Detroit Lions general manager Martin Mayhew held his annual pre-draft press conference on Friday. During the presser, Mayhew broke some news about Riley Reiff, Rob Sims, DeAndre Levy and Haloti Ngata, and he also addressed a number of other topics. Here's a recap:
On the Lions' draft preparations:
Mayhew said the #Lions draft board is 95% done, some ties to be broken and discussions still to be had. He'll meet with ownership next week
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) April 24, 2015
Mayhew said about 50% of his personal draft prep goes into the first 2 rounds. Later rounds, relies heavily on scouts
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) April 24, 2015
Mayhew says the Lions have been "more cautious" since 2011 draft. They've tweaked how they evaluate possible red-flag guys
— Kyle Meinke (@kmeinke) April 24, 2015
On the draft as a whole:
Mayhew said "it's a pretty strong draft across the board" but wouldn't say how many first round grades the #Lions have
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) April 24, 2015
Mayhew with a zinger: "There aren't a whole lot of tight ends (in this draft), which is probably a good thing for us"
— Kyle Meinke (@kmeinke) April 24, 2015
Martin Mayhew thinks it's a deep draft but not a lot of QBs or TEs. #Lions don't need those though.
— Michael Rothstein (@mikerothstein) April 24, 2015
On this year's offensive line class:
Mayhew on OL class: "It’s a very strong group of linemen, especially at guard and tackle. A lot of quality, a lot of different guys"
— Kyle Meinke (@kmeinke) April 24, 2015
Mayhew talking about the OL class: "A lot of quality, a lot of position flexibility… The versatility in that group is very important."
— Tori Petry (@sportstori) April 24, 2015
On this year's defensive line class:
Mayhew on the DL in the draft: "Very deep, at defensive tackle especially."
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) April 24, 2015
On Todd Gurley:
Mayhew called Todd Gurley an "outstanding prospect," said the team has to evaluate his injury situation; wouldn't share that eval
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) April 24, 2015
On the potential for trades:
Mayhew says he thinks they will have "a different number of picks" when the draft is over than what they started with.
— Tori Petry (@sportstori) April 24, 2015
On James Ihedigbo:
Mayhew says he understands where Ihedigbo is coming from and has "empathy" for situation. Wants to sit down with him
— Kyle Meinke (@kmeinke) April 24, 2015
Mayhew says he has empathy for Ihedigbo because there was a point in his career where he felt he was being underpaid as well.
— Tori Petry (@sportstori) April 24, 2015
On Rodney Austin:
Mayhew said he hasn't closed the door on bringing Rodney Austin back once his DV issue is sorted out.
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) April 24, 2015
#Lions Mayhew says he talked with Rodney Austin after his DV issue and decided best thing to do was move on til legal issues solved.
— Paula Pasche (@paulapasche) April 24, 2015
On the Lions' coaches:
Mayhew said he's impressed with this coaching staff's ability to develop talent.
— Tim Twentyman (@ttwentyman) April 24, 2015
On his job security:
Mayhew: "I don't concern myself with my job security" said he's striving hard to get the job done.
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) April 24, 2015
On his players' offseason adventures:
Mayhew on wing-walking/skydiving: "We need to keep our feet on the ground and stay safe." Would rather his players didn't do that. #Lions
— Michael Rothstein (@mikerothstein) April 24, 2015