Time to Grade the Lions Draft - the 2013 Draft.

[Motor City Sonics 1,230]

I have heard it said, and I believe it, that you truly can't grade a draft until 3 years, so with that in mind............let's look back at 2013

I will give two grades,  a grade for the Lions (how that player worked out for the team) and an overall grade (if that player played with another team)

 

Round 1 - Ziggy Ansa, DE, BYU.    A+ -  Great player, elite player and he still isn't even polished and had his best year AFTER Suh left.  

Round 2 - Darius Slay, CB, Miss St.   B+ -  A bit rough early, but there is a tough learning curve for DBs in the NFL.  If he continues to show impovement, he's an A player.   And he's given us the magnificent radio game "What Did Slay Say?" which had me laughing until tears. 

Round 3 - Larry Warford, OG, Kentucky.  B.   A great pro-bowl level early start, but he has regressed the last two years.  A lot of that probably has to do with weakness at RT and C.   Now that the line has been fortified a bit, we should see some improve ment

Round 4 - Devin Taylor, DE, South Carolina. B  Showed a lot of promise last year with 7 sacks, but he's more of a rotation guy than an every down guy.  Not bad for the 4th round

Round 5 - Corey Fuller, WR, Virginia Tech.  D.  He's had little impact, about what you'd expect for a 5th round, but with WR injuries and lack of depth, he's had  his chances to step up.  

Round 6 - Theo Riddick, RB, Notre Dame.  A.   He has had a major impact, in a positive way for the Lions and looks to be one of their top running backs going forward

Round 7 - Michael Williams, TE, Alabama.  F/C-.   Never had an impact for the Lions, but helped out the Patriots as a backup. 

Round 7 - Brandon Hepburn, LB, Florida A&M,  F.  Never played beyond the practice squad from what I could tell. 

 

All in all 2013 is one of the best drafts the Lions had in my lifetime.   Ansa, Slay, Warford and Riddick have had a positive impact and Taylor is a solid player that you hope you can get in a third-day player.     This was the exception to the rule in the Millen/Mayhew era of drafting and all these players have potential to be even better.    I think the 2014 draft probably won't get such a kind grade. 

A-

 

 

 

[RedRamage 139]

1 hour ago, Motor City Sonics said:

Round 7 - Michael Williams, TE, Alabama.  F/C-.   Never had an impact for the Lions, but helped out the Patriots as a backup. 

Round 7 - Brandon Hepburn, LB, Florida A&M,  F.  Never played beyond the practice squad from what I could tell. 

Pretty much agree with this except for maybe here in the 7th rounds.

Honestly by the time the 7th rounds comes along I figure that this guys are maybe a 1/4 step above UDFA.  I never expect a 7th rounder to make a serious impact.  I fact I guess I don't expect a 7th rounder to even make the squad outside of perhaps practice squad.

Of course that makes it EXTREMELY hard to judge a 7th rounder.  If they even make the team I guess that's an automatic B- for me and if they some ANYTHING, than the grade just moves up from there.

But what about a guy who's cut?  Is it really and 'F' if I wasn't expecting that guy to make the team?  I guess it comes down to the guy... did he push other players to be better?  Did he stand out even a little bit?  Did he make it hard for the coaches to have to cut him?  Did they try to bring him on the practice squad?  If so, then I think you at least have to give the pick a C- grade.

But if he just never worked out well with the team and was someone the coaches had no problem letting go, then I'd be okay with giving the pick an 'F'.

The problem as a fan grading the draft would be if we ever really know how much the staff deliberated over a 7th rounder before cutting him.

All of this said: I agree with your final grade and I think you've vastly reduced the "weight" of the 7th round F's because you probably also agree that 7th rounders aren't expected to be much.

[Nastradamus 271]

This was  hug draft for us. Not only was it high quality, but it came in a **** poor draft. We then bombed in one of the more talented drafts the next year, so hopefully it evens out a bit. 

[Motor City Sonics 1,230]

9 hours ago, RedRamage said:

Pretty much agree with this except for maybe here in the 7th rounds.

Honestly by the time the 7th rounds comes along I figure that this guys are maybe a 1/4 step above UDFA.  I never expect a 7th rounder to make a serious impact.  I fact I guess I don't expect a 7th rounder to even make the squad outside of perhaps practice squad.

Of course that makes it EXTREMELY hard to judge a 7th rounder.  If they even make the team I guess that's an automatic B- for me and if they some ANYTHING, than the grade just moves up from there.

But what about a guy who's cut?  Is it really and 'F' if I wasn't expecting that guy to make the team?  I guess it comes down to the guy... did he push other players to be better?  Did he stand out even a little bit?  Did he make it hard for the coaches to have to cut him?  Did they try to bring him on the practice squad?  If so, then I think you at least have to give the pick a C- grade.

But if he just never worked out well with the team and was someone the coaches had no problem letting go, then I'd be okay with giving the pick an 'F'.

The problem as a fan grading the draft would be if we ever really know how much the staff deliberated over a 7th rounder before cutting him.

All of this said: I agree with your final grade and I think you've vastly reduced the "weight" of the 7th round F's because you probably also agree that 7th rounders aren't expected to be much.

But of course the 7th round F has much less value than an F in the 2nd round, which would be most Lions drafts the last 15 years.