Detroit Lions Notes

Lions notes: Harold Landry the favorite for the Lions at 20th overall?

The Lions may be zeroing in on the Boston College edge rusher.

By Jeremy Reisman@DetroitOnLion Mar 6, 2018, 3:30pm EST

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NFL: Combine

MLive’s Kyle Meinke listed the biggest takeaways from his week at the NFL Combine. His most notable piece of information? He thinks Boston College defensive end Harold Landry is among the favorites for the Detroit Lions to draft with their first-round pick.

On Monday evening the NFL announced that the 2018 NFL salary cap has been set at $177.2 million. With the salary cap figure set, that also made franchise tag numbers official. That means the Detroit Lions will be on the hook for $17.1 million if/when Ezekiel Ansah signs his franchise tag offer:

So Lions DE Ziggy Ansah's tag will be $17.143 million. Rams would be looking at $15.982 million for WR Sammy Watkins or $11.287 million for S Lamarcus Joyner. Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell's number doesn't change -- Was always based off last year's figures.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 6, 2018

Zac Snyder took the new salary cap numbers and figured out how about how much the Lions have to spend in free agency. His estimate: $20.2 million.

Lions linebacker Steve Longa sounds pretty excited to have Matt Patricia as the new head coach in Detroit:

"I'm excited for what he brings to the table."@StrongaLonga3 is ready for new @Lions head coach Matt Patricia pic.twitter.com/XpZKweUcJv
— GMFB (@gmfb) March 6, 2018

Pro Football Focus has an odd post-NFL Combine mock draft that has San Diego State running back Rashaad Penny going to the Lions at 20th overall.

Happy trails to one referee who was known for big arms and another that was known for throwing an exuberant amount of flags:

Congratulations to our 2 newest @NFL referees, former BJ Shawn Hochuli & former SJ Alex Kemp. Best wishes to our 2 retiring referees, Ed Hochuli & Jeff Triplette. pic.twitter.com/iEv6xOprkf
— Al Riveron (@alriveron) March 6, 2018

DetroitLions.com’s Tori Petry had a pretty insightful interview with ESPN draft expert Todd McShay.

Who will the New England Patriots select to replace Matt Patricia as defensive coordinator? Answer: Nobody.

#Patriots will go without a defensive coordinator next season. But linebackers coach Brian Flores will handle defensive playcalling responsibilities, mirroring Matt Patricia grooming in 2010. https://t.co/X9X95ICsEo
— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) March 6, 2018