In Mayhew We Trust: Things to Keep in Mind for a Saner, More Fun Draft

Mel Kiper is an idiot and I trust Mayhew a lot more after last season to not pull a Millen in the draft. Suh!

But obviously the Lions are going to have more information about a player than fans or the media is given. Thankfully these coaches and front office people seem committed to scouting and putting players through their paces (unlike he who shall not be named).

If Mayhew nails this draft, I’ll jump on the bandwagon, but right now, I still have the scars of crappy drafts that I cannot get over yet.

You’re welcome for this post everyone

If you have no opinion your not much of a fan in my book. You have care about the future of your team.

It`s only been 1 draft- i see statements on here like The Lions don`t like to draft DB`S early so it won`t be Berry, well last year it was BPA as all were needed, if Berry is BPA it may be him. I lean toward McCoy but love Suh and Berry..no wrong pick for me here, but 1 draft does not set a pattern. I have said that “Getting rid of Millen and promoting from with in was like cutting off the head of a Dandelion, theres more under the surface” Because Millens #2&#3 were moved up. Well that was early last year before the draft even and it was with some fanfare as well. Now i am feeling better about the direction of the team, i think more so because of Swartz, but i think we still need this draft and maybe 2 more seasons before we can say the past is a bad memory. The proof will be on the field of play.

Great write up Sean…

“No matter how much preparation goes into the draft each year, the fact of the matter is that some players will turn out to be great, some will just be average, and others will bust out of the league.” MOST players from a draft class will be out of the league 3-5 years after the draft or on the PS.

I knew Lou Delmas obviously becuase I follow the MAC heavily. I was very glad we drafted him when we did, and felt like he was a 1st round talent, and absolutly the best S in the draft….

However, Levy was a complete suprise. I was disappointed when the Lions drafted him, and now he is one of the brightest spots for the team going forward..

Should be called the “Derrick Williams” rule. In all honesty though last year, aside from the Stafford pick, I yelled at my tv for every other one.

However, in everyone’s defense last year (myself included), it was extremely difficult not to fly off the handle when players you wanted were being passed up for players you didn’t know much about. I, for one, was not a fan of any of their picks initially (Stafford included). Considering the debacle that went on here for the past decade, it was near impossible to support a front office that was seemingly doing the same stupid things that preceded them. Having seen some of the things that last years prospects brought to the table, I’m quick to point out that I jumped the gun. I’m certainly willing to go into this years draft with more of an open mind.
All that being said, Rule #5 still applies. Just because those players last year showed promise doesn’t mean the draft was wildly successful. The team was 2-14, and you have to wonder how many of these guys would have even seen the field for a team competing for a championship. You hope the answer is “all of them”, but as long as we’re being more open minded I think we all have to acknowledge the possibility that even some of last years “success” stories may underwhelm from here on out.

I especially love Rule #2 that deals with Rey Maualuga. This years version comes in the form of Brandon Spikes, Taylor Mays, and to some extent even Carlos Dunlap.

If toy follow. He pre-draft hype you should know majority if the players taken in the first four rounds.

I religiously watch path to the draft, ontop of my daily net surfing. And you get a feel for the top 20 at each position. Obviously I’m not a scout and couldn’t tell you strengths/weaknesses of each and every one. But the names are familiar.

Weird to look forward to a draft, considering Millen’s history. Thanks, Mayhew!

Great points!

Wish it was thursday already, so we can get the fun going. Im way to excited!

I like those points. I reckon we may come across one or two of those “WHO!!!” picks.

I like the direction that Mayhew has things going in, let me get that out there before you get out the torches and pitchforks. Now, here comes the “but”. He hasn’t proven a thing yet, AND last years draft could have been a better building block than what it turned out to be IMO. First, let me adress the rules.

1. - I’m going to call this the John Taylor, DE rule. Often when you haven’t heard of a player who gets selected far above where they were anticipated, that moment is the highlight of their career. This usually occurs when someone breaks the cardinal rule of “Never fall in Love with a guy not on the Roster”. Someone goes to a Pro-Day workout, or sees a grainy highlight film, and they convince themselves that someone else saw what they did, and they have to take this guy higher than anticipated. Big No No.

1. - This could also be called the Randy Moss rule. Or the Terrell Suggs rule. Or the Warren Sapp rule. Sometimes when a big name slips into your lap, it may just be your lucky day.

1. - Ah yes, the Al Davis rule. C’mon, read it and tell me that isn’t the entire justification process of Al Davis.

1. - I agree with this in principle. However as we all know as fans, passion wraps itself into the process, and it’s silly to think some emotional overspill isn’t going to show up. That’s not always a bad thing.

1. - I’m lukewarm on this one, there still alot to be proven as yet.

Now for my Debbie Downer section. Mayhew hasn’t proven spit as yet. As far as the draft last year went, I was definitely on board with taking Curry #1. I felt, and still do feel that a strong defense is vital, and I wasn’t a big Stafford fan. I thought taking a QB was a gimmick to sell jerseys. Turns out this kid looks a lot more special than I ever anticipated.

When they selected Pettigrew I was ready to bodyslam the TV. Passing on Vontae Davis was, and still is imo, a supreme mistake. Say what you will, but as it stands now we have a developmental TE with a busted leg who possibly could have been there at #33, and Miami has a great young corner who played at a very high level last year. I saw our pass defense as a huge weakness going into last years draft, then the season, and they proved me right. How far ahead of the curve might we be now in terms of pass defense with a guy like that back there?

On to Delmas – Sure, I was looking at Mualaluga, no doubt about it. I was ok with the Delmas pick though. Guys a hard hitter, and he comes to play. What’s there not to like?

Round 3: DeAndre Levy – I’ll be the first to admit, I was pleasantly surprised by Levy last year. That being said it’s important also to realize this will be his first year starting. People are already talking like he went to the Pro-Bowl last year, he still has a lot to prove.
Round 3: Derrick Williams – At this point in the draft last year I was wondering if Mayhew was real, or an android being operated remotely by Matt Millen somewhere. With a huge, glaring hole at Left Guard, and Duke Robinson sitting on the board, this one left me wanting to vomit. Still does. It would have been nice to have a nice young player developing at the position.
Round 4: Sammie Lee Hill – I was, and still am, ok with this pick. I was familiar with Hill before the draft, and for the most part, was glad we got him. That being said, he has a lot to prove yet.
Round 6: Aaron Brown – Crapshoot mode in full gear. Brown contributed more to the team than any other 6th rounder in recent memory.
Round 7: Lydon Murtha – Finally we draft an offensive lineman! And the kid ain’t half bad either! Too bad Bill Parcells saw that too and signed him off the practice squad to the Dolphins active roster.
Round 7: Zack Follett – Made solid contributions, played hard, maybe the best pick value-wise for where he was selected, of the whole draft.
Round 7: Dan Gronkowski – A guy I thought compared favorably to Pettigrew, taken in what round? Yeah boys and girls, the 7th!

So in retrospect, based on what we’ve seen in limited time thus far, last years draft wasn’t a complete disaster, but a long way still from drawing comparisons to the Steelers drafts of the 70’s, and I think we will all agree, it could have been better.

As for Mayhew himself? All the moves on paper look pretty, but people said that about Millen in the past too. I want to see W’s. To point, he has yet to prove anything. Plus it still makes me nervous that Shack Harris, who was run out of Jacksonville for the plethora of developmental, raw, picks he took that never panned out, is riding shotgun next to him.