All discussion of the NFL Draft's second day can be found in this thread. If you have a comment, then leave one here. I will keep this thread updated anytime something interesting or related to the Lions happens.
To start the day off, Detroit moved up to become the first team on the clock in the third-round. They traded ahead of the St. Louis Rams and got Miami's third-round pick, but I don't see why they felt a need to move up. I believe it was a sixth-round pick they gave up, so it'll be interesting to hear the reasoning behind that.
Detroit ended up moving ahead to take Central Florida running back Kevin Smith with the 64th pick of the draft. As I said earlier today, I expected the Lions to draft a running back first, and that's exactly what they did. That need is gone as Smith brings a lot to the game of football. I'll have more on him later, but before I end this update, remember, he challenged Barry Sander's college rushing record last season.
10:35 AM: Dan Connor is finally off the board as the Carolina Panthers just drafted him with their third-round pick.
10:45 AM: Michigan linebacker Shawn Crable was just picked by the Patriots. He is the third U-M player to be drafted, and the first to not go to the Dolphins. Also recently drafted are DT Pat Sims and CB Reggie Smith. So far this round, there have been three cornerbacks drafted already, so as pointed out in the comments section, the Lions may have to address that position next.
10:52 AM: Another corner was just drafted. As of right now (pick #82), these are the top five corners remaining:
- Justin King (Penn State)
- Tyvon Branch (Connecticut)
- Jack Williams (Kent State)
- Trae Williams (South Florida)
- Orlando Scandrick (Boise State)
Teams are definitely getting to the bottom of the barrel at this position now, so I would have to say it's now or never for the Lions. I've never been a big fan of Justin King, but if he's still around when Detroit picks next (#87), then I'd take him.
11:02 AM: Mario Manningham's slide continues after he had horrible draft preparations.
11:03 AM: Detroit's second third-round pick is almost here. I believe it will have to be used to add a defensive player to the roster.
11:06 AM: The Lions are on the clock.
11:11 AM: With the 87th pick of the 2008 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions select Florida State defensive tackle Andre Fluellen.
11:12 AM: Detroit's next pick is the 111th overall in the fourth-round.
11:16 AM: Tom Kowalski explained why the Lions moved up, saying that they were afraid St. Louis would draft Kevin Smith as he apparently told the Rams over dinner that he thought Detroit would select him. It makes more sense now I guess.
11:24 AM: The Lions have traded back into the third-round and are on the clock with the 92nd pick. I expect this to be defense again, and I am thinking the Lions are going to be out of picks pretty soon.
11:26 AM: With the 92nd pick of the 2008 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions select Purdue defensive end Cliff Avril.
11:28 AM: To move back into the third-round, Detroit gave up this year's fourth-round pick and next year's as well.
11:33 AM: For a recap of all the picks made in the third-round so far, click here.
11:36 AM: Mario Manningham finally was drafted as the Giants just picked him. I never would've thought he would still be around after the season he had, but when you factor in the off-the-field stuff, I guess it shouldn't be surprising at all.
11:46 AM: I'm taking a short break to go grab some food as the Lions don't pick again until #136 is on the clock. I guess they could package their two fifth-rounders to move back into the fourth-round, but we'll have to wait and see. In the meantime, check out the FanShots section as I just posted some Kevin Smith videos. If some of you want to find a few of Smith or the Lions' other two picks from the third-round (Andre Fluellen and Cliff Avril), that would be great.
12:31 PM: Matt Millen is being interviewed on NFL Network right now.
1:31 PM: The fourth-round is about to end, meaning the Lions are about to go on the clock again to open the fifth-round. Detroit has two picks in this round (#136 and #144), and I think one of them will be used to find a cornerback.
1:39 PM: With the 136th pick of the 2008 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions select Wake Forest wide receiver Kenneth Moore. Moore had over 1,000 yards receiving and nearly 100 catches last season with the Demon Deacons.
1:41 PM: Here are Moore's stats from 2007:
1:56 PM: The Lions are about to go on the clock again for the final time until the seventh-round.
2:02 PM: Detroit has traded out of the 144th pick as the Saints are now on the clock.
2:03 PM: The Lions will pick again at pick #146, so Detroit moved down only 2 spots. I'm guessing they got either a sixth-rounder of a seventh-rounder in return. Hopefully it's not the latter.
2:07 PM: Detroit is back on the clock.
2:11 PM: With the 146th pick, the Lions have drafted Furman fullback Jerome Felton. I guess there isn't exactly a huge urgency to draft a corner.
2:13 PM: By trading down two spots just now, the Lions got New Orleans' seventh-round pick, which is the 218th pick overall.
5:07 PM: Detroit is back on the clock for the second to last time. Will a corner finally be drafted?
5:09 PM: The Lions picked defensive tackle Landon Cohen out of Ohio. They are going back on the clock with the next pick.
5:13 PM: For the final time of the 2008 NFL Draft, the Lions are on the clock.
5:15 PM: What a pick to end the Lions' draft. Detroit selected Army safety Caleb Campbell. He has been hanging around in NYC today and did an interview with ESPN and the NFL Network, and he is a great player to add to the team. He is a high character guy and someone that just wants to play football. If you asked Rod Marinelli who his kind of guy is, Campbell would be the answer without a doubt. Kudos to Millen for making a great selection (can't believe I said that).
5:20 PM: For the Lions, the Campbell pick concludes the 2008 NFL Draft. I had a great time covering it and talking about it, but I'm going to go get some much-needed fresh air. I'll have posts about all draft picks up throughout next week, so I hope all of you will check back in then. Until then, you can write a FanPost leaving your thoughts on the draft or can upload a FanShot.