Lions Draft DeAndre Levy and Derrick Williams in Third Round

by Sean Yuille on Apr 26, 2009 11:25 AM EDT in Draft Comment 34 comments

After trading down with the Jets to start the second day of the draft, the Lions used one of the picks acquired from NY (No. 76 overall) to select Wisconsin outside linebacker DeAndre Levy. Levy is someone that compares to both Alex Lewis and Keith Bulluck. I'm guessing the latter comparison is why he was picked, as Jim Schwartz must see something in him. I don't understand the thinking behind drafting an outside linebacker, but the only explanation is that he will be switched to the middle. After all, the Lions have absolutely nobody at MLB right now, so someone has to play that position next season.

Continuing the trend of pushing need to the side for talent, the Lions selected Penn State wide receiver Derrick Williams with the No. 82 pick of the draft. Williams' special teams abilities are his best asset, as he can return both kicks and punts. His wide receiver skills likely aren't the reason he was picked. The Lions have a need for a returner, and hopefully Williams will be good enough to make the team so he can fill that need. Even if he does, though, I don't like how the Lions passed up needs at other positions to take a wide receiver/special teams player. Cue up the Millen jokes, I guess, but this is getting a tad annoying. I get the whole talent over need thing, but at some point the defense needs to be addressed beyond a safety and outside linebacker that might play inside.

The Lions' next pick is 115th overall, the 15th selection of the fourth-round.

0 recs | Comment 34 comments | Share

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

another Williams WR

Hey I guess if there is a WR with the last name of Williams the Lions have to draft him.
I guess Roy and Mike wasnt enough. What happened about getting bigger on the lines?????

by Bratagin on Apr 26, 2009 11:31 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Annoying?

I wish you cover more on the players themselves. I was hoping I would see what kind of players these day 2 players are, but I guess I’m just gonna read about why these picks are ‘annoying’.

by THB23 on Apr 26, 2009 11:31 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

You will next week

I don’t have time to write a scouting report on them now. Besides, there’s not much else to say on Williams. He’s a good returner and a marginal receiver.

Pride of Detroit, SB Nation's Lions Blog

by Sean Yuille on Apr 26, 2009 11:33 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Relax

The picks were just made – there’s a link for one guy and an overview of the other. Give the guy some time, buddy.

by Nate D. on Apr 26, 2009 11:33 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Do some research on your own

by damnitdamnitdamnit on Apr 26, 2009 11:45 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

ok

ok I’ll go to ESPN, but I was hoping I could read about Lions players on a Lions blog? Derrick Williams almost single handedly beat Iowa, but I agee it’s a dumb pick, he’s not a starting NFL WR.

Is Paris Lenon still our MLB? If so we are screwed. If D.J. Moore is gone, they really need to take a risk on a DT/DE.

by THB23 on Apr 26, 2009 11:57 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Patience, grasshopper

In all seriousness, there’s no way I can keep up on the draft and write a scouting report at the same time. Stuff like that takes time to research all the players.

Pride of Detroit, SB Nation's Lions Blog

by Sean Yuille on Apr 26, 2009 12:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

gotcha

dont worry bout it. hopefully I can read more bout em in coming weeks.

by THB23 on Apr 26, 2009 12:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

D Will Scouting Rpt.

http://www.mockingthedraft.com/2009/1/23/734902/scouting-report-derrick-wi

by grahamfiller10 on Apr 26, 2009 1:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

And Another One

http://www.rivalryesq.com/2009/1/14/719137/big-10-players-in-the-nfl

Graham Filler
The Rivalry, Esq
SBN’s Big 10 Football Blog
http://www.rivalryesq.com/

by grahamfiller10 on Apr 26, 2009 1:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nice commentary Sean

I woke up at 11 today wondering if we got a decent pick… I guess not.

This is really, really dumb. I thought we had two 3rd rounders in the first place (before the trade)?

by Nate D. on Apr 26, 2009 11:32 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

What about

o-line

by beef99 on Apr 26, 2009 11:36 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Levy

Here Levy visited the Lions they discussed him at MLB.. Williams is a very good return guy you can see him on returns on www.youtube.com

by Seymore4873 on Apr 26, 2009 11:36 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Are the lions following the Patriot's Card??

Seems like the lions picked a safety right before the Patriots and this time a WR. Maybe their draft card got mixed up, or the lions are just looking over their shoulder and trying to get some clue who to pick.

by Bratagin on Apr 26, 2009 11:37 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

and with the speed that the Pats make their picks

I think they didn’t have the players we chose as their top choices.

by ATL Lion on Apr 26, 2009 11:46 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

We Have To Have Patience

I was sold on stacking the defense. But I can only assume that since Coach was able to coach up a heck of defense in Tenn without a ton of pro bowlers and since he’s been working with these guys during practice, that he’s seen something we haven’t and he’s set our draft needs differently then we have. Dizon may have been performing well in practice and the OL may have shown promise with the new offensive scheme?

We weren’t going to draft all pro bowlers this year, so day 1 was solid, day 2 is a head scratcher as of right now, but I’ll give these guys at least a couple of seasons to get past what Millen left behind.

by tmane333 on Apr 26, 2009 11:37 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Uh... Just to clarify

Schwartz had a huge amount of talent on the defensive side of the ball – Haynesworth, Bulluck, Griffin, Kearse, and the list goes on…

by Nate D. on Apr 26, 2009 11:40 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

So do we...

Grady J. J. Peterson, E. Sims… We have a few pieces that need to be coached up to play in a good defensive scheme, plus Haynesworth wasn’t consistent early on and Kearse was getting long in the tooth and 11 players play on defense and all of them won’t make the pro bowl. Even if they did Dallas had a large amount make the pro bowl a few years back but didn’t make it to the superbowl.

by tmane333 on Apr 26, 2009 11:58 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Talent......I don't think that means what you think it means.

Our defensive tackle and MLB spots were horrific. We added a 36 year old DT cut from the awesome defence of the Falcons [28th against the run in 2008] and nobody else. And we traded away our best DT [who sucked anyway].

The interior defence of the Lions is miserable and they wait until the middle of the fourth round to address it. We passed on Jerry, Hood, Marks, Maola, Magee, Scott,…..
We have also chosen Jordan Dizon’s long lost little brother to apparently man the MLB spot. We bypassed…..EVERYONE!

This has been a very disturbing draft for me. We came out of it with Stafford and a bunch of question marks. Pettigrew and Delmas may turn out good, but there were much better players available as we will find out over the next few years.

by NorthLeft12 on Apr 26, 2009 1:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm not sure

If I would put Grady Jackson in that group

Check out nickandroll.blogspot.com

by n1ck34 on Apr 26, 2009 3:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

o-line

is Duke Robinson still available? If he is maybe at 114

by Seymore4873 on Apr 26, 2009 11:39 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Still available

I didn’t want him before, but now…. I’d be thrilled to get him.

by Nate D. on Apr 26, 2009 11:41 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

O-line or D

I like to see Duke or DT Sammie Lee Hill 6’4 329 at pick 114

by Seymore4873 on Apr 26, 2009 11:43 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

or another WR

Maybe a backup RB

by ATL Lion on Apr 26, 2009 11:47 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

here are the best available

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/2009/draft/tracker/best_available/index.html

by Seymore4873 on Apr 26, 2009 11:45 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

where is Percy Harvin I need to burn one now

I have stayed optomistic until now, but the letters WR sicken me in this draft. Kick/Punt returner, nobody has to punt against us he will get lots of kick offs to return.
And an OLB instead of an MLB or a DT WTF I don’t think Schwartz is doing this
it has to be WCF. WR is BS so WCF F.U.

"Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently." - Henry Ford

by diehard.lionsfan@yahoo.com on Apr 26, 2009 12:01 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Last Year's Scheme vs. This Year's Scheme

The team that played last year won’t be on the field this year and they won’t be playing the same type of football that we played last year.

I know my vision has been slanted towards fixing what I saw last year and that’s not fair to the coaches. They’ve already made some good moves in FA and I’m sure they’ll do the same thing next year and add some more studs in next years draft.

Our offensive scheme and our defensive scheme will be different and players that suffered in last year’s scheme may thrive in this year’s scheme, but we have to wait and see.

by tmane333 on Apr 26, 2009 12:04 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I like today so far

The trade with the Jets got them two extra picks (4th and 7th round) and we got a solid LB who will probably move to the middle (I hope?) and a good return man who will probably be an effective slot receiver in the NFL. If we can get Duke Robinson with our next pick I think we’ve done a pretty good job so far with the draft.

by handsomerob1 on Apr 26, 2009 12:08 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Terrence Taylor

I hope they can get him for the next pick. They need a defensive tackle, and this guy was born and raised in Michigan and went to UofM, no better pick assuming no one else takes him before.

by ZWC11 on Apr 26, 2009 12:09 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I don't like either of these picks....

we still need to address the O-line, badly, and there are good defensive players available…. a Kick returner isn’t a bigger need than a defensive player, and I really hope the lions scouts know something more about the olb we took than every other scout out there… but I’m not betting on it.

by FeelingBlu on Apr 26, 2009 1:43 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Well, I'm going against the grain

but I love the Williams pick. Honestly, who do we have to play beside Calvin? John Standeford? I think Levy was a reach though. Personally, I would rather have the other Wisconsin linebacker, Jonathan Casillas, because he is fassst.

Check out nickandroll.blogspot.com

by n1ck34 on Apr 26, 2009 3:56 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I’ve watched Deandre Levy play out here in Madison the last few years, and while he’s a bit of a reach with a third round draft pick, he’s capable of being a decent NFL player. Might have some growing pains being moved inside (to MLB), but overall, he’s a good pick up for the Lions.

by ahtrap on Apr 26, 2009 4:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm still unsure about the Levy pick

But I’m not entirely upset about Williams. He can return kicks and he is a solid receiving prospect. If we hadn’t signed Curry in the before the draft I probably would’ve been more excited about this pick.

2009 = The start of the Lions Golden Age (We hope).

by Hyperion Ecta on Apr 26, 2009 7:49 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I just read that Levy did a 4.5 40 on his pro day and Williams did a 4.41

So we got some fast guys, obviously pro day 40’s don’t mean much but at least it’s nice to know that Williams has some jets if he is gonna be our returner.

2009 = The start of the Lions Golden Age (We hope).

by Hyperion Ecta on Apr 26, 2009 8:39 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs