Round 2 (45) Jordon Dizon (LB) Colorado-A tackling machine, Dizon has been brought in to be the MLB in the Lions Cover 2 defense. I liked some other linebackers a little better than Dizon at this point (Connor, Henderson), but they might not have fit the scheme as much. Dizon is a little undersized and may have a tough transition into the NFL. PICK GRADE: C-

Round 3 (64) Kevin Smith (RB) Central Florida-The Lions were so impressed with Kevin Smith almost breaking Barry Sanders college record that they traded up to the first pick in day 2 to get the talented junior. He is the exact type of workhorse back that the Lions are going to “pound the rock” with.  PICK GRADE: B

Round 3 (92) Cliff Avril (DE/LB) Purdue-The Lions needed depth at linebacker and they brought in a nice hybrid prospect in Avril. Cliff played DE mostly at Purdue, but he is way undersized to play down all the time. He will provide a pass rush that is desperate for sacks.  PICK GRADE: B+

Round 5 (136) Kenneth Moore (WR) Wake Forest-I thought this was a reach, and there were way better receivers on the board (Monk, Urrutia, Arrington), but they like his speed and returnability. The Lions are strong at only one spot, and that’s WR. PICK GRADE: D

Round 5 (146) Jerome Felton (FB) Furman-Felton will be another compliment to the run game and as a running and blocking FB, he is equally adept at both. Marinelli hopes he will be like Mike Alstott was back in the day in Tampa.  PICK GRADE: C-

Round 7 (216) Landon Cohen (DT) Ohio-This kid can actually play. He’s a little small, not real fast, but is a true football player. May stick somewhere on this roster, but has a ton of heart and desire. Most importantly, he loves the game of football.  PICK GRADE: B

Round 7 (218) Caleb Campbell (S) Army- The feel good story of the draft was with their last selection in round 7, the Lions picked up Caleb Campbell out of Army. Campbell played with Matt Millen’s son at Army and it could be some positive press for the Lions. They need help in the secondary and Campbell is a legit safety who could really provide a spark for the Lions D. PICK GRADE: B-

OVERALL GRADE: C

The Lions found themselves in a worst case scenario in the first round on draft day. All the players they had targeted at 15 were gone (Jerod Mayo, Derrick Harvey, Johnathan Stewart, and the elite tackles) so GM Matt Millen did the smart thing and traded down and grabbed Gosder Cherilus. They addressed a lot of need, but didn’t always get the most “bang” for their buck. They were smart and moved down and back up when they needed to, but could have packaged 3rds to get another running back or lineman in the 2^nd round. Overall I think they manipulated the draft well and the fact is they picked up a few starters with this draft. I think they reached for such players Dizon and Cherilus .They did not take any “sexy” picks this year, which is a change in Motown. They got guys that “fit” their system.