I actually like the Lions' overall draft. I do think they reached a bit with their first 2 picks though.

The draft just didn't fall the Lions' way this year. All of the guys they targeted were gone before they picked in the first 2 rounds. I think they did ok with what they had to work with. I would have liked to see them move down a bit more in the first round though, but with the way that the OTs were flying off the board (3 in the first 14 picks), I guess they wanted to make sure they got their man. (A bit surprised Otah fell as much as he did).

In the 3rd round, they moved up to the first pick in the round to ensure that they were able to grab one of the RBs that they had targeted. From what I've read, they decided to pass on Mendenhall because they felt that they could get a really solid back in the 3rd round. With RBs going 22, 23, 24 in the first round and then Rice and Forte going in the 2nd, the only back left that they liked was Kevin Smith. They moved up to #1 in the 3rd to ensure that they got him.

Apparently, Smith really wanted to be a Lion (). No seriously. Read this.

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