We're still over 3 months away from the first preseason game. From this point forward though we have a good idea of who will be starting. Have to say just based on the division improvements I'm a little worried.
We picked up three quality starting players in the draft. Ansah should start and you would hope that with the 5th pick. Slay isn't a starting quality, but our CBs aren't very good so he might. Larry Warford should start day one at guard. I think Theo Riddick will get some snaps just as long as he can block in the NFL. He should line up in the slot every now and then, but you have to imagine Scheffler will get a lot of those snaps over him. He provides depth at WR, TE, and RB and different packages. He's obviously a RB, but you may see more two RB packages where a TE or WR is coming out. Sam Martin should start day one. Devin Taylor is a project, but the nice thing is he really just needs to bulk up. He should be in rotational snaps. He has high potential. Corey Fuller may not see a snap. He's extremely fast and raw like most of the draft picks. He needs to learn to put the ball away, route running, and improve his catching. Michael Williams is a guy that should be in on goal line situations. He probably won't get Heller playing time, because he doesn't have that speed. Hopefully we'll see a lot more goal line packages with Leshoure. The best teams have the ability to just hand it off down near the goal line.
Offensive line
Michael Williams will provide a nice addition to blocking. Raiola C, Sims G, Warford G, Fox RT, and Reiff LT is the potential starting lineup. We're going to see if the coaching staff has it. They either drafted a good project and coached him up right or the complete opposite. He was a guy that supposedly fell because of an injury in the draft. Well his time has come and it sounds like they have faith in him and Hillard. Fox has had injury problems so if you think Fox is the guy you have to have faith in Hillard too provide depth at about every position. Nagy will also provide much needed depth at interior. He'll push for the starting job against Warford, but may also push Railoa. Nagy might be taking over once Raiola is gone. If this line works out this will be an extremely young line. It really comes down to Fox and Nagy. It might be something that gets addressed next year. Once the first two tackles came off the board I think it was smart of the Lions to not taking a tackle. We didn't need another Jason Fox development project.
Running back
It's a full backfield. You have to like Bush in that shotgun set. Leshoure the power running back, Riddick the smaller versatile all around back that can go to the slot, and Joique Bell that is that all around bigger back.It comes down to if the Lions can run from the shotgun set. It's a difficult thing to do. I know everyone talks about less in the box. From the shotgun set you're not going downhill and lineman are in a farther back 2 point. It's more WR blocking. Realistically you're looking at one unblocked LB with not a lot of traffic to fight through.
Tight ends
You're looking at an impressive on paper group. Scheffler, Pettigrew, and Williams. Scheffler being you're slot WR, Pettigrew you're all around TE, and Williams being you're blocking TE. They signed Fauria who is an athletic TE that might be the understudy to Scheffler. I really like Fauria. You may not see him this year, but hopefully the future. My biggest concern is Scheffler has been dropping passes and Pettigrew has been dropping passes and losing the ball. Guys know and they'll be going after him. I hope he's made an adjustment this off season.
Quarterback
If you don't know Stafford is the starter. Shaun Hill is a quality backup and Kellen Moore hopefully never sees the field because he doesn't have it.
Wide receiver
You're looking at a lot of Calvin, Burleson, and Broyles. You're probably going to see a lot of 3 WR, 1 TE, and 1 RB sets. Nobody to really stretch the field opposite of CJ. Hopefully Burleson and Broyles stays healthy. Without a Young immature WR screwing things up. You look at and the WR should be better especially with Bush and Riddick. You have to realize without Fuller on the field a safety moves up and a safety slides towards CJ. Hopefully the running game will affect the defensive alignment opening up lanes for the WRs.
Defensive line
This is where things get interesting. Fairley will be starting and will hopefully have the conditioning to keep it up. The quality depth isn't quite there across the line. This is where the Lions is different from every other defense. The d line is supposed to penetrate up field and create havoc. This opens up running lanes and doesn't protect the LBs. Ansah, Suh, Fairley, and Jones. The subs will have to do the same thing. They need to collapse the pocket, get to the QB, and throw the RB off his route. Most importantly make plays back there. Can't continued to get trapped or whammed for 20 yards.
Linebackers
There's Tulloch and there's Levy and then ummm. There's no real starter strong side. Tulloch wasn't his reliable tackling self and as he's getting older I'm a little worried. Levy isn't exactly a stud and we're not going to be bringing in a stud. The LBs will need all the help they can get from CBs and D line in the running game. This is a very quick group that do well in the passing game and should continue to do so. This isn't a group that blitzes well. With the d line told to get to the quarterback they need too not the LBs. LBs need to come up make a good read and make good quality tackles in the hole. Keep the safeties from needing to come up opening up the back end of the defense.
Safeties
Delmas and Quin are great athletic guys. My biggest problem is there is no depth absolutely none. I don't trust Spievey. He's been picked on. Health is the biggest thing here. Delmas can cover up mistakes, but he need to be out there. Quin is a great safety. It's going to make a difference having two top tier safeties if their healthy.
Cornerbacks
Talk about an interesting group. Mayhew talks highly of every d back he drafted last year. I think this is another position area where we're at least a year away from being a contender. We have a lot of nickelbacks. I know I said last year Houston was a #2 CB, but he made me eat my words. I realize he sucked one game against the Falcons at primetime. He played extremely well every other game. Bentley, Greenwod, and Slay are nickle CBs. One of them is going to have to step up and make a big improvement. Greenwood we knew was a project so I don't expect him to see the field much. Jonte Green played well for a late round CB and showed he could do it. He got burnt too many times. He's a depth guy. Whose across from Houston, I'm not sure. I think Bentley is the leader. Hopefully we have a playmaker in this group. With having Greenwood and Bentley injured most the year we're not really sure what we have. Slay had a torn meniscus who even knows that he'll be ready at the start of the season.
The offense is really missing a guy to stretch the field vertical. It seemed like last year it was a team that needed a big play to score. Hopefully with Broyles and Burleson across the middle can be more of a chain moving group. Leshoure should be healthier to pound up the middle. The defense is shaky in pretty much every area. There's no depth anywhere on defense. Hopefully Ansah can be a playmaker.
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