Saturday open thread: How many starters will the Lions get out of the NFL Draft?

The Detroit Lions did well for themselves in free agency. Not only did they get some game-changing talent at several positions of need, but many of the players they signed are just now entering the primes of their respective careers, meaning they could be mainstays on the roster for years to come.

But building through the draft is ultimately the driving force between sinking and swimming in the NFL. Draft well and you’ll benefit from four to five years of young—and, more importantly, cheap—talent to build your roster around.

The Lions have a huge opportunity in a couple weeks to continue building their roster through youth after a very promising 2018 NFL Draft. But how much of an impact are you expecting them to make?

Today’s Question of the Day is:

How many starters do you expect the Lions to get from the 2019 NFL Draft?

My answer: Ideally, the Lions will add three eventual starters. However, I’d be pretty surprised if the Lions got more than two players who will start in 2019.

One thing that I think is getting overlooked in the Lions draft is just how much space there is between the Lions’ second and third-round pick. Because the Lions traded their 2019 third-round pick to for a 2018 fourth-round pick (Da’Shawn Hand), they don’t have their original spot high atop the round. Instead, they have the Eagles pick from the Golden Tate trade. So between the Lions’ second-round pick (No. 43) and their third-round pick (No. 88), 45 talented players are going to go.

So if we’re talking 2019 starters, I really only expect the Lions to find two starters. That being said, I think Detroit can find four significant contributors. Last year, the Lions only had two starters (Frank Ragnow, Kerryon Johnson), one rotational player (Da’Shawn Hand) and one player slated to start in 2019 (Tracy Walker).

I’d expect a similar output this year, although Detroit’s roster is undoubtedly better this year, meaning it will be harder for Detroit to find young talent worthy of cracking the lineup. Still, two starters is a must. Everything else is gravy.

Your turn.