Now, of course not all these guys are going to make it, heck, they weren't all good picks! But I went with the GM suggestion for the first 5 rounds, then I just took a few guys that filled a need, and tried to grab some guys from Michigan, Michigan State, Western Michigan, etc. "for the fans".
Getting Cromartie was important. The 2007 Lions had a historically bad pass defense, which is why I agreed with the GM and took a DB, and this is the one he wanted. I also took King, Warrick and Adams to build depth and competition. I also took a couple pass rushers to help where I could. Guys like Craig, Powell, and Harper are good pass rushers that can all find a spot here if they put the effort out.
I anticipate Hardy evolving into a great red zone threat, whether I put him in at WR or sneak him in at TE in goal line packages.
Taking Felton let me get rid of a 300 pound plodding fullback and taking Torain gave me a tough back to work on. Right now Alexander is the #1, Calhoun should be recovered enough to compete for the #2. I signed Garrett Wolfe to be a WR/RB hybrid, meaning Torain has a shot to be my short yardage grinder when Alexander needs a breather.
Lastly, Brownstein, Blair, Winston and McDuffie were all darts at a dartboard to see if I can find a gem offensive lineman. I think Brownstein and McDuffie were rated "1"s, Winston was an "8". Guess we'll see. I'll be paying attention to more than stats when I evaluate them; but they face an uphill battle.
Before I release my depth chart, here's my Cap Info:
start FA: $49.85 million
|
start season: $24 million |
$33.95 million in penalties |
$15.18 next year's penalties
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$17 million in 2008 incentives |