The Lions chose Riley Reiff who was widely thought of to be a top 20 pick by most mock drafts:
- Mel Kiper ($): 13th to Arizona
- Todd McShay ($): 13th to Arizona
- Peter King: 18th to San Diego
- Mike Mayock: 13th to Arizona
When we looked at possible first round picks for the Lions earlier this month, I was operating under the assumption that Reiff would already be off the board. Reiff was a three year starter at Iowa. He started at right tackle and moved over to left tackle after Bryan Bulaga moved on to the NFL.
I don't think the first round played out like anyone thought it would. The amount of trades was something that I had never seen before and was a product of the new collective bargaining agreement. Martin Mayhew stayed true to his word when he said he would take the best player available. Reiff could play either tackle spot long-term, but I think it's pretty obvious that he'll be groomed to take over for Jeff Backus. For the upcoming season, don't be surprised if he slides over to the right side to give Gosder Cherilus some competition along with Corey Hilliard before moving over to the left side after next season.
Looking Ahead
The second and third rounds of the draft will be tomorrow night, and the Lions have one selection in each round. Their priorities for tomorrow have got to be to bring in at least one cornerback who can compete for a starting position. Addressing the offensive line was a perfectly logical choice with the way the draft fell tonight. However, if we're sitting here at this point tomorrow and the Lions have yet to draft a corner, feel free to hit the panic button. As it stands now, the group of Houston, Lacey, Berry and Smith is not going to produce two quality starters at cornerback.
Names to Watch (All Cornerbacks)
- Janoris Jenkins, North Alabama
- Trumaine Johnson, Montana
- Josh Robinson, Central Florida
- Josh Norman, Coastal Carolina
- Brandon Boykin, Georgia
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