Detroit Lions headlines: Remaining needs, Defensive tackle
Following the conclusion of the 2018 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions still have some areas to address on their roster. That news and more in today’s headlines.
Despite the dwindling free agent market and the NFL draft being over a week ago, the Detroit Lions still have some areas along their roster that need to be addressed. And instead of adding to their depth chart, the Lions recently traded away one of their defensive tackles.
In today’s headlines, we dive into the Motor City’s roster needs following the draft and discuss areas of strength and weakness along their depth chart.
Detroit Lions depth chart: Competition abounds at RB, DL and DB – ESPN.com
Although the above article focuses on the Lions’ roster strengths, I think the more pressing news is it’s weaknesses. For me, tight end, defensive tackle and linebacker are glaring omissions. The lack of a pass catching tight end on the roster is a concern. The lack of quality names in the linebacker corps is also eye raising, especially considering Detroit will be fielding four on the field together at times. Neither of these positions were addressed in the draft.
TWENTYMAN: Where Lions stand at DT following trade – DetroitLions.com
One of the biggest areas of need for this Lions team going into the draft appeared to be interior defensive line. They did draft Alabama’s Da’Shawn Hand in the fourth round, who could potentially be either a defensive tackle or end. But then Detroit promptly traded away Akeem Spence, as they appear to be looking for more two-gap, run-stuffing defensive tackles. It’s clearly an area the Lions will look to address in free agency or with undrafted rookies.
Don’t laugh, Detroit Lions might have deepest WR group in NFL – Detroit Free Press
The Lions wide receiver corps looks to be at least four deep with Golden Tate, Marvin Jones Jr., Kenny Golladay and T.J. Jones. It’s a talented group who benefit greatly from a pass-first offense with a gunslinger like Matthew Stafford under center.
Player Showdown: Marvin Jones or Golden Tate? – Pro Football Focus
This article tries to tackle the difficult choice of selecting Jones or Tate as a fantasy football owner. In a PPR league (points per reception), Tate is clearly the better choice due to his consistent production which insures you a quality outing every game. Jones has better upside as a scorer, especially considering he could be Stafford’s go-to redzone target without a true pass catching tight end at his disposal.
Next: Detroit Lions: 15 best first-round draft picks of all-time
Fifth-year option tracker for 2015 first-round picks – NFL.com
Lions’ fans may be wondering why they haven’t heard any news about Detroit picking up a fifth-year option on one of their former top picks. Well, the fact is, the player that they would have that option for is no longer on the roster. That player is Lions former 2015 first round pick, offensive guard Laken Tomlinson, who is currently a member of the San Francisco 49ers. And the Niners aren’t picking up that option.