By Jake Riepma
Draft weekend is a unique time in professional football: there are no wins or losses to impact the standings, and most franchises can at least sell "hope" in one way or another. However, this year it seems Detroit has plummeted to the bottom of the NFC with head-scratching pick after head-scratching pick leaving fans with an outlook as depressing as this week's metro Detroit weather forecast.
Full disclosure, I'm not a "Mock Draft 6.7" guy, nor do I pretend to know nearly as much as the respective front offices and talent evaluators. I haven't spent endless hours in my parent's basement breaking down oodles and oodles of film like Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay, so take this for what it's worth.
While the jury is still out for the next several years on this draft class, and ultimately the play on the field will determine the success, the 2019 NFL Draft provided plenty of legitimately puzzling moments.
Here are the five reasons why I hate everything about the Lions' draft:
1. Passing on Greedy Williams in the 2nd Round
A month ago, Greedy Williams was being considered as a possible pick for the Lions in the first round at number eight. Williams was considered by many to be the top corner in this draft, and make no mistake about it, corner is certainly a position of need for this Lions defense (thank you previous failed 2nd round pick Teez Tabor). The fact that Williams was on the board for Detroit in the second round and the Lions didn't pull the trigger is mind boggling. Williams is a consensus All-American out of LSU and considered by USA Today as the second biggest steal of the draft. He could have been in Honolulu blue.
2. Reaching for a projected 4th or 5th round player in the 2nd Round
The decision to pass on Greedy Williams perhaps could have been justified with a selection of a no-brainer, can't-miss talent… not a projected fourth or fifth round pick in Jahlani Tavai. Not even the mothership, the world-wide leader in sports (ESPN) had video of this guy for their coverage, because, oh yeah, NOBODY expected Tavai to be taken on day two of the draft. Bob Quinn and company are clearly trying to reinvent the Patriot way in Detroit (I know we're all nauseous from reading that line for the umpteenth time, but it's true).
3. Making a luxury pick by selecting a tight end with the 8th overall pick
I'm not the first person to say this and I won't be the last – TJ Hockenson is the best tight end scouts have seen in years and has the potential to be a difference-maker. I'm not denying any of that – what floors me is the decision to make a luxury pick when so much talent was still on the board. We all know about the last time the Lions selected a tight end (Eric Ebron) in front of a generational defensive line talent (Aaron Donald). I can't be the only one still having nightmares about that pick, right? If you're among the elite teams in the league, sure, take a TE in the first round. But in case we need to be reminded, Detroit is far from achieving that status. This team has so many holes, and I thought the decision to sign Jesse James in the offseason for $5.6 million was to fill the hole at TE. Let us not forget the Lions' horrible history with this position – especially in the first round, Detroit has drafted a tight end in the first round three times since 2009, the most by any franchise.
4. Failing to address the departure of Pro Bowl Guard TJ Lang
With TJ Lang retiring, there's a void on the offensive line and specifically at the guard position. I would have liked to have seen Bob Quinn and company address this need at some point in the draft. There was speculation Detroit was considering Jonah Williams in the first round, especially given the projected, run-heavy direction of the offense under new offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell. If the Lions didn't want to invest yet another first round pick in the offensive line, there were plenty of other opportunities to select an offensive lineman over the weekend - Nate Davis, a guard out of Charlotte was taken in the third round with the very next pick after the Lions selected Will Harris.
5. Drafting yet another TE with the selection of Georgia's Isaac Nauta
It's hard to be up in arms about a seventh-round pick, but the selection of the position in it of itself is what puzzles me. Again, Jesse James was signed in the offseason, and you drafted TJ Hockenson in the first round; why the need for another tight end? Maybe Nauta will be a contributor, but his statistics don't exactly jump off the page, especially his sophomore campaign: nine catches for 114 yards and one touchdown in 15 games… is that good? Sure, depth at a position is never a bad thing, but at what cost? Shouldn't drafting players to fill immediate holes be a greater priority than adding depth to the tight end position?
It's not Bob Quinn's job to satisfy fans, but it's also his fourth draft as Lions General Manager, and there's been more bad than good. Maybe his Patriot-way approach will pay off, but it feels bleak at best following the draft. I know nobody's record suffers in April, but this weekend felt like a giant L for the Lions.
