Good and bad news for the Detroit Lions new regime
Detroit Lions non-quarterback options
Getting beyond the quarterback position, which may be the reason to include a veteran quarterback in the deal for Stafford, the pickings are slim in terms of immediate-impact rookies. The defense was atrocious in 2020, ranking 32nd and giving up 419.8 yards-per-game.
Many Detroit Lions fans would love for our early picks, in particular, to focus on improving those numbers. After watching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers dismantle the Kansas City Chiefs, it’s easy to connect the dots between a fast, pressure defense and winning a title.
One player mentioned a lot is Micah Parsons, an off-ball linebacker-slash-edge player who has a lot of speed and ability. Parsons opted out of the 2020 NCAA football season and his final year at Penn State.
The 6-foot-3, 244-pound Parsons has stated that he runs a 4.40 to 4.43-seconds forty-yard dash along with many scouts touting his natural pass-rushing abilities. A few lingering off-the-field issues and the decent depth at linebacker make selecting him difficult from a value perspective, though.
There is a bare minimum of four inside linebackers, another four outside linebackers, and as many as thirteen edge players who could immediately fill similar roles in defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn’s defense. Nick Bolton, Zaven Collins, and Baron Browning all have the look of Day-one starters besides Parsons if he’s drafted as an inside linebacker. Is taking Parsons a great value when you can get Collins in the second round?
Not only that, many draft pundits reject the value of an off-ball linebacker, especially in the Top-ten, insisting that the skills needed are too common to draft that high. However, there are some options other than linebackers or quarterbacks.
Offensive tackles Penei Sewell, Rashawn Slater, and Christian Darrisaw, cornerbacks Patrick Surtain II and Caleb Farley, and receivers Ja’Marr Chase, DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle, and tight end Kyle Pitts make up a huge chunk of the best prospects, as well. Just on the outside of that conversation are a couple of edge-defensive end prospects in Kwity Paye and Greg Rousseau to round out almost all of the players who will comprise the top half of Round One.