NFL Draft Mock Whirlwind

A lot's happened since I last did a post. Things were busy at work, so I had to skip a couple days. Anyway, with the draft coming up tomorrow, let's start with the Lions...

ESPN is flashing McShay's Mock 5.1, Kiper's Mock 4.1, and a seven round mock done by Scouts Inc. McShay has the Lions taking DE Ansah in the first, Kiper has them taking CB Milliner, and Scouts Inc has them taking Ansah first, OT Terron Armstead second, CB Dwayne Gratz third, and OLB Chase Thomas fourth. To be honest, I had to look those last 3 guys up. I'm not really excited about the prospect of grabbing another 3rd round CB, and the scouts draft as a whole I didn't like. It was more a matching of their scouting with team needs, not what teams might actually DO.

More and more buzz that the Lions might go with OT Lane Johnson with their #1 pick, if Joeckel and Fisher are both gone (which increasingly looks like the case). The Chiefs are almost definitely taking an OT now, since they're probably trading Albert. Jacksonville might go OT also, and for some reason a lot of mocks have Philly taking an OT, despite the fact that they have 2 good ones under contract.

Anyway, if the top 2 OT's are gone, Johnson might be a good way to go. He's a big of a project (originally recruited as a QB), not a ton of experience at LT, but he's a physical specimen & very athletic. If he goes in the top 4, I like Milliner a little better than Ansah right now. Milliner will help immediately (which the Lions need), and there's plenty of DE depth in the late 1st-early 2nd round. Still like Margus Hunt.

Another possibility, and one Adam Schefter thinks is likely, is that the Lions trade down. I'm less than crazy about that, but trading down could afford the Lions a good shot at one of the top OG's (Chance Warmack & Jonathan Cooper) and an extra pick later on. Ideal trade-down scenario would have the Lions swap with the Jets at 13, draft an OG and then get a DE like Hunt and a RT prospect like Kyle Long in the second round.

Since the Pistons fired Lawrence Frank, there's a lot of speculation going on but nothing remotely solid has happened yet. The New York Daily News reported Nate McMillan was the Pistons' top candidate, according to "sources familiar with Detroit's plans". Vince Ellis of the freep throws some names out there, but it all seems to be speculation except the last bit, where he says Kelvin Sampson and PJ Carlesimo won't be considered. Ok. Detroit Bad Boys reported on the Pistons' possible interest in Zeljko Obradovic, apparently the "Serbian Phil Jackson". I'm hoping the Pistons start interviewing candidates after the Spurs get knocked out of the playoffs (still like Budenholzer best).

The Tigers' offense fell apart this past weekend, including a game where they loaded the bases in 3 different innings and failed to get a run (they lost in extra innings). The good news is there is some hope for the bullpen, with ERA disaster Brayan Villareal mercifully getting sent down, and Bruce Rondon & Jose Valverde coming up. Valverde's dropped 15 lbs, gotten some velocity back, and is throwing his splitter again. That all sounds good, although very suspicious. Niyo seemed to invite PED questions by saying:

"But beyond that, it's a bit of a mystery how Valverde managed to find the velocity he'd steadily lost the past few years and the split-finger fastball he'd all but abandoned by the end of last season."

Whether or not there's any merit to that, the Tigers are signing up for the Valverde roller-coaster again. At least until Rondon is ready.