Detroit Lions Top Ten Weakest Positions (And How to Fix Them)
By Kent Platte
Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
#2 Cornerback
Present Starter: Nevin Lawson (Rashean Mathis)
Rashean Mathis looked really bad for most of the year before a serious concussion ended his Detroit Lions career (and likely playing career altogether). Nevin Lawson seamlessly filled the void left by Mathis and indeed played quite a bit better than the long time veteran. With Quandre Diggs holding down the Nickel spot and Darius Slay turned on full blast, Lawson becomes the weakest link basically by default. Cornerback doesn’t look to be an essential position of need, but with so much uncertainty in 2016, you can never pay too much attention to the secondary.
Free Agency Fix
Best Free Agent: Josh Norman
Other Options: Prince Amukamara, Trumaine Johnson
Holy cow is this cornerback free agent class stacked? I am almost completely sure that most of the best talent never hits the market, but on the off chance one of them does it would be foolish of the Detroit Lions to sit tight on the market just because their present corps has played well lately.
2016 NFL Draft Fix
Best Prospect: Jalen Ramsey, FSU
Other Options: Vernon Hargreaves III, Florida; Mackensie Alexander, Clemson; Kendall Fuller, Virginia Tech
Jalen Ramsey will be gone long before the Lions are on the clock, but that doesn’t mean for sure they’ll sit tight. Vernon Hargreaves has drawn comparisons to former MSU standout and present Bengal Darqueze Dennard, while Mackensie Alexander has seen his stock skyrocket of late. Kendall Fuller is the most athletic of the Fuller brothers, and probably the best of them, too. He’d take longer to bring along than most, but a Slay like career trajectory isn’t out of the question.
Next: Tight End