Last year I had intended to do more blog write ups on the draft but got overwhelmed with other things and was never able to get back to it. I predict this year may be more of the same so I’ll make one huge draft post for 2023 just in case that’s all I have time for.
Now prior to the draft beginning the Lions traded away Okudah to the Falcons for a 5th round pick, number 159 overall. Using the Jerry Jones trade value chart that equates to 26.6 points and gave the Lions two 5th round picks to work with. Last year the Lions had traded TJ Hockenson to the Vikings for a 2nd rounder this year; that ended up being the 55th overall pick, worth 350 points and giving the Lions two 2nd round picks. And the year prior to that the Lions had traded away quarterback Matthew Stafford and received as the last part of the trade in 2023 the Rams 1st round pick which was 6th overall, netting them an 1800 point value and two 1st round picks to work with.
The Lions wait until they are on the clock at 6th overall and make a trade down to 12th overall with Arizona. The Cardinals received number 6 overall in the first round and number 81 overall in the third round, a total of 1,785 points. The Lions received 12th overall in the first round, 34th overall in the 2nd round, and 168th overall in the fifth round, a total of 1,783 points. They say no one uses the JJ draft value trade chart, but I’m thinking this is rather randomly close if true.
When the Lions finally got on the clock at pick 12 they selected Jahmyr Gibbs, running back. Gibbs has a RAS of 8.07 (elite athlete) and is known to have great hands for catching passes and great vision and quickness to hit the smallest of holes in the run game. I had him ranked 27th but other people had Gibbs ranked much higher. In fact, The Draft Network had him ranked 6th best player in the draft. https://thedraftnetwork.com/sr-prospect/jahmyr-gibbs-9a15a353-4267-4583-8b60-e1c77e08b588/ while The Huddle Report’s Drew Broylhart gave him a first round grade https://www.thehuddlereport.com/blog/?p=3162. Ourlads has already anointed him as the starting running back with Montgomery the backup, who can do many similar things but most importantly, take some of the strain of being a NFL running back for himself probably helping the both of them to remain effective longer.
The Lions patiently waited until their own first round pick at 18th overall and then drafted Jack Campbell, linebacker. Campbell has a RAS of 9.98 (high end of elite) and is known as a consistent tackler rarely missing. He has plenty of special teams experience and can play any LB position and is great against the run. I had him ranked 51st but again, others had him ranked higher. The Draft Network had him ranked 41st https://thedraftnetwork.com/sr-prospect/jack-campbell-d213e4cd-9072-4d5b-bd52-05f43d4151c0/ while The Huddle Report’s Drew Broylhart gave him a 2nd round grade reasoning that most teams wouldn’t know just how to use Campbell correctly (he’s a throwback LB, not so much new age). https://www.thehuddlereport.com/blog/?p=3460 Ourlads has anointed him the starting middle linebacker, I’m just not sure if that is where he will play, his OTA and camp workouts will help to determine all that. One thing I do know for sure, the Lions could really use a sure tackling run defender and they now have one, plus his special teams contributions will help as well.
The Lions next pick due to the trade with Arizona was at the beginning of round 2 with the 34th overall pick where they selected Sam Laporta, tight end. Laporta has a RAS of 9.02 (elite) and is considered one of the top TEs in college football. The Draft Network had him ranked 50th overall while I had him ranked 54th. https://thedraftnetwork.com/sr-prospect/sam-laporta-0cceb5ff-8e5c-4f33-8f4a-9952da224c58/ and the Huddle Report’s Broylhart had him with a first round grade. https://www.thehuddlereport.com/blog/?p=3368 Ourlads as anointed him as the starting tight end but that might not be week 1, then again, it just might be.
Before the Lions could pick at 48 they traded up to 45 with the Green Bay Packers. The Packers received pick 48 and a round 5 pick, 159th overall. The points for the Packers added up to 446.6 while the Lions moving up 3 added up to 450, again very close to the trade value chart being used it would seem. With the 45th pick the Lions drafted Brian Branch, Safety and Slot Cornerback. Branch has a RAS of 5.27 (good athlete) and I had him ranked as the 15th best player in the draft. The Draft Network had him ranked 20th overall and is known for his versatility and violent tackling. https://thedraftnetwork.com/sr-prospect/brian-branch-22d1b089-de8b-4e48-9e28-9c5aedd4d0d9/ The Huddle Report gave him a 1st round grade https://www.thehuddlereport.com/blog/?p=3194 Ourlads has him as the backup strong safety to Tracy Walker III but I think he takes over Okudah’s slot duties (eventually) and will get moved all around the defense depending on the play. Some of the other picks were considered “reaches” by many a pundit, but this pick is pretty much universally considered a “steal”.
Instead of using the 55th pick gained from the Hockenson trade, the Lions traded the pick to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs ended up getting pick 55 and pick 194 in the 6th round (362.2 points) and the Lions got pick 63, pick 122 in the 4th round, and pick 249 in the 7th round (327 points). Points-wise, this was the worst of the many Lions trades.
The Lions weren’t done yet though, they then traded pick 63 to the Denver Broncos. The Broncos got 63 and 183 in the 6th round (301 points) and the Lions received pick 68 in the 3rd round and 139 in the 4th round (286.5 points). With the 68th pick at the top of round 3 the Lions drafted Hendon Hooker, quarterback. Due to injury Hooker has no RAS rating. The Draft Network has Hooker ranked 43rd overall and is considered a developmental starter but no one is entirely sure how his college work will translate in the NFL https://thedraftnetwork.com/sr-prospect/hendon-hooker-cca46d4a-7198-4211-bed4-94aaa34a7b0a/. Drew Broylhart didn’t hesitate to put a 1st round grade on him though https://www.thehuddlereport.com/blog/?p=3072, so it’s possible the transition will be easier than some think. Ourlads has Hooker as the 2nd string QB behind Goff.
The Lions apparently got nervous about losing their next target as they traded up from 122 to 96 with the Arizona Cardinals. The Lions got pick 96 (116 points) and the Cardinals received pick 122 in the 4th round, pick 139 in the 5th round, and pick 168 in the 5th round as well (109.5 points making it the best Lions trade points-wise). With the 96th pick the Lions selected Brodric Martin, nose tackle. Martin has a RAS of 2.14 which is not an unusual score for a nose tackle. Most places did not rank Martin at all. I had him as my 262nd ranked player. NFL Draft Buzz had him ranked as a 6th round pick https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/Player/Brodric-Martin-DT-WesternKentucky and all I know is he’s a big guy (over 330 pounds) but can move fast for a nose tackle. I’m assuming the Lions had word that he might go early in round 4 and felt it necessary to move up to ensure the pick. If he can command double teams (eventually) that frees up the rest of the defense to play one-on-one.
While the draft was going on, D’Andre Swift took exception to the Lions’ first round pick of Gibbs and asked to be traded. The Lions were able to trade him to the Eagles (near his home town) for pick 219 in the 7th round and a 4th round pick in 2025. The Lions also had to give up their 7th round pick of 249 to make the deal. Not sure how you add up points for a 4th rounder 2 years from now, and the other two picks were 1 point and 2 points, so I guess the Lions upgraded the position with a younger player who has a rookie contract just beginning while Swift was on the last year of his deal.
With the 152nd pick in the 5th round the Detroit Lions selected Colby Sordal, OT/OG. He has played both guard and tackle (both sides) and will look to become depth on the OL. Sordal has a RAS of 6.48 (Good) and he says he can play all 5 spots on the offensive line. https://www.underdogdynasty.com/2023/4/29/23704575/2023-nfl-draft-william-mary-ol-colby-sorsdal-selected-in-5th-round-by-detroit though very few draft pundits knew him at all so there isn’t much to work with as far as links go. If he can transition to the NFL this could very well be another find by Lions GM Holmes. I entered Sordal as my 300th player on my board after his selection.
Finally, at pick 219 in the 7th round the Lions drafted Antoine Green, wide receiver. The Draft Network had Green ranked 186th https://thedraftnetwork.com/sr-prospect/antoine-green-71d9daa3-23e6-4b4b-b292-b13ed5499174/ and I had him ranked 267th. He is a fast deep vertical threat but I don’t know if he can make the transition to the NFL. Let’s just say the Lions coaches have their work cut out for them.
Now the draft is over but the Lions aren’t done looking under rocks just yet. They endeavor to sign (as far as we know) about 14 undrafted players. Rookie mini-camp is this upcoming weekend so until then the press has been pretty quiet and the undrafted rookies aren’t in Detroit yet to sign their contracts they agreed to so the transactions haven’t hit the wire yet. If the info I have is right, these are the players the Lions have added to their roster, and some of them ranked higher (as usual every year) then those that were drafted.
Brandon Joseph, strong safety, RAS of 6.47 (Good) and ranked 167th on my board (5th round). The Draft Network has him ranked 103rd (top of 4th round) and is known as a ball hawking safety. https://thedraftnetwork.com/sr-prospect/brandon-joseph-09ae02d5-1816-4944-9676-280965990890/ In my opinion there is a good chance he makes the final roster or at least the practice squad.
Mohamed Ibrahim, running back, RAS of none (injured) and ranked 231 on my board (7th round). Rumor is the Lions guaranteed $100,000 of his salary in order to sign him. The Draft Network has him ranked 207th and he is known as an instinctive running back. https://thedraftnetwork.com/sr-prospect/mohamed-ibrahim-decdcffb-cf99-45fa-88dc-af782287258c/ In my opinion there a very good chance he makes the final roster especially if the guaranteed salary rumor is true.
Starling Thomas V, cornerback, RAS of 6.63 (good) and ranked 240th on my board (7th round). Draft Buzz has his profile https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/Player/Starling-ThomasV-CB-UAB and some other draft pundits figured he’d be drafted in the 6th or 7th round. I’m not sure if he’ll make the team but the practice squad does seem very likely. He is very fast and a sure tackler, so if he can pick up the defense fast enough it could make a lot of difference.
Connor Galvin, offensive tackle, RAS of 5.35 (good) and ranked 245th on my board (7th round). The Draft Network has him ranked 280th and he is known as a potential swing tackle in the NFL. https://thedraftnetwork.com/sr-prospect/connor-galvin-aef584db-cd77-4b77-ab7d-2ff8257bf8c5/ He will be in need of NFL coaching and NFL weight training to get his pad level right and to gain strength, after that, it remains to be seen if he can ever unseat some of the Lions depth to make the roster, for now, sounds like practice squad to me.
Chris Smith, defensive tackle, RAS of 8.46 (elite) and originally unranked on my board but I added him at 302. Unranked by most, he stood out at his pro day and Notre Dame has this bio on him https://und.com/sports/football/roster/season/2022-23/player/chris-smith/.
Adrian Martinez, quarterback, RAS of 9.47 (elite) and originally unranked on my board but I added him at 311. I had to once again go to Draft Buzz to find his bio https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/Player/Adrian-Martinez-QB-Nebraska and maybe he can make the practice squad depending on how much he can learn from the Lions’ quarterback coach.
Chase Cota, wide receiver, RAS of 9.34 (elite) and rumor is he has $80,000 of his salary guaranteed by the Lions. The Draft Network has him ranked 382 and he is known for his special teams play. https://thedraftnetwork.com/sr-prospect/chase-cota-8f61332f-2436-434f-881f-16574b07bd98/ If the rumor of the guarantee is accurate, he might make the final roster as a special teams player or at least the practice squad.
Brad Cecil, center, RAS of 5.18 (good) and not ranked on my board. Apparently not on The Draft Network either since they have a link but no info https://thedraftnetwork.com/sr-prospect/brad-cecil-ffd89afc-4291-46eb-9394-ff9696e8fef3/ Apparently he’s working towards a masters degree but I’m finding little on the player https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/usfs-cecil-chases-nfl-dream-213012799.html
Isaac Darkangel, linebacker, RAS of 7.16 (good). Another player with a blank bio https://thedraftnetwork.com/sr-prospect/isaac-darkangelo-24b3d072-309b-47aa-b3c2-b6792b8d6b3f/ I know some have written articles on these guys but I’m not going searching for it, I just don’t have the time.
Cory Durden, defensive tackle, RAS of 4.96 (just shy of a good athlete, however pretty good for a nose tackle, if that is what he plays). The Draft Network has him ranked 308 https://thedraftnetwork.com/sr-prospect/cory-durden-46f637a4-4b8f-40ca-940e-b8b7ce73a2bc/ but says he missed too many tackles, perhaps the Lions think they can fix that?
Zach Morton, edge, RAS of 9.31 (elite). All I know is that he is a Detroit native.
Keytaon Thompson, wide receiver, RAS of 5.36 (good). The Draft Network ranks him 361. https://thedraftnetwork.com/sr-prospect/keytaon-thompson-7a88839c-506f-4ddc-bcb6-f69c1c738fd4/ I don’t think I’ve ever read a profile mentioning a player who can be a wide receiver, a running back AND a quarterback. Interesting, if not puzzling about where he’d play.
Ryan Swoboda, offensive tackle, RAS of 9.31 (elite). They don’t make too many 6’ 9” OTs these days, must be why his bio is blank https://thedraftnetwork.com/sr-prospect/ryan-swoboda-cb0e6807-c11c-47ab-acd8-9d82e144be04/
Trevor Nowaske, linebacker, RAS of 9.86 (elite). I know he played at Saginaw Valley State, and that’s just about it.
So there we are… two to four undrafted players that could make the final roster in my opinion and some others that could end up on the practice squad. In addition to all the draft trades affecting the Lions, and the draft picks themselves. The roster is certainly getting crowded with some very talented hard working players, makes me believe the future is very bright indeed.
Update: May 12, 2023... just found out today that another undrafted player was signed, a Steven Gilmore, cornerback. RAS of 6.26 (good athlete) hails from Marshall and The Draft Network has him ranked 356th https://thedraftnetwork.com/sr-prospect/steven-gilmore-0b9b5ba7-fd2f-4123-88d0-3ba7f18b67d8/ while I didn't have him on my board. Younger brother of New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore.
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