Free agency is waning down and we are approaching April at a rapid pace. It’s time to sit down and go over every teams free agent acquisitions and losses, along with their team needs. Using that information we will figure out a Plan of Attack for the 2012 Draft for each team. We’ll start with the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants and work our way down one day at a time, to the Indianapolis Colts and the first overall pick.
DETROIT LIONS
Team Needs: OT, OLB, CB, C, RB
Free Agent Acquisitions: DE Everette Brown, CB Jacob Lacey, OT Jeff Backus (resigned), DB Erik Coleman (resigned), DT Andre Fluellen (resigned), P Ben Graham (resigned), QB Shaun Hill (resigned), LS Don Muhlbach (resigned), LB Ashlee Palmer (resigned), RB Kevin Smith (resigned), MLB Stephen Tulloch (resigned),
Free Agent Losses: CB Eric Wright, QB Drew Stanton
Round 1:
Potential Targets: CB Dre Kirkpatrick, CB Stephon Gilmore, CB Janoris Jenkins, OT Jonathan Martin, OT Mike Adams, OT Cordy Glenn, OLB Lavonte David, C Peter Konz
Round 2:
Potential Targets: OLB Zach Brown, OT Kelechi Osemele, OT Zebrie Sanders, OT Mitchell Schwartz, CB Trumaine Johnson, CB Jayron Hosley, CB Chase Minnifield, CB Brandon Boykin
Round 3:
Potential Targets: OT Donald Stephenson, C Ben Jones, CB Jamell Fleming, CB Josh Norman, CB Casey Hayward, OLB Bobby Wagner, OLB Nigel Bradham, RB Chris Polk, RB Bernard Pierce, RB Chris Rainey
Plan of Attack: The Lions are a team on the upswing but have some pretty glaring holes that need to be filled in this draft. First and foremost they would love to ensure the health of their star QB Matthew Stafford. So taking a big blindside protecter is paramount. They would love to see Stanford’s Jonathan Martin on the board. He is a very atheltic tackle who kept Andrew Luck safe and sound at Stanford. If he’s gone, they could reach a little for huge Mike Adams from Ohio St. The Lions could also look at a corner here especially if South Carolina’s Stephon Gilmore is on the board. The Lions have to play the Packers aerial assault twice, and now have to face Brandon Marshall twice a year. Gilmore is over 6’0 with gangly arms, good speed and ball skills. He’d be a nice get at pick 23.
If the Lions address the o-line first, then they could find value at outside linebacker in round 2. The man they would target would be UNC’s Zach Brown. Brown is ultra fast and can cover even the speediest of tight ends. If he’s gone then they could go with a corner like Georgia’s Brandon Boykin, or Virginia’s Chase Minnifield. If they already got their corner, then some offensive tackles they’d consider would be Zebrie Sanders from FSU or Mitchell Schwartz from CAL.
In round 3 the Lions could possibly look at a running back. Mikel LeShoure is facing marijuana chargers and could be suspended, plus he’s still recovering from a blown ACL. Jahvid Best is also a question mark for 2012 with his concussion history. So the team could look at Washington’s Chris Polk, Temple’s Bernard Pierce or Draftseason favorite Chris Rainey from Florida. Any of those guys would add a little more comfort to the Lions backfield situation. The other routes the Lions could go would be an OLB like Bobby Wagner or Nigel Bradham, or a corner like Josh Norman if they have yet to address that spot. They could also snap up a center her to replace Dominic Raiola and nasty Ben Jones from Oklahoma could be that man.
View more Plans of Attack Here
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