How did the Lions draft?

The NFL Draft is over, and I have to say, it was kind of boring. There were a couple of points of interest (would the 2nd pick get traded, when would player X with character concerns get picked, etc.), but most teams made the right pick most of the time. The Lions more or less followed suit, although I'll get into that in a minute.

 Every website has some kind of draft analysis, draft winners/losers, best steal of the draft/reach of the draft, etc. I'm kinda doing that (so mark me down 1 for lack of originality), but I'll also include suggestions for what the Lions could've done differently for the higher picks.

Round 1, pick #28 - RG Laken Tomlinson, Duke

The Lions had the 23rd pick but traded down with Denver and took Tomlinson. This isn't a terrible pick, but it's not a particularly good one either. I'm almost always a fan of trading down, and the Lions got a pretty good haul for only moving back 5 picks (they gave up the 23rd pick for Denver's #28, 5th round pick, a 2016 5th rounder, and RG Manny Ramirez). The trade added picks and temporarily filled a need at guard (Ramirez can still play, but he's only got a year or 2 left in the tank), but it cost them a change to draft a legit LT in DJ Humphries.

The trade also lessened the need to draft a guard, at least from this high in the draft. Guard isn't a premium position and Laken Tomlinson, despite being the top-ranked guard in the draft, wasn't considered a 1st round talent. He probably wouldn't have been available when the Lions stepped to the podium in round 2, but a comparably talented guard would have been there. The guy I really wanted them to take in round 1 was Malcolm Brown, the DT from Texas who slipped all the way to the Patriots at 32nd overall. Tomlinson should be serviceable, but I think Mayhew could've done better with his 1st round pick. Grade: B-

Round 2, pick number 54 - RB Ameer Abdullah, Nebraska

I have no problem with this pick. Running back was a position of need, I believe Abdullah was the best available, and I was a little surprised to see him fall this far in the draft. He's a bit small and has a fumbling problem due to his small hands, but I think he's still a better back than the other guys left in this draft. His 40 time wasn't all-world (4.60 at the combine, 4.54 at his Pro Day), but he was off the charts with his shuttle times, vertical and broad jumps. This would indicate a supremely athletic RB, fast between the tackles and good at changing direction. The tape holds that theory up, so forget about that 40 time.

My love of this pick aside, had the Lions wanted to go a different direction, CBs Quinten Rollins and Senquez Golson were both available with the 54th pick. Instead, they address this need in round 3. Grade: A

Round 3, pick 80 - CB Alex Carter, Stanford

I like the player, I don't like the trading up. Still, it only cost the Lions a 5th round pick to move up 8 spots, so that's not too bad. He doesn't possess elite speed but he's not exactly slow either, and his height, weight, and 41" vertical make up for the lack of top-end speed. He didn't get a lot of picks over his career at Stanford, although he managed quite a few knockdowns.

The Lions had equivalent needs at DT and OT, and top talents like DTs Carl Davis, Xavier Cooper,and OT TJ Clemmings were all available. There was some crazy talent that dropped, I would've rather seen the Lions take advantage of that rather than sacrifice picks to move up the board. Grade: B

Day 3:
Round 4, pick 113 - DT Gabe Wright, Auburn
The Lions finally addressed the DT position, but they traded back into the 4th round to do it. I hate this pick.  Wright's production at Auburn leaves much to be desired, unlike OSU's Michael Bennett (taken in round 6, no less!). Trading up cost the Lions their 2016 3rd round pick. Not a good value swap. Grade: C-
Round 5, pick 168 - FB Michael Burton, Rutgers
Meh. The Lions' running game uses the fullback position and they let Jed Collins walk, so FB was a need. If Burton can adequately fill in for Collins, call this one a win. Grade: B
Round 6, pick 200 - CB Quandre Diggs, Texas
A solid pick, for a 6th-rounder. He's small, so he projects as a slot corner, but he's not particularly quick. He'll need to work on technique to win a job. Grade: B
Round 7, pick 240 - OT Corey Robinson, South Carolina
Robinson is a big dude, but had weight and motor issues. I think he gets cut. I'd rather the Lions had taken a flyer on La'el Collins. Collins was a 1st-round prospect, until word broke that the police wanted to ask him some questions about his ex-GF's murder. He's not a suspect, so why not spend a 7th rounder on him? Everything he's done - flying down to Baton Rouge to answer questions, cooperating fully with police - are the actions of an innocent man. I hope the Lions pick him up as an UFA. Grade: C-

OVERALL DRAFT GRADE: B-
The Laken Tomlinson pick was iffy, I hated trading back into the 4th round, and I thought the Lions passed up a lot of talent in this draft (namely Malcolm Brown, Michael Bennett, Collins). Still, Mayhew definitely addressed team needs, although he waited a bit long for my taste to get to DT. He got some good players in Abdullah and Alex Carter, and some solid starting-level guys in Tomlinson and Burton. Whether or not these guys pan out, as always, remains to be seen.