POLL: Our future O-Line should look like...

I don’t think you can throw away Cherilus (as at least some sort of option) until after the 2010 season. He still has some upside. I voted to keep Backus at LT, move Cherilus to guard (might be best suited for RG), keep Raiola at C, Peterman at the other guard and then draft a tackle in the first three rounds if possible. I wouldn’t mind them taking a second late-round o-linesman either… maybe a guard to work with.

I have to admit that I’m not sold on Peterman either. His play has been sketchy at times. The only reason I think they won’t replace him is because of his recent contract. But I don’t really care about that and the staff shouldn’t either. I think we could upgrade him anyway. I would be satisfied with the Lions taking both a tackle and guard in the first four rounds.

Although it really depends on who is available when we pick.
Anthony Davis of Rutgers looks like he can play either Tackle or Guard position and would be intriguing to pick up in the second if he falls there.
Iupati is a Guard who a few have mentioned might be able to move to Left Tackle due to his outstanding athleticism. I like him in the second just to solidify this one spot.
Mike Johnson of Alabama or Jon Asamoah of Illinois or Sergio Render of VT may be available in the third round. I think it is very likely they will be around when we pick around #67. Again a straight Guard.
Trent Williams may drop into the second and would be an excellent RT, with some chance of growing into the LT role.

A lot of choices, but the only option I do not like is using our first round pick to take Okung. In my opinion we need a defensive standout to build around. Suh, McCoy, or even Derrick Morgan of GT would work for me.

I also understand Drew’s interest in both a Tackle and a Guard in the first four rounds. It is possible, but don’t be surprised if one of those first four picks is a WR or RB. It all depends on who drops and how Schwartz and company arrange their board. I personally want a DT, OG, CB/S, DE in the first four rounds. Those picks are in no particular order.

I voted to slide Backus to guard and draft a LT, keep the rest of the line the same.

That said, I’d rather have us go after some Defensive studs in the early rds of the draft this year, and maybe get some OL late in the draft for depth purposes – maybe one of those prospects will be a find.

We really need a DT, a DE, and DB’s. I’d target Suh first, Berry if Suh is gone. Maybe Graham in second round if we get really lucky. If we could land that, then we could probably find a good OL in the third round.

If we did it the other way, and drafted OL like Okung in the first round, it seems that we’d miss out on some of the elite defensive players sure to go in the first round. So we’d have Okung, Graham, and probably the best DB in the third round. Not bad, but I like the first option above better…

then let the cream rise to the top at each position.

…..if its oline its online if its defense its defense…..thats his stradegy…..2010 draft was going to be loaded with defensive talent and I tink thats why we went a little bit more offensive last year…..thats being said I think we will still draft best available.

Link: http://www.walterfootball.com/mattblog091208.php

He has Okung at the top of Detroit’s board. I disagree with this assessment for reasons I have made very clear in many posts here and at Mocking the Draft.
Of course, I am probably wrong. We will see in April.

could change things if he performs….. an exciting pickup

move backus and gos to guard positions and draft new tackles.

it will never happen though.

I do not see Gosder Cherilus as a guard at all. It has also been said that Backus does not have the ability to play guard, or else it is likely that he would already be doing so. Cherilus is young, and he is a better run blocker than a pass blocker in the pros. He needs to work on his trunk strength, sinking his hips, and keeping a wide base when pass blocking. Watching him, I think he is far too upright and he just gets bulled because he is off balance and does not possess the trunk strength to make up for it. If he were to sink his hips, keep his base wider, and get a little stronger at the core he would be fine right where he is.

Backus is getting older. He has “played better” this year because Stafford gets rid of the ball much quicker than QBs of the past in Detroit. While Backus has not allowed a ton of sacks on Stafford, he has allowed a ton of pressures and knock downs of our QB in the backfield. He is not going to progress any further, and if anything his ability will inevitably continue to decrease with age. I say we need to replace him sooner than later, and I mean this year or next year for sure.

We are hurting badly at both guard positions and at LT in my opinion. The RG has been a revolving door this year, and the majority of sacks on Stafford have come from the right side of the line, particularly the RG. I think Manny Ramirez is the best guard we currently have, and Peterman is a close second. Both guys are average at BEST when they are not injured. Last year, Backus allowed the most sacks on our offensive line with 9.25 and Cherilus has the second most with 6. This year, Backus has already allowed at least 7 (I don’t know if he allowed any in the last game). The Lions have allowed 36 sacks this year, meaning that Backus has allowed just under 20% of those sacks. Raiola has consistently been our best pass protector and our LG has been the 2nd best (regardless of who it has been).

Here is what I think…..I think the Lions should definitely draft a guard (I think we should be able to get a damn good one in the third round). I also think that they should keep Ramirez and Peterman and let them compete for the guard position not occupied by the rookie. Obviously we keep Raiola awhile longer. I am of the mind that NOW is the time to draft our LT of the future (Okung), but only if we can not get Suh with our first pick. If we get Suh, then I think our best move would be to keep Backus for another year (as much as I hate to say that) and bring in a rookie OT that can push Gosder at RT and potentially take over for Backus. If nothing else, if we brought in a guy in the second round (like Trent Williams if he falls to the 2nd round, or someone like that), Cherilus could be replaced if he fails to improve and we could look to replace Backus in 2011.

If we do not get Suh, I think drafting Okung would be a good move right now. If we were to draft Okung and let him start immediately, then Backus and Cherilus could compete at RT or Backus could move to guard if he is capable. I think we should still draft a guard in the third round in this case (unless a guy like Iupati dropped to us in the 2nd). I also think we should still keep Ramirez and Peterman to compete for the other guard position, and Raiola will remain.

Ideally, in my opinion, we would get:
Round 1 – DT – Suh
Round 2 – OT – Trent Williams, Charles Brown, Selvish Capers, Ciron Black (any one of the four that fall to us here, UNLESS Iupati falls to us here)….remember it does not have to be a LT. There are about 10 other OTs that could potentially be good here.
Round 3 – G – Jon Asamoah, Sergio Render, Mike Johnson, John Jerry, Brandon Carter, Thomas Austin, Mitch Petrus, Jeff Byers, Eric Olsen (the best one of the group that falls to us here)
Round 4 – CB/S/WR/DE – BPA (there is a decent list of guys who might be here)
Round 5 – CB/S/WR/DE – BPA
Round 6 – CB/S/WR/DE – BPA
Round 7 – CB/S/WR/DE – BPA

I say we do not need a RB in this draft, and we could easily get a short yardage back in FA if we feel the need to replace Morris. Smith and Brown will be better and better with the continuous improvement of the offensive line. I also think DE is not as big of a need as some people believe it is, as I think the issue at hand is mainly at DT on the D-line. I do not think that safety is as big of an issue as some people believe it is either. I think improving at DT and CB are far more important at this point. I do think we need 1 more solid pass catching WR however, so hopefully we can fit one in there somewhere. If not, maybe we can do better that Northcutt next year (I like Bryant Johnson).

Sorry for the long post…..I guess I had a lot to say…..:o)

you don’t suffer from writer’s bloc I see!!! I’m in agreement with you up until the later rounds. I would stay on D the entire draft – literally. I know its not likely to happen but I can’t stand to see this Defense get shredded anymore. Overall though I am with you – especially with your take on RB. We don’t need them plus who we have should vastly improve with an upgraded line.

Preferrably, I’d like us to spend picks on the Defence, but I don’t want to ignore the O-line. So, I’m stuck between drafting a top-notch G somehwere around the 3rd-4th round or drafting a OT and either sticking him right on the edge or giving him experience in the interior before taking over for Backus.

Two picks,Raiola,Peterman,Gosder/Backus.I’m thinking we need defense in the early rounds(DT,CB),then the o-line later on.

that’s a good one!
but i agree with SilverRush77.
Defense first. There is too much talent to pass up in the early rounds and you can usually get a good O-line, though maybe not the best in the later rounds.

It’s a long shot he’ll be available to us,as I don’t foresee another first overall pick next year,but goddamn,he’d be one helluva ’n acquisition.

I kinda like him.