The Detroit Lions should avoid offensive tackles in the 1st round

After allowing 89 sacks in the last 32 games and ranking dead last in the NFL in rushing, it’s pretty clear the Detroit Lions need to fix their offensive line.

In particular the Lions need a franchise left tackle to protect Matthew Stafford’s blind side. The jury is still out on Laken Tomlinson. Reiff can move over to the right side. Swanson probably needs to be replaced as well and Larry Warford is now the lead dog on this line. It wasn’t too long ago when the Lions were 1-7 and in possession of the first pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Ole Miss’ Laremy Tunsil was considered a sure bet to be a Lion next season. Of course the Lions proceeded to finish the season off by going 6-2. Nothing changed at the top, Tunsil is still the number one choice, but now the Lions are smack dab in the middle of the first round with a need for an offensive tackle.

Despite the need, the Lions should do everything they can to avoid selecting an offensive tackle in the 1st round. According to my colleague Jeff Risdon, there’s Tunsil, then far behind him, there’s everyone else. There is no doubt in my mind that multiple offensive tackles will go in the first round. But that doesn’t make it right. In the past few years there has been a clear down slide in potential elite tackles coming into the NFL from college. Elite doesn’t have to be standard either, the talent hasn’t lived up to high pick. Some will argue that this is an issue at the college level and I would have to agree. The game is changing so much at the college level that once these guys get to the pros they have to be taken apart and put back together before they can succeed.

Pro Football Focus ranked the NFL’s top 78 tackles of the 2015 season back in January. of the last 14 tackles taken in the first round, five aren’t even on the list. The highest rated tackle drafted in the last three years is shockingly Taylor Lewan who ranked at 16. That’s 60 spots higher than Greg Robinson who was the second pick in the draft the same year. Outside of the 2014 draft, 2013’s first round’s highest ranked tackle was first overall pick Eric Fisher who ranked at 28th. Second highest was Lane Johnson at 41. Then last year had exactly one tackle ranked in the top 78. That spot goes to Andrus Peat who ranked at 76. Here’s the full list.

As you can see, the Lions have one of their own on the list in Riley Reiff at 48. Obviously that’s not good enough. But on the right side it would be a lot better than the guy that ranked dead last on this list, former Lions right tackle LaAdrian Waddle.

So what to do now? If the Lions don’t go with an offensive lineman in the first round like many including Bleacher Report, ESPN and NFL.com think they will, then what are they going to do? Well there’s a simple route to take. Get your tackle in free agency. As we know the Lions have more cap space than they’ve had in some of the younger Lions fans lifetime’s. That number only gets bigger from here after Calvin retires and the Lions make cuts. Take that money and go get yourself a tackle that’s well established in the NFL.

Let’s look at that list again shall we. There are free agents all over this thing. The Lions can try their hand at Cordy Glenn who’s ranked at five. Or Russel Okung who’s ranked at 30. If they want to go a little older and grab the 11th ranked Donald Penn. Or if they want to be cheap, they can grab Denver’s Ryan Harris, the 58th ranked tackle. I’ve personally been high on Cordy Glenn for the past couple of weeks, but the guy the Lions should really be looking to steal is Kelvin Beachum. The 22nd ranked tackle.

I’ll admit it’s not nearly as sexy a pick up that Glenn would be. But that’s kind of the point. Is Beachum really on anyone’s radar? At 26 years old, the Steelers tackle really should be. Dave Bryan of Steelers Depot believes that Beachum is “likely the leagues second best free agent left tackle under the age of 30.“Beachum did injure his knee back in week six and missed the rest of the season. That of course gives whatever team signs him a discount. The other thing is once again, he’s not at the top of anyone’s list. If the Lions disregard Glenn and Okung and go for Beachum, they could grab a huge steal with a much smaller price tag. Plus it’s good for Beachum because he get’s a little shine on him for being coveted. It works well for both parties.

As far what the Lions should do in the first round. I recommend checking out Scott Bischoff’s idea of the Lions using their first two picks on defensive tackles. What do you think Lions fans? be sure to leave your comments below or yell at me on Twitter @SLR_Mike.