Lions S 15 Free Agency and Draft Recap

firedup24

All-Star
Lions Report.png
The Lions finished S 14 with a 9-7 record falling short of the postseason once again. After being very active in free agency last year, the Lions were relatively quiet this year. After not being able to reach an agreement with HB Ameer Abdullah during the season, the Lions were able to convince him to come back during the free agency period. He didn't draw a lot of attention from other teams but the Lions were more than happy to welcome him back. The Lions did welcome two new faces in CB Andre Bademosi and MLB Rey Maualuga, both coming in to offer depth on defense.

Coming into the draft, the belief was that the Lions would look to replace WR Golden Tate early in the draft. They took care of this with the 17th pick in the 1st round with WR Jeffrey Session out of USC. When scouting Session, the Lions were hoping to find an immediate impact for the slot position with Hurns and Jones on the outside. Session appears to be that guy. He is already an excellent route runner with great hands and good acceleration and speed. Look for him to be an impact player from day 1.

The 2nd round didn't work out as the Lions had hoped. They were hoping to get an OG in this spot but had to sit back and watch as seven guards were taken in the first 48 picks in front of them. Instead they went with a big LT in Lance Mager from Clemson. He will probably spend this season on the 2nd string team developing for what the Lions hope to be a long career in Detroit.

In the 3rd, the Lions selected DT Nordly Hope out of Stanford. He looks ready to jump into the rotation early and be a big help to an already strong run defense from S 14.

At the time of this draft report, the Lions had already finished week 1 of the preseason and it would be a shame if we didn't talk about the game that 4th round pick LE Rashaud Newcomb had. This is a guy the scouting department really liked out of Utah. At 6'4" 242, this blazing fast end may be one of the biggest steals of the draft. He torched the Bucs in week 1 of the preseason tallying 3 sacks. With Ansah receiving the franchise tag for the 2nd time this year, the belief is that he will be a free agent at the end of the year. This will make Newcomb's development that much more important.

In the 5th, the Lions took another offensive lineman in C Turner Jansen out of Cal. This looks to be another depth pick as the Lions look to improve their offensive line overall.

The 6th round pick is OLB Tyronne Hobert from TCU. He is more than likely headed to the practice squad with hopes of developing and one day being a part of the roster.

In back to back years, the Lions went with a WR with their last pick in the draft. Just like Josh Malone, who last year was on the regular roster all season long, 7th round pick Tymichael Williams from Appalachian St. may have a shot at doing the same. In his preseason debut, he had 2 catches for 137 yds and 2 TDs. He is a quick receiver with excellent ball skills and has great ability as a returner on special teams. We will continue to watch his fight for a roster spot.

Draft List:
1st - WR Jeffrey Session - 5'11" 183, USC
2nd - LT Lance Mager - 6'6" 338, Clemson
3rd - DT Nordly Hope - 6'4" 305, Stanford
4th - DE Rashaud Newcombe - 6'4" 242, Idaho
5th - C Turner Jansen - 6'4" 302, Cal
6th - OLB Tyronne Hobert - 6'3" 241, TCU
7th - WR Tymichael Williams - 6'0" 223, Appalachian St.
 
Top