Perhaps no team did more to alter its fortunes this weekend than the lowly . I love what they did. And, much more importantly, evaluators I reached out to in the aftermath of the draft felt the same way.If this franchise finally gets turned around, if Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes accomplish what so many have tried and failed, and if the Lions actually become a consistently winning organization, I suspect we look back at their player acquisitions from the 2022 draft as a major reason why. They have gone about turning the a sets they received for into potential foundational pieces, and it appears on paper as if they are well on their way. was the consensus top overall pick before broke the combine. Look at Jacksonville's vast history of blowing or overthinking top 10 picks; the fact they took this gamble probably bodes well for the Lions. Grabbing the Michigan pa s rusher and culture-changer and exemplary human being is huge for Detroit. And it set the tone for a great three days.For all of the talk about receivers in
Prince Fielder Jersey this draft, and the different varieties available, and all of the varied opinions, one thing stood out to me among the evaluators I trust: has the best chance to be a truly franchise-altering talent. No one has higher upside at that position. No one else can take the top off a defense like him. And once he's healthy, he'll do just that. I can't applaud Holmes and his staff enough for paying what seemed to me to be a bargain price to move up 20 spots. "If you are going to make a move like that in this draft, on that side of the ball, you do it for that kid (Williams)," one executive told me. "He could be truly special."Another said: "I love what the Lions did. They kickstarted their rebuild."On Day 2 they grabbed perhaps my favorite player in the entire draft in pa s rusher , a tremendous kid who is all about helping others and who has used overcoming cancer as an impetus to make the world a better place. Would they have selected Hutchinson's bookend pa s rusher from Michigan in that spot had the not grabbed ? Perhaps. But I love the idea of Hutchinson and Paschal teaming up as well.Safety and tight end also caught my attention in the mid-rounds. Will the Lions
Logan Forsythe Jersey end up regretting sitting out this polarizing quarterback cla s entirely? Maybe. But next year's batch will most definitely be more exciting than this cla s, and Detroit should be well positioned enough to capitalize. In the meantime, their talent level is heading decidedly in the right direction for a change. The Eagles are closing in on the Bucs and for NFC roster supremacy. I like what they are putting around their quarterback. I like what they did in the draft (including Philly's mega-
Taylor Hearn Jersey trade for , which I think was a steal).I think both Brown and the Eagles will make noise this season.Brown will be a physical beast with jump balls and catch radius and contested catches. Yeah, it's a lot of money, but the owner is a billionaire and he isn't really paying anyone on offense right now and the QB is still making peanuts. Now's the time to do it, and two years from now they'll have flexibility in the deal if they need it.Philly upgraded its spine on defense, which was ma sive. is a freak of nature defensive lineman who can be eased in on a DL that has top veterans like still around. And now the alpha of a Georgia defense that might be the best of all time can run around behind him. Had the Eagles stayed at 18 and not dealt Brown, I could see being the pick there; Dean will more than suffice and getting him at 83 is better yet. I think will team with 2021 draft pick to provide an interior anchor of the offensive line for years to come at the center position. Oh yeah, and did I mention that what Brown's presence downfield will do for an already potent run game?This is the best team in the NFC East for me. And if Hurts can get a little more consistent and the staff can continue to evolve in what that offense looks like, I see the Eagles being a factor in that conference come January. Oh, and landing Carson Strong as an undrafted free agent could end up being huge, too. If that kid can stay healthy, he plays in this league at some point.There are some teams with some obvious lingering needs heading out of the draft. to the makes a ton of sense. Had Notre Dame safety been there with their second first-round selection
Shin-Soo Choo Jersey then they wouldn't be as hotly connected to the veteran. But now it makes too much sense not to happen Speaking of safeties, someone is gonna get a good one if/when the Ravens deal . They are loaded at his position after selecting Hamilton with their first pick. Clark has worn the green dot at the QB of their defense for years, he can play multiple roles including linebacker/hybrid stuff, he is beloved in
Matt Moore Jersey that locker room and is a true leader. Not sure what they end up getting for him, but after dealing a bevy of veterans in recent years who asked out after seeing their roles change ( , , Hollywood Brown, for starters), hard to see them keeping Clark after drafting his replacement with two years left on the veteran's deal Baltimore's draft is being heralded, and rightly so, but that front seven still needs a lot of work. Hard to imagine they don't add at least one veteran edge rusher, and perhaps two. A reunion with and someone like would make a lot of sense I still see the doing whatever they can to bring back and ; those needs are real. And as I have been reporting, if the Browns are serious about trading , ownership better get real about eating at least half of his near-$19M salary. And Seattle remains the only landing spot that truly makes immediate sense.
