The Lions landed a stud at eight
Kerryon Johnson Jersey , but the Packers and Vikings did fine for themselves too."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Detroit Lions NewsDetroit Lions NotesDetroit Lions AnalysisDetroit Lions TransactionsDetroit Lions Game RecapsBreaking NewsIntroducing the 2019 Detroit Lions Draft Class! 脳NFL DraftNFC NorthNFC North recap: Grading Day 1 of the draft for the rest of the divisionNew,65commentsThe Lions landed a stud at eight, but the Packers and Vikings did fine for themselves too.EDTShareTweetShareShareNFC North recap: Grading Day 1 of the draft for the rest of the divisionTrevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY SportsThe Detroit Lions had a great opening day to their 2019 NFL Draft, selecting tight end T.J. Hockenson eighth overall, but they were not the only team that improved on Thursday night. Here is how the rest of the NFC North did on night one of the draft:Chicago Bears Selections: NoneThe Chicago Bears did not have a first-round pick this season, as they sent it to the Oakland Raiders last summer in a trade that landed them Khalil Mack. That trade gave them the most important piece in their NFC North crown and landing one of the greatest pass rushers in the history of football is always a good move so I’ll still give them an A for the first round.Green Bay PackersSelections: Rashan Gary (EDGE - Michigan), Darnell Savage (S - Maryland)The Packers added to their already impressive group of pass rushers at pick 12 by selecting Rashan Gary of the Michigan Wolverines. The edge defender may not have produced much in college, but he does have high upside. The additions of Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith in free agency mean that Gary will not be expected to be a day one starter, allowing him to grow as a player before being truly thrown into the fire. It is a risky pick, but if Gary busts, they will still be fine at edge. Drafting a player who did not do anything in college and is carrying the weight of a recent shoulder injury at No. 12 is a reach, though
Frank Ragnow Jersey , so they get a D for this pick.Green Bay went defense again later in the draft, when they traded with the Seattle Seahawks to get back into the first round at No. 21. They selected safety Darnell Savage out of Maryland, and he gives this defense exactly what they need. The Packers needed help at safety entering the offseason, and while Adrian Amos was a great pick up, he leaves a lot to be desired in coverage. Savage is an amazing coverage safety with great range and instincts on the back end. Trading up for him this high for him feels like a bit of a reach, but he was a fast rising player who will provide a Day 1 boost to their defensive backfield. They get an A- for picking Savage.Minnesota VikingsSelection: Garrett Bradbury (IOL - NC State)The Vikings’ lack of interior pass protection caused a team with Super Bowl level talent to miss the playoffs all together in 2018. They made sure that the 18th overall pick helped fix their greatest issue and selected center Garrett Bradbury. Bradbury can play anywhere on the interior of the offensive line, and was regarded by many as one of the top prospects in this class.Landing a great player with great value at your teams biggest position of need will always earn an A in my book. Getting to know the Lions newest safety."Day 2 of the 2019 NFL Draft was a really interesting day for the Lions. In typical fashion, Lions fans and media pundits had players they hoped the Lions would take when they were still on the board, and the Lions, instead, drafted players directly out of left field. Will Harris was one of those players. There were still some good secondary players left on the board at the time like Justin Layne, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson
Marvin Jones Jersey , Amani Hooker or Amani Oruwariye. But the Lions went for Harris after trading up seven spots with the Vikings. The Lions have shown in this year’s draft more than any other that they have a plan and that plan has nothing to do with your plan or my plan. They appear to be sticking to their board like glue and drafting the exact guys they want. Time will tell if the Lions swooped in a took these guys from other teams or if they could have got them later. We’ll see.As far as Harris goes. The Lions needed to replace Glover Quin this summer, but the belief was that Tracy Walker was going to be that guy. He still might be. To be honest, I don’t know much about Harris.That’s why we got in touch with our friend A.J. Black from BC Interruption. We asked him a few questions on what he thinks about Harris and what he can bring to the table. Here’s what he had to say. POD: What are your overall thoughts on Harris’s time at BC?BCI: “Will Harris has a quintessential Boston College football player story. He has football in his blood, as his father was a wide receiver for Mississippi State and was drafted by the Buffalo Bills. Coming out of the Choate School in Wallingford CT in 2015, he was listed as only a three star on his Rivals page. Just like fellow NFL prospect Chris Lindstrom he wasn’t heavily recruited either, only receiving offers from Boston College, Old Dominion and lesser schools like UConn. He was a camp commit for Steve Addazio, someone he saw on campus and got him to sign right away, and what a steal for the Eagles.As a freshman he saw the field immediately, snagging an interception against Maine in his first game with the Eagles. He played on and off with BC in his first year, playing in all 12 games, and starting the final three games of the season at strong safety. He finished his freshman year with 20 tackles
Darius Slay Jersey , 1 pass defense, and one forced fumble along with his interception. His sophomore year he saw even more playing time, starting all 13 games at strong safety, finishing the season with 2 interceptions and 47 tackles. His junior year he started all 13 games, with another interception, and a whopping four fumble recoveries and had a touchdown on a lateral against Iowa in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl. His final season at BC saw Harris start all 12 games again, with two more fumble recoveries and an interception.”POD: What are his strengths?BCI: “There is a lot to like about Will Harris. As a safety he can play both positions, and has the physical knack that a lot of NFL teams like in their secondary. He flies all around the field to make plays, and can deliver the lumber closing on either a wide receiver or tight end. In fact his physicality and size make him a good matchup against the modern tight ends popular in the NFL. He has great football instincts, and there are hardly any plays that he gets gobbled up or loses containment/coverage. Finally, he plays on special teams as well, which could help him see some early playing time for Detroit.”NFL Draft Day 2 reactions! Jeremy
Matthew Stafford Jersey , Jerry and John break down the Detroit Lions’ surprising and controversial picks of Jahlani Tavai and Will Harris in the second and third round, respectively. POD: What are his weaknesses?BCI: “NFL scouts do have some concerns about Harris. While he is instinctual and doesn’t allow many big plays, he isn’t a guy that college quarterbacks avoided. He finished at BC as a good safety, but not one that made tons of “big plays”. Coaches that are looking for safeties that can be explosive, and can make a huge play may be turned off by his lack of production at the college level. Now that is not to say Harris can’t be a ball hawk, he just hasn’t shown it yet.”POD: What should Lions fans expect from Harris? Can he make an impact early on?BCI: “Lions fans should expect a competitor, a quintessential “dude” as Steve Addazio would call those types of players. Hard working, a real leader in the locker room. He constantly worked to improve, and should be a real asset for the Lions right away either as a safety, or on special teams.”