The District

The Detroit Lions are a better football team at this moment. The team has been able to add both playmakers as well as depth and not only depth but quality depth. Finally able to draft “the best player available,” has added to the teams push to being a contending football team. Lions GM, Brad Holmes has done very well this draft. Let’s take a look at the 2023 Detroit Lions Draft class a little more closely.

RB,  Jahmyr Gibbs from the University of Alabama, Drafted #12 overall; the Lions got themselves a playmaker. On paper Gibbs is the first exciting player in Motown since Barry Sanders, Gibbs has excellent acceleration and top speed and a threat to score any and every time he touches the football. Elite burst, Very good change of direction and solid pass blocker.

Below average strength and is tackled upon first contact needs to get stronger up top. Gibbs footwork between the tackles is too choppy at times and hesitant which leads to a loss in  momentum. The Lions would be wise to allow Gibbs to get to the edge and let him turn up field.

LB, Jack Campbell from the University of Iowa, Drafted #18 overall; The Lions drafted a linebacker who is a ballhawk.  Very quick to diagnose zone versus gap runs, quick to fill his gap on the front side of gap runs,  Physical and strong at the point of attack and wraps the runner very well.

Campbell has been known to get caught out of position against motion, at times he blocks square and  is prone to stop his feet on contact, Subpar change of direction is an issue in man coverage.

TE, Sam  LaPorta from the University of Iowa, Drafted #34 overall; Fights for extra yards after the catch, Laporta is an excellent athlete, he is a smooth route runner who fights for yards.

Continuing to evolve as an in line option, not necessarily a ball-winner all the time he needs to clean that up an begin to fight for the ball more. Laporta is  undersized for TE at 6′ 3″, but that allows him to lineup outside at times which gives the offense a different dimension.

S, Brian Branch from the University of Alabama, Drafted #45 overall;  Branch is a hybrid defender, he has top notch recognition and trigger and reads the play well, uses good angles to the ball, very smooth backpedal.

Lacks the top speed for safety, poor timing at time at the catchpoint, marginal ball skills. Could be developed into a slot corner.

QB, Hendon Hooker from the University of Tennessee, Drafted #68 overall; Good touch and timing on deep throws is his bread and butter also when throwing a in-breaking route, refined passer, not really turnover prone, can add to the running game when fully healthy.

Coming off season ending knee surgery due to a torn ACL, Hooker is an older prospect (25 years old), struggles to navigate pocket against pressure so he must be quicker to understand.

DL, Brodric Martin from the University of Western Kentucky, Drafted #96 overall; playing mostly nose tackle he is close to being immovable, gets full extension and sheds blocks, Martin has pass rush potential but lacks consistency he excels at knocking passes down.

Not very explosive or nimble, Martin tends to stand up a big when he wears down, still developing a pass rush plan. Martin needs to be conditioned and must become a threat on the pass rush.

Brad Holmes does not care about Mock Drafts. If you live and die by the Mock then this news probably irritates you to some degree. Myself a well known loather of Mock Drafts found it refreshing when the Detroit Lions GM said, “There’s a lot of information that I don’t expect the people that are putting out the mock drafts to know, and it’s not their fault. They’re not in the medical meetings. I look at them, I respect them, but it’s not always going to be right. And then you’ve got to make the best pick that you can and be confident with it. Post-Draft and immediate Draft grades, when the pick didn’t line up with those mocks, you’ve got to be willing and comfortable to take the thrashing because they didn’t line up with the mock. It’s all good.”

Brad Holmes only cares about one thing…….. getting the right fit for his football team. Positional Value be damned. There were very loud audible gasps and groans when RB, Jahmyr Gibbs from the University of Alabama was announced as the Detroit Lions first, first round draft pick at #12 due to a trade back. The Lions picked again at #18 and selected Iowa Hawkeyes LB, Jack Campbell.

NFL and draft experts were harsh on the picks. Yet, now that the smoke has cleared the picks make sense for what the Lions have built under Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell. High energy, high character players who make impacts. That is what Gibbs and Campbell give Detroit right off the bat.

Last night on Day 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft, Holmes really brough the Lions closer to being a serious playoff team this upcoming season. Drafting Iowa Hawkeyes TE, Sam Laporta, Alabama Crimson Tide S, Brian Branch, Tennessee Volunteers QB, Hendon Hooker and Western Kentucky DT, Brodric Martin.

Brad Holmes has done it again. No matter if you like positional value which most prefer, Holmes selected best players for his team. This is a spot the Detroit Lions have not been in, in well a very long time. The organization was able to select “the best player available.” Holmes did and then in meeting with the media stood his ground. The Detroit Lions are a better football team today for his work.

Media and fans can speculate all they want, but hearing it from a GM actually puts weight behind it. For roughly a month before the Columbus Blue Jackets season ended it felt like the organization was in for a big offseason. At the end of the season exit interviews, Blue Jackets GM, Jarmo Kekalainen hinted that big changes are coming this summer. What could happen is any one’s guess, so here are my thoughts.

A change in goalie could be in play. Kekalinen spoke as though firing shots at starting  goalie Elvis Merzlikins, who had an awful season, to the tune of 74th in GAA, with 4.23 goals per game and 74th in save percentage at just .876. Kekalinen said he expected the starting goalie to be in the best shape of anyone on the roster as he is the quarterback of the team and because of the demands on the position.

The Blue Jackets dismissed goalie coach coach Many Legacy the same day the relieved head coach Brad Larsen of his duties. Perhaps a new goalie coach could get Merzlikins back on track. But the organization could go out and get a starting goalie.

The organization is in pretty good shape with roughly $16M in cap space and depending who stays and who goes they could have more. The team could very well go out and get a top line center and draft one as well. Let’s sort this out.

A player that had been linked to Columbus is Vancouver Canucks top center T. J. Miller who could come into play once again this offseason. The Blue Jackets have two-first round draft picks and could use the #19 overall pick and package say Emil Bemstrom or Liam Foudy for Miller. If they do and the organization lands a top 3 lottery pick they could draft, Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli or Leo Carlsson all project as top line centers. Adding Miller would buy the Blue Jackets time to develop any player they draft.

Defense wise the Blue Jackets future looks bright. David Jiricek, Denton Mateychuk, Corson Ceulemans and Stanislav Svozil are among the reasons the Blue Jackets pipeline ranks #3. Four solid defensive players, some of which will start next season in Cleveland with the Monsters and some will make the Blue Jackets opening night roster.

I am not saying the Blue Jackets offseason will look like this, however given his strong wording do not be surprised if when training camp rolls around the Blue Jackets roster looks sort of like this.