By Dean Holden 

Ndamukong Suh 

This is the pick that, more than any other, will determine the future of the Lions’ defense, much the same as the Matthew Stafford pick will determine the future of the offense. Suh is expected to be a star, and if he turns out to be only average down the road, it will set the Lions back severely.

Luckily, early signs are overwhelmingly positive. Though Suh’s greatest statistical contribution to the Lions’ defense thus far has been the fine resulting from this hit on Jake Delhomme, he has done exactly what the Lions needed him to do: draw consistent double-teams from opposing offensive lines.

Even on the that play, he had to fight over two blocks before chasing down Delhomme.

In other words, you’ll know if Suh is doing his job if the rest of the line has impressive stats.

So is Suh doing his job? Well, the Lions racked up 11 sacks in the preseason, and none were attributed to Suh. In fact, Suh only notched three total tackles in the preseason. So the answer is, quite possibly, yes.

That’s fine for his rookie season, but to become a truly dominant defensive tackle, he will eventually need to become more than a match for two blockers and fight over his fair share of double teams.

There’s no reason he can’t, and in fact, all signs point to him doing so in the future. But he’s not there yet. Patience.

Grade: A-

Jahvid Best

Jahvid Best has needed relatively few preseason carries to show that he is probably the best running back to hit Detroit since… oops, almost let it slip.

Okay, in a very long time.

Best started the preseason a bit shaky, but seems to have improved a bit in each game and now appears to be the Lions’ second-most dangerous weapon after Calvin Johnson.

Best and last year’s starter, Kevin Smith, got the same number of carries in the preseason, 15 each. Most of Best’s came early in the game against a fresh first-string defense, and he finished the preseason with a team-leading 129 yards, for a ridiculous average of 8.6 yards per carry.

I know what you’re thinking, and I’ve got it covered. If you take out Best’s 51-yard run against Cleveland (which, admittedly, would throw his average out of whack since he only pulled 15 total carries), his average is just under 5.6 yards per carry.

Still impressive, considering that almost all of his carries came against first-string defenses, and he’s an equally dangerous receiving back.

Best’s presence as a big-play threat from the backfield will give the Lions much more freedom in game planning, and make it much more difficult for opposing defenses to key on the pass, which has been Detroit primary (and its only competent) method of attack for years.

The only concern with Best is his health. A severe concussion on a young running back is dangerous, and will continue to be throughout his career. That threat will keep the “plus” off the end of this grade.

Grade: A

Amari Spievey

If not for the pick of DeAndre Levy in 2009, I would swear that the Lions management’s Achilles’ Heel on the draft board is the third round.

Last year? Derrick Williams, who has been by far the greatest disappointment of that draft class thus far.

And now we have Amari Spievey. The biggest play he’s had in the preseason has been getting burned for a long touchdown, getting savagely chewed out by Gunther Cunningham, and subsequently being moved to safety.

And it now appears that it may have been the most important play of his career. While he struggled at cornerback, Spievey has flourished since the move to safety.

Of course, this makes sense, considering he was a physical cornerback with strong tackling skills in a zone defense at Iowa.

Still, the Lions didn’t draft a safety, they drafted a cornerback. And now, instead of having a promising young cornerback on the roster, they’re short one.

Credit to the Lions brass for making the switch, which seems to have retained Spievey’s value, just not at the position where they desperately needed it.

Grade: C-

Jason Fox

Well, at least the Lions drafted somebody to play an offensive line position. They took Lydon Murtha in the seventh round last year, but he was cut, and subsequently signed off waivers by the Miami Dolphins.

So, for all you guys who preached Michael Oher last year, and Russell Okung this year, this is what you got. Jason Fox, OT, Miami.

Honestly, it’s a good pick. One of those high-round picks on the offensive line would mean that the Lions are looking to put incumbent left tackle Jeff Backus out to pasture a bit before he’s ready. Backus has a couple of good years left in the tank, and more importantly, a couple of very expensive years left on his contract.

So they waited and grabbed a fourth-round project.

And Fox is exactly that: a project. Much like the Lions’ 2009 fourth-round pick, Sammie Hill, Fox is a guy with the physical tools to succeed, but he needs good coaching, experience, and time.

Since he won’t be pushing for a starting job anytime soon (especially with Backus the Iron Man never missing a game), Fox’s biggest hurdle was going to be making the active roster as a reserve.

Fox’s performance was strong enough to warrant a spot over veteran Jon Jansen, and while youth over experience has been a theme for the Lions this offseason, Jansen was expected to compete for a starting spot at the onset of training camp.

Is this a sign that Fox is closer to ready than we thought? Probably not, but due to his draft position and the Lions’ offensive line situation, he doesn’t have to be. He can develop however he needs to, and nobody will pressure him to step in before he’s ready.

This is definitely a pick that will take longer to judge than just this year, but for now, I give high marks to Fox for making the squad, and the Lions for picking him in the perfect position for both him and the organization.

Grade: B

Willie Young

I shrugged off the selection of Willie Young in the yawn-worthy section of the draft. It had been about four hours since the last time the Lions drafted, and there wasn’t a whole lot to get excited about. Including Young himself.

So I thought.

But throughout the preseason, Young made his presence felt every single time he stepped on the field. He has been an electrifying presence for the defense, despite his exceptionally small stature (for his position).

Young is a pure speed rusher on the edge, and unless he puts on about 30 pounds or shifts to linebacker, that’s all he’ll ever be. Versatility is not Young’s calling card.

But even though he only does one thing, he does it well. Young finished the preseason with 13 tackles and two sacks. Both sacks came late in the game, both turned into fumbles, and both ended up sealing the game for the Lions.

And a team can never have too many guys who specialize in consistently getting to the quarterback.

Although Young made a couple decent plays on rushing downs in the preseason, his future in the NFL is likely going to be as a third down pass rush specialist. But if he succeeds at that, he will be an extremely valuable pick, considering he was an early seventh-rounder.

It remains to be seen whether Young will have the same success against elite lineman as he did against backups not used to dealing with his speed, but the Lions seem to think he at least will have an easier time of it than Jason Hunter.

Grade: B+

Tim Toone

It’s tempting to knock the only guy out of the Lions’ 2010 draft that didn’t make the active roster.

But the guy is Mr. Irrelevant, what do you want from him?

Toone suffered in the preseason from a couple of dropped passes, having to field punts in Denver (not an enviable task), and some unfair comparisons to Wes Welker because of his size, style (over the middle), and – let’s face it – skin tone.

But for the last pick in the draft, Toone has value. He was shifty on some of his punt returns, and he could be a valuable slot receiver in the future, he’s just not there right now.

Luckily, Toone cleared waivers to hit the Lions practice squad, so he could make a return in the next season or two.

Of course, he could just as easily not make any noise. They call him “Mr. Irrelevant” for a reason. It isn’t as though the Lions are fielding an All-Pro stable of receivers and Toone couldn’t make it in. He missed the cut in favor of Derrick Williams and Dennis Northcutt (though Northcutt is sans employment now, too).

But give him time. Toone has a long way to go, so he’s at least still a maybe.

Grade: D

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