Darkhorse Lion: Willie Young

With organized team activities beginning around the NFL, which leads up into training camp, it is time to look at three players on the Lions roster who fans should expect to step up and contribute to the team in the upcoming season.  These players will be known as "darkhorse players" because they will not be the stars on the team such as Matthew Stafford or Calvin Johnson or Ndamukong Suh, but rather they will be big contributors to the Lions this season.  There is no promise as to these players that will be mentioned in this three-part series as to being on the roster come September because anything can happen, but these players are of whom I expect to make an impact for the Lions.  The first player I will focus on is defensive end Willie Young.

The Lions defense will need to have Willie Young to step up
to be successful.

Young is a former 7th round pick of the Lions back in 2010 out of North Carolina State and spent his rookie year on the team's practice squad.  Young then made the active 53-man roster in his second year in the league, recording 3 sacks in 16 games played on the Lions highly touted defensive line, and also recorded a sack and forced fumble in the Wildcard Round game against the Saints.  Now with age concerns to Kyle Vanden Bosch and contract concerns to Cliff Avril, there might be more chances for Young.
The defensive backfield has been highly scrutinized this offseason thanks to the final two games at Green Bay and New Orleans in which Packers backup quarterback Matt Flynn threw for over 400 yards and 6 touchdowns, while Drew Brees the next week in the playoff game put up similar numbers.
In all fairness to the secondary, the defensive line did not help them out at all.  An old NFL adage (or one I just made up, either way, it is a true statement) is that your defensive backfield is only as good as the pass rushers allow you to be.  With that being said, the secondary did have their problems, but they were also more of a scapegoat too with the pass rush not performing well either.
It is hard to get a consistent pass rush in the NFL, but with the constant substitution the Lions perform on the defensive line, that means fresh guys will be on the line every down, making it easier for the pass rush to stay consistent.  Another way to keep that consistency is to have the guys coming fresh off the bench to perform well, and one of those bench players is Willie Young.
For the Lions to be successful, they will need to prove that they found a 7th round gem in Willie Young and he will need to prove that he can get to the quarterback consistently.

Ryan Broyles: Not a bad draft pick.

The most surprising part of the 2012 draft if you are a Detroit Lions fan was the selection of Oklahoma wide receiver Ryan Broyles in the second round.  The selection of Broyles greatly angered many Lions fans who believed that the Lions had no choice but to select a corner such as Central Florida's Josh Robinson or Montana's Trumaine Johnson because of what they saw in the last two games last season against Green Bay and New Orleans.  Others, such as myself, wanted the Lions to draft another offensive lineman with Wisconsin center Peter Konz falling all the way out of the first round to the late second round.
But instead, when legendary running back Barry Sanders announced the 54th overall pick in the 2012 draft at the podium, he announced Broyles' name.  Criticism immediately followed towards general manager Martin Mayhew because he didn't follow the needs for the team and grab a corner but instead went with another wide reveiver even though the Lions are pretty solid at receiver.

Detroit Lions fans second round pick
WR Ryan Broyles to have an impact.

The fact of the matter is, however, is that the Broyles selection was not a bad pick.  Mayhew has made it known that he drafts specifically on the best player available on the board and not reaching based on the needs on the roster.
Broyles is the all-time leader in receptions in NCAA history with 349 catches, including 131 in 2010.  Broyles also added 4,586 yards and 45 touchdowns in his four-year career as a Sooner.
He also has the ability to return kicks in the NFL thanks to his speed and explosiveness.
Broyles' talent alone would have made him a first round or possibly even a top ten pick.  However, Broyles suffered a torn ACL in late November, which dropped his stock dramatically because of his immediate impact to an NFL team.
Broyles won't make much of impact for the Lions in 2012 either.  The depth chart at wide receiver looks like this: Calvin Johnson, Nate Burleson, Titus Young, and then Ryan Broyles.  However, Burleson is entering the fourth year of his expensive five year deal.  With Nate's contract being so large and with the troubles the Lions will have with cap room thanks to other large contracts on the roster.  With that being said, Burleson may be released before the 2013 season, and the Lions high powered offense will need to find the third wide receiver, and that is where Broyles comes in in the Lions' future plans.
So although Broyles may not have the impact for the upcoming season that many Lions fans were expecting from the first and second round picks, he has an impact for the future.  The selection of Broyles over a corner despite the needs, Mayhew should be applauded for sticking to his board and getting a plan for further beyond the next season.

Grading the NFL Draft for the Lions

With the NFL Draft ending on Saturday, it is now time to grade the Lions draft and the strategy used by GM Martin Mayhew and Head Coach Jim Schwartz.  Here is the pick-by-pick analysis for the Lions.

Lions first round draft pick Riley Reiff helps the Lions
continue building the team.

Round 1- Riley Reiff; OT, Iowa:  The Lions made the right move by staying still rather than reaching and trading up to to get a corner.  With waiting to select 23rd overall, the small run on pass rushers in the first round allowed Reiff, a projected top ten pick, to fall right into the Lions lap.  With the "glaring" need at corner, it was difficult for many people to see that rebuilding the offensive line was actually the biggest need for Detroit to address this draft.  Reiff will start at right tackle this year and will slide over to left tackle to replace Jeff Backus.


Round 2- Ryan Broyles; WR, Oklahoma:  If you are like me, you were greatly surprised at this pick.  Most people wanted the corner to be drafted here, I wanted Wisconsin center Peter Konz with this selection, but Broyles has talent and was too high on the Lions' draft board.  Broyles, who is also recovering from a torn ACL, is mainly just a pick for the future with Nate Burleson's contract ending next year, so Lions fans will have to wait to see the impact Broyles actually makes.


Round 3- Dwight "Bill" Bentley; CB, Louisiana-Lafayette: Great pick for the Lions addressing the need at corner with Louisiana-Lafayette's Bill Bentley.  Corner was a need mainly for depth because the secondary began to struggle after the starters got injured.  Bentley could turn out to be a steal with his athleticism and ability to play corner, but he fell in the draft because he went to a small school.

New Lions LB Ronnell Lewis can help rush the passer.

Round 4- Ronnell Lewis; LB/DE, Oklahoma: If it wasn't for Reiff in the first round, this would be my favorite pick in the draft.  Lewis had a second round pick grade on him, but somehow fell to the Lions in the fourth round.  Lewis can play at outside linebacker or have his hand in the dirt at defensive end.  Either way, the Lions should use Lewis' talents to help rush the passer.

Round 5- Tahir Whitehead; LB, Temple: The Lions traded up in the fifth round to select Whitehead.  Will be used mainly as depth at linebacker, but his speed will make him valuable on special teams.
Chris Greenwood; CB, Albion: The Lions used their second pick in the fifth round on Albion College product Greenwood.  The Detroit native brings size and speed to the cornerback position for the Lions.  Like Bentley, Greenwood could be a potential steal who only fell in the draft because he went to a small school.

Round 6- Jonte Green; DB, New Mexico State:  The Lions now have another athlete in the secondary after taking Green in the sixth round.  Could be more valuable on special teams.

Round 7- Travis Lewis; LB, Oklahoma:  With their final pick, the Lions selected another product of Oklahoma.  Lewis brings more depth to the team at linebacker and yet again, could find his niche on special teams.

Notable Undrafted Free Agents: Kellen Moore; QB, Boise State: Could be the potential backup quarterback in the future after Shaun Hill's time in Detroit is over.

With the accumulation of the eight draft picks and the pickup of Moore following the draft, the Lions found help in the offensive line and the future left tackle, a receiver who will help make Detroit's passing game even more, another pass rusher, and depth at linebacker and in the secondary along with the future backup quarterback.  The Lions made all the right moves despite what many of the fans think and I will give them an "A" grade on this draft.