Draft...

As of today (December 21st, 2007), the Lions have the 14th pick in the draft. The best they can do is pick 9th, since the Raiders are at #8 at 4-10, and mathematically the Lions won't draft ahead of them. This is a good thing this year. There is some nice depth at corner, but we'll have to wait on times from the combine on that. Not a good year for pass rushers, which is a huge need for the Lions. According to the Football Outsiders DVOA (Defense-Adjusted Value over Average) in rankings of Defense vs. Types of receivers, the Lions rank 26th in the league vs. #1 receivers and #2 receivers; and #32 vs Running Backs. The Lions must improve in their defense vs. the opposing QB's first read is what it boils down to. The Lions run defense was exposed with their porous effort vs. San Diego, who is lacking any WR threats. That game was very similar to the Minnesota and Philadelphia losses which were blowouts. All three games were on the road, yet stick out as why the Lions are a bad team.