By: Larry Sternberg
The Lions finally took my advice: in the recent draft, five out of nine picks were linemen. In fact, the first round pick was an offensive tackle. There was not a lot of flash to the picks, but they made a lot of sense for the team.
The picks were:
Round 1
Gosder Cherilus is a big hog of a guy from Boston College. According to Rivals.com, he has excellent footwork and a lot of general skill for his position. The downside to the pick is his consistency. Offensive tackles tend to work out, although they need good speed to the outside because the defensive tackles in the NFL are much quicker than those in college.
Round 2
Jordan Dizon from Colorado is very fast but a little undersized. Maybe the Lions can put a few pounds on him and use him in pass coverage. According to Rivals.com, he has a lot to offer.
Round 3
Kevin Smith was one of the players picked in round three. He played for the University of Central Florida where he led the nation in rushing. The last Lions pick to hold that title was Barry Sanders. Smith is small but very quick, and he should be a nice change of pace to Tatum Bell.
Also picked in round 3:
- Andre Fluellen from Florida State
- Cliff Avril from Purdue
Round 5
- Kenny Moore from Wake Forest
- Jerome Felton from Furman
Round 7
Caleb Campbell may represent the biggest news of the picks. Campbell graduated West Point and is able to play in the NFL based on a new military rule: athletes from the military academies can play professionally and serve as recruiters in the off season. The rationale behind the rule seems to be that the athlete is more valuable as a publicity asset to the academy than serving in the active service. All politics aside, he should have fun on the practice squad next year.
Also picked in round 7:
- Landon Cohen from Ohio
