Allen Park — With the 2023 NFL Draft in the books, let’s put a bow on the event with some of my thoughts regarding the Detroit Lions’ weekend:
If you went into this draft expecting the Lions to focus on the defense, who could blame you? In fact, there probably would have been a healthy segment of the fan base tickled pink had they used all eight selections on the unit. Of course, that’s far from how things played out.
Not only did the Lions buck conventional wisdom by taking a running back No. 12 overall, the team followed it up with a tight end at the top of the second round, a quarterback early in the third, and two more players for the offense — a lineman and receiver — on the draft’s third day.
Using 62.5% of their selections on a top-five offense wasn’t how many of us anticipated things playing out, but it shows general manager Brad Holmes understands a principle that extends beyond football: Don’t spend so much energy fixing a weakness that you neglect your strength. It’s something the Kansas City Chiefs have done well during their recent run at the top of the league, consistently restocking their offense while simultaneously attempting to raise the floor of its defensive performance.
“Those are some reminders that I put down for myself, heading into this offseason, in terms of all three phases of the ball,” Holmes said. “Yeah, we were highly productive on offense last year, and then we ranked where we ranked on defense at the end of the year. I do think that we got a lot better in the second half of the season on defense, but it is what it is. We just needed to get better. You’ve got to be mindful of, ‘Well, OK, let’s just ignore the offense and just kind of just put all the eggs on defense.’ No, you’ve got to keep it balanced. You’ve got to make sure that your offense is staying explosive.”
Detroit’s offense was shockingly good in 2022, the centerpiece of last season’s turnaround. And while the unit is returning quarterback Jared Goff and all five members of its talented offensive line, Holmes spent a second straight offseason upgrading Goff’s arsenal.
The most obvious improvements are in the backfield, which began in free agency, when the team traded in last year’s rushing touchdown leader Jamaal Williams for David Montgomery, a younger, more versatile model who is one of the best tackle-breakers in the league. And it continued in the draft, when the Lions finally gave up on D’Andre Swift’s durability in favor of Jahmyr Gibbs, who shares the former’s dual-threat skill set with even more speed.
Add tight end Sam LaPorta to the mix, a receiving tight end who has a propensity to rack up yards after catch, and it’s hardly inconceivable to suggest the Lions could do even better than the 26.6 points per game they averaged last year.
And even if the defense didn’t get the attention some of us might have expected, it’s not like it was ignored. Holmes overhauled the secondary in free agency and added a traits-rich off-ball linebacker many viewed as the best at his position in this draft. You add those pieces to a young group that should naturally improve with a year of shared experience, and it might not be a top-10 unit, but closer to the middle of the pack isn’t out of the question.
That’s a formula that can be good enough to win a division and a playoff game.
▶ Back to that linebacker, Jack Campbell, for a second. After listening to both Holmes and Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz rave about the player’s character, and then to hear he’s a young man who eschews social media in favor of living in the moment, avoiding unnecessary distractions to focus on football, I couldn’t help but think the Lions have found Chris Spielman reincarnated.
Midwest born and bred, Big Ten linebackers, top-30 draft picks who eat, sleep and breathe football. Spielman is one of the greatest in franchise history. And despite some quality years from Stephen Boyd, D’Andre Levy and Stephen Tulloch, they haven’t had one near Spielman’s caliber since.
And here’s the thing: Campbell is the superior athlete, and it’s not even close.
For better or worse, the rookie will carry lofty expectations his entire career based on where he was drafted, nearly 40 spots ahead of the next linebacker, Arkansas’ Drew Sanders. And I realize I’m only adding to those expectations, by making this comparison to Spielman. Still, I get the sense Campbell is able to shoulder that weight. And if he even ends up 75% of the player Spielman was, Campbell should make the Lions defense better for years to come.
▶ It might not happen Day One, but be prepared for Campbell to significantly eat into the defensive role of fan favorite Malcolm Rodriguez sooner than later.
Rodriguez is a stellar player who exceeded all expectations as a rookie, and he’s earned a continued role on defense as the third linebacker in base packages. But he is anchored by size limitations beyond his control. What I look forward to is seeing is how he impacts games through an increased special-teams role.
When I would go back and watch the film after games last year, Rodriguez would regularly pop in his special-teams snaps. Imagine how surprised I was to find out he logged just 76 last season. With the offseason departure of Chris Board (359 special-teams snaps) and the recent release of C.J. Moore (224 snaps in 11 games), the Lions need someone to step up and be a leader on those units. In my opinion, Rodriguez should be viewed as a leading candidate.
▶ My gut tells me Brian Branch also will be a key special teams contributor next season. The versatile safety and second-round pick faces a crowded depth chart in front of him for defensive playing time, but his feel for angles and elite tackling skills should find the field on kick coverage.
On defense, I think he’s the first guy off the bench if there’s an injury to C.J. Gardner-Johnson or Kerby Joseph, or if Tracy Walker’s rehab hits a pothole. If Gardner-Johnson were to go down, Branch is a plug-and-play option in the slot. And if it’s Joseph or Walker who suffer an injury, Gardner-Johnson can backfill their deep safety responsibilities, with Branch once again moving into the nickel role.
▶ I’ve always been a fan of player comparisons, and I know scouts and NFL decision-makers lean on them as well in their evaluations. They’re a simple tool that helps visualize a player’s potential and fit.
I was quick to admit Friday night I didn’t know much about Western Kentucky’s Brodric Martin, one of Detroit’s third-round picks. But as I did some quick research on his collegiate role and measurables, I couldn’t help but think of Sammie Lee Hill, a defensive tackle the Lions selected in the fourth round of the 2009 draft.
Hill was a relative unknown out of Stillman (Alabama), but brought size and length to the table, quickly carving out a meaningful role in Detroit’s defense. Across four seasons, he averaged more than 400 snaps playing alongside brighter stars Ndamukong Suh, Nick Fairley and Corey Williams.
Martin, selected 19 picks earlier than Hill was in 2009, is similarly massive and long. Martin’s 35 inches were the longest measured for a player at his position in this class. And like Hill, Martin seems content to selflessly fill that space-eating, run-run-clogging role so others can get credit for the tackles and sacks.
▶ Going into the draft, I felt the Lions might target a different type of defensive tackle, a penetrating three-technique to improve the team’s interior pass rush. Coming out of the event, the addition of Martin suggests one of two things, in my opinion, and maybe both.
First, the team is intent on sticking with Alim McNeill as a 3-tech after shifting him to that alignment in the middle of last season. There’s admittedly potential there, just a lack of consistency. That’s something the player recently admitted was his focus this offseason, and he’s aggressively altered his diet and workout routine to unearth it.
This might be more of a stretch, but it could hint at optimism for Levi Onwuzurike’s condition as he continues to work his way back from a back injury that has cost him most of his first two seasons.
▶ I love the addition of Hendon Hooker. I first mentioned him as a good backup candidate in an Oct. 6 mailbag and never wavered the opinion, even after the ACL injury. I like the accuracy, the decision-making and the dual-threat ability. Sure, there will be a schematic adjustment, but his extensive experience and confidence breeds confidence he’ll make it without issue.
To me, Hooker is the perfect backup for Goff from this draft class. He doesn’t present an immediate challenge to the starter, and therefore won’t be a distraction. On the other hand, Hooker has a skill set that should give the team the best chance to win if he’s pressed into action because of the aforementioned trio of traits.
And, on top of it all, Hooker has a reasonably high ceiling. He could develop into a trade chip the next two or three years, with an outside shot of being good enough that the Lions consider making him their long-term starter. Let me clear: I don’t think that’s the plan, like it might have been with Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia, but there’s at least a chance it could happen.
That was never the case with some other young backups the franchise has added in recent years, guys like Brad Kaaya, Jake Rudock, Kellen Moore and David Blough.
▶ It was obvious Swift was out as soon as the Gibbs’ pick was made. I thought the Lions did well to get a fourth-round pick for him, even if they won’t see it for two years.
Some asked why not keep Swift for a year as insurance? Honestly, you were going to struggle to get full effort from a player with his talent level in a reduced role during a contract year. On top of that, he offered little hope of contributing on special teams.
And yes, the Lions could have held and potentially received a 2024 compensatory pick following his departure, but those are awarded based on a net gain/loss of free agents. So to be eligible, it might have limited how many players, or more specifically quality players, the Lions pursued in free agency. There’s no reason to handcuff yourself when you can secure the fourth-rounder now.
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Justin_Rogers