Giants or Houston's next 2 first rounders and kick the can down the road for a QB draft. it's clear that a cheap star QB is the best way to a contending roster, so they need to get creative in finding ways to hit that lotto ticket.
Nakobi Dean is once again sitting out testing, this time at his Pro Day. His tape is great, but not testing at his size will likely drop him down a lot of teams boards. I’m not sure he’s even an option for us, as Campbell has said he wants bigger LB’s (he did say he wants them athletic unlike Patricia) but he could be there at 32/34.