• ESPN.com's Wayne Drehs wrote an in-depth article on Lions defensive end Jared DeVries and his trip back home to survey damage done by a tornado that touched down at the end of last month.  DeVries' Iowa hometown has been demolished by the storms and his high school is completely destroyed.  The article is truly sad and unfortunately is just one of the many similar stories for people in Iowa that have had to deal with tornadoes and horrific flooding.
  
• Lions QB Jon Kitna will be playing in the Buick Open pro-am on Wednesday.  He joins the Red Wings' Kirk Maltby, former Tiger Bobby Higginson, and Kid Rock, who may be in the same group as his good friend John Daly.  That, folks, would be entertaining to watch.
• SB Nation's 49ers blog Niners Nation took a look at San Francisco's game against the Lions and predicted Detroit to lose 26-24.  I have the Lions winning that game to start the season with a 3-0 record.
• Pro-Football-Reference.com sorted through the worst quarterbacks in NFL history, and none other than Joey Harrington topped the list.  As the post explains, Harrington was so bad that he hurt his team more than any of the other QBs listed, but since he played for the Lions, continued to be on the field.  If he was in a different situation chances are he wouldn't have played as much as he did, but it was the Lions, and sadly he was the best QB on the team for much of his career in Detroit.
• Former Lions receiver Herman Moore went on WDFN recently and disagreed with what Bobby Ross had to say about Barry Sanders.
• Calvin Johnson is going to be really fast in Madden 09.

• WhatIfSports came out with their NFL preview this week and predicted every single game for the 2008 season.  For their NFC North preview, they had the Lions tying for last in the division with the Chicago Bears thanks to a 6-10 record.  That is the same record I predicted the Lions to have, although I don't think WhatIfSports had Detroit going on nothing but winning and losing streaks.
• Lions defensive end Jared DeVries recently returned to his hometown in Iowa to witness the destruction caused by a tornado that happened at the end of last month.  The weather in Iowa lately has been absolutely horrific as there is so much flooding going on.  It literally has put the University of Iowa's campus under water.  SB Nation's Iowa blog, Black Heart Gold Pants, has more.
• Kevin Jones believes he is ready to play.  He was originally scheduled to return from his injury by training camp, and it appears as though that will happen should he sign with an NFL team by the time training camp begins.
• Roary, the Lions' mascot, was upset by the Redskins' mascot in CBS Sports' "Most Fierce NFL Mascot Competition."

• The Sporting News recently ranked the NFC teams with the best defensive ends, and unsurprisingly, the Lions came in last.
  

  16. Lions. Dewayne White is Detroit's only consistent pass-rush threat. On the other side, the team will rotate veteran Jared DeVries and second-year player Ikaika Alama-Francis, who remains too raw to be consistent.

  As the article states, other than Dewayne White, Detroit really has no proven defensive ends.  Jared DeVries isn't the worst possible option by any means as he has looked very good at times, but he isn't exactly someone that is a huge threat.  At the same time, Ikaika Alama-Francis really hasn't even had a chance to prove himself yet, so the jury is still out on him.  Cliff Avril will be able to step in and compete for playing time, but he still doesn't seem big enough to be a defensive end just yet.
• Wide receiver Marcus Robinson has retired.  Robinson spent last season in Detroit on the injured reserve.  Before that, he played for the Bears, Ravens, and Vikings.
• Speaking of retirement, Giants defensive end Michael Strahan has also decided to call it quits.  He does so after nearly retiring last summer before returning to the Giants to eventually win the Super Bowl.

After already going on the clock twice in the third-round, the Lions decided to make a trade that gave them one more third-round selection.  The trade allowed Detroit to pick Purdue tweener Cliff Avril, who can play both defensive end and outside linebacker.  His measureables project him as more of a linebacker in the NFL, but with the Lions he is likely going to be Rod Marinelli's edge rusher on the defensive line.

The one criticism Avril has received the most is that he doesn't show up enough during games.  He amazed people at the combine and during his workouts, but some NFL scouts were a tad disappointed in how he played during games.  Regardless, he should see a decent amount of playing time given the Lions lack of depth at defensive end.  I don't see him starting in the immediate future, but down the road that's a realistic possibility.

Here's what others are saying about Avril:

Scouts Inc.:

Strengths: A tweener DE/OLB that can be very effective when turned loose up the field. Has very long arms (34.5 inches) and big hands (9.6 inches) for his smaller frame. Fires out of stance with very good leverage and shows good body control and lean when turning the corner. Displays very good initial burst and top-end speed for the position. Much stronger upper body than lower body. Uses rip and swim moves effectively. Does a good job of keeping his hands active and will jar some OT's with his initial punch. Displays a good motor. Plays with a mean streak and won't back down from physical challenge versus bigger OT's. He shows good initial pop as a tackler and will occasionally jar the ball loose.

Weaknesses: Is undersized. Lacks ideal height and has just adequate bulk for his shorter frame. Plays with a narrow base and will struggle to anchor at the point of attack when teams run at him. Gets in trouble when forced to play head-up or inside shoulder of OT. Needs to be a seven-technique to be effective. Gets too far up the field ate times and will take himself out of plays. Has very limited experience turning and running in coverage as an OLB.

SI.com:

POSITIVES: Athletic defender with good size and playing speed. Plays with good pad level, rarely off his feet, and uses good hand technique to protect himself. Fast off the edge, can bend around the corner, and covers a large amount of area on the field. Displays speed in pursuit. Quickly changes direction, nicely redirects to the ball-carrier, and displays a good head for the action.

NEGATIVES: Slow shedding blocks and engulfed by larger linemen. Did not live up to expectations as a senior.

NFL Draft Countdown:

Strengths:
A great athlete...Good speed and quickness with a burst...Active with a non-stop motor..Does a nice job of shedding blockers...Versatile with experience at multiple positions...Hard worker with top intangibles...Productive and made a lot of impact plays..Hails from a program that is known for producing similar types of prospects.

Weaknesses:
Undersized and does not have the bulk you look for...Is not stout at the point and could be a liability against the run..Heavily reliant on the speed rush and needs to develop additional moves..May be a 'tweener who has to make a position change.

Videos:

SI Film Room:

• Avril returns an interception for a TD
• Interview with Avril following a game

Looking at the depth chart for defensive end, Dewayne White and Jared DeVries are projected to be the two starters.  After that, it's really a toss-up for who gets to be the backups.  I would say Corey Smith and Ikaika Alama-Francis have the best chance to be the backups, but Avril certainly could come in and beat one of those two out.