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One thing you can count on with the Detroit Lions is that they are never, ever boring. Follow the latest news including injuries, roster moves and more here daily from Oakland Press beat writer Paula Pasche. Plus you'll find regular commentary about the team.

4/25/2009

Draft: Day 1 scouting reports

QB Matt Stafford
Pick: First round, No. 1 overall
College: Georgia
Height, weight: 6-3, 237
The skinny: The seventh quarterback to go first overall in the last nine years, Stafford is the type of strong-armed signal caller the Lions want to build around. He can make any throw in any weather condition, has advanced football recall and a moxie about him that should win over the locker room. His biggest knock is accuracy. He was a career 57-percent passer in college, though he threw for 3,459 yards and 25 touchdowns his junior year.
What they're saying: “What came out in this process – I don't know that it was a surprise to us – intelligence, work ethic and passion for the game of football. It's easy when you're around this guy a lot. He's a gym rat. He loves football. He loves to talk the game.” - Lions coach Jim Schwartz

TE Brandon Pettigrew
Pick: First round, No. 20
College: Oklahoma State
Height, weight: 6-5, 263
The skinny: Easily the most complete tight end in the draft. Pettigrew's a four-year starter who caught 42 passes last season. He's a bigger threat in the red zone than he is on vertical routes, but the Lions drafted him in part for his blocking prowess. He's physical in the run game and fills an immediate need.
What they're saying: “Brandon Pettigrew is a really, really big tight end that is an NFL-ready blocker right now. Impressive, impressive as a blocker. Really feel good about him and when you talk about drafting a young quarterback and putting pieces around him, ... we put a good young tight end in that mix and I think we provide him with some weapons and some tools for us to be successful on offense.” - Schwartz

S Louis Delmas
Pick: Second round, No. 33
College: Western Michigan
Height, weight: 5-11, 202
The skinny: Versatility is the key for Delmas, who emerged as the best safety prospect in the draft after a strong Senior Bowl. He intercepted four passes for the Broncos last year and is a punishing hitter who can slide easily to the nickel role if necessary. He's the third safety the Lions have taken in the second round the last four years.
What they're saying: “We talked about his size in our meetings. Ed Reed was about the same size. Very, very similar when he came out, and so was Troy Polamalu. Both those guys were very close to Delmas' size, so we felt size is not an issue. And he plays bigger than what he weighs.” - Lions general manager Martin Mayhew

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7 Comments:

Blogger Jesse said...

thanks for the updates Dave...what's tomorrow look like? I feel like there's some DT potential (Moala, Scott, etc), but MLB might be tapped...unfortunate...I feel like one of the big-name MLBs would have really set a tone.

9:14 PM 
Blogger Jesse said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

9:17 PM 
Blogger Erick said...

The great thing about the Delmas pick is he fills 2 positions of need. We shore up the secondary, and the run defense at the same time. This guy is an absolute beast when it comes to stopping the run. This is the best draft Detroit has had in years. The new management team in place is very impressive thus far.

I really like the fact that even though our new coach is a defensive guy he takes offense with the first two picks because it made the most sense based on the available players and our needs.

10:28 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

we knew they were gonna take the BPA on their board. why is everyone so surprised?

schwartz - TALENT TRUMPS NEED IN THIS DRAFT.

10:50 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Moala has already been selected.

Actually there's a lot of guards left. Robinson, Isdaner, Urbik, Lang, Caldwell.

For DT, Gilbert from Jan Jose is still available and Dave once had him mocked at #33. Jean-Francois is still there.

DE, Michael Johnson is still around.

Beckwith and Phillips might be ILB's too look for at some point.

10:53 PM 
Blogger Erick said...

I think the run on inside backers is over, and there isn't anyone worth taking. I would go DT or OG with the next two picks. While people seem to be really down on Paris Lennon he is a serviceable MIKE especially when you consider he will be playing in between Simms and Peterson. I fully expect Lennon to re-sign with the Lions soon.

11:23 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

^same here. hopefully he'll be at least serviceable until we can get a better MLB in there.

12:42 AM 

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