13. DT Nick Fairley A-

Lions GM Martin Mayhew probably jizzed in his pants when he saw he had the choice between Fairley, Robert Quinn, and Prince Amukamara. I think Quinn and Amukamara filled bigger needs, but if Fairley was tops on their board, which he obviously was, I can’t fault them too much. Adding Fairley with Ndamukong Suh at defensive tackle, with Sammie Lee Hill and Corey Williams as depth guys, and Kyle Vanden Bosch and Cliff Avril at the ends, gives them one of the best defensive lines in the league. Somewhere Jay Cutler has preemptively sprained his knee.

44. WR Titus Young A-

Again, value over need getting a late first round value in Titus Young in the mid 2^nd round. It’s not like they didn’t need someone like Young, a dynamic slot receiver who can provide depth and contribute on special teams, but they needed a left tackle, cornerback, or a safety more than anything here.

57. RB Mikel Leshoure A

Again, value over need getting a late first round value in Mikel Leshoure in the late 2^nd round. I think Leshoure is a better value at 57 than Young was at 44 and he also fills a bigger need as Jahvid Best can’t carry the load. They’ve had to rely on Maurice Morris down the stretch as their feature back for two straight years. That’s bad. Nothing wrong with this pick at all.

157. OLB Doug Hogue B

Hogue was actually a reach at this point by my board, but they are filling a need and there’s no doubt he was best available on their board. That’s just how they operate and how they have operated in the last 3 years since their new regime took office.

209. OT Johnny Culbreath B+

Another reach by my board, but they desperately need a left tackle. Jeff Backus might be decent now, but he’s in a contract year and he’ll be 34 at the end of next season. They have Jason Fox and Corey Hilliard in the mix, both of whom they do like. Culbreath gives them another potential future left tackle in the mix. He wasn’t in my top 300, however, so he is a minor reach, but it’s the 7^th round and it fills a major need so I’ll let it slide.

Overall:

Their biggest holes going into this draft (in no particular order) were cornerback, safety, outside linebacker, and offensive tackle. They didn’t draft a linebacker until the 5^th round or a tackle until the 7^th round and they didn’t draft a single defensive back, but considering they only had 5 picks and they got excellent values with their first 3 picks, who also do fill somewhat of a need, this was still a very, very good draft. Fairley gives them another dynamic defensive lineman. Leshoure and Titus Young give them two more explosive offensive playmakers. If Matt Stafford can stay healthy next year, this could easily be a playoff team.

Grade: A-