The Lions only had 2 picks in the 2011 draft on day 3. Pick #157 in round 5 and #209 in round 7. They did not make any more draft day trades and selected two players to compete for roster spots if and when there is a summer camp.
In the 5th round the selection was Doug Hogue OLB Syracuse. In the 7th round the selection was Johnny Culbreath OG/OT South Carolina State. As with most teams that are not totally devoid of talent, there is no guarantee that any picks in day 3 will make the roster (though round 4 and 5 guys usually get at least a year).
So let's take a look at the two newest Detroit Lions.
Doug Hogue was a former running back that switched to linebacker at the beginning of his Junior year. He's 6'2" tall and weighs 226 pounds. I had him ranked 134 on my big board but other sites have him lower and higher... even with only 2 years at that position. http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/college_big_board_rankings.html&position=olb has him ranked as the 13th best OLB in the draft.
A gifted athlete who will need time to develop. He will be competing for a backup LB spot with the Lions.
Johnny Culbreath could end up playing either guard or tackle in the NFL. He's 6'6" tall and weighs in the 310 to 322 range (various sites have different numbers on him). I didn't have him ranked on my big board (400 names), but other boards have him. He's a former wrestler who played left tackle in college.
Positives: Looks like an NFL tackle with thick lower and upper bodies, good height and long arms. Has natural bend, good technique on slide. Owns a strong punch and extends arms to maintain distance with defender, resets hands multiple times. Effective cut blocker on stretch plays and in pass protection. Hits multiple targets on zone blocks and downfield. Plays with real attitude, attacks defenders in the run game and latches on, finishing the play. Team captain in 2010.
Negatives: Overextends in the run game and in pass protection, losing posture and opening himself up to be out-quicked in space. Needs to move his feet after contact because won't dominate with pure strength athleticism as he did against FCS competition.
--Chad Reuter
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1701304/johnny-culbreath
http://www.profootballweekly.com/prospects/player/johnny-culbreath-50/ says High school wrestling champion, team captain and four-year starter who looks the part with very good size, long arms and large hands with nice movement skills. However, is raw and unrefined technically. Has a lethargic lower body — is not explosive out of his stance and kickslide needs work. Held his own against Georgia Tech, flashes a mean streak and has moldable tools for a patient position coach to work through mental hurdles.
The Lions will try him out at offensive tackle and guard. There is a chance he makes the roster if he shows anything in camp, but the odds are he'll be a practice squad player the first year.
When free agency starts the Lions can look at signing their undrafted guys, although that could be weeks if not months from now. They scouted roughly 30 people that did not get drafted. Those names can be found on the Lions Contact List that LionHawk puts together and posts in my forum http://badnetrat.proboards.com which by the way, contained the names of all 5 of the Lions draft picks... that's right, LionHawk was 5 for 5 this year.
So the Lions finish the draft with 3 players who will definitely see playing time and a couple of projects... they have a little work to do in free agency but if you take a look at it, not all that much.
1 comment:
I thought the Lions had a great draft. The players they selected in the first two rounds you probably will not find in FA without spending big bucks for.
With corners and outside linebackers you hope the have the long arms and speed to play in the role you have them for. I was for picking Pouncey over Prince due to the fact that Prince has short arms.
With Failey, I see him playing more end than Suh. Keep the stronger of the two inside and and use Failey when our speed rushers tire or have problems with the more finese Tackles in the league.
I can also see use lining up five D-lineman then dropping one or two into coverage. The offense will have to take a time-out, or gamble on what we doing.
Also we now have a fourth DT in our rotation. Fleuan (?) was not really used until injuries started to hit. Also Suh played more snaps than any DT in the league.
I think we picked up the second best WR in the draft that fit our needs. I forget the guys name that Atlanta took, but he reminds me of Roy Williams/Bryant Johnson in that they have the size and speed but can you count on him to catch the pass. With Titus and Nate you have two guys who do basically the same thing with different styles. Titus will out quick and run you while Nate will fight through the press then out run you. Another reason I thought he was a great pick is this. There were two WRs picked in the second round, ours and Green Bays Cobb. Cobb did not meet our needs, but I sure would hate to see Titus in a GB uniform.
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