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Detroit Lions News & Rumors

NFL Draft Rumors: Sweat, Giants, Patriots

April 24th, 2018 at 12:47pm CST by Zachary Links

FSU pass rusher Josh Sweat is a player to keep an eye on as the NFL Draft approaches. Sweat, a five-star, top-10 overall recruit nationally coming out of high school, impressed at the draft combine and drew the attention of evaluators across the league. However, his history of knee issues including ACL, MCL, PCL injuries have teams concerned, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Interestingly, his 2016 knee surgery was performed by Giants team doctor Russ Warren, and that leads Rapoport to wonder aloud if that could make New York a potential landing spot for him. Sweat has been widely projected as a third round possibility, but it sounds like he could find his way into the second round based on his potential.

Here’s the latest NFL Draft buzz:

Could Matt Cassel Overtake Jake Rudock As Lions Backup QB

April 22nd, 2018 at 3:07pm CST by Ryan Posner
  • Kyle Meinke of MLive wonders if Matt Cassel might beat out Jake Rudock for the team’s backup quarterback job. The ties between Cassell, 35, and the Lions are fairly obvious, with new coach Matt Patricia. He was an assistant coach with the Patriots in 2008 when Cassel had arguably his best season as a pro, in place of the injured Tom Brady. The Lions took Rudock in the sixth round of the 2016 draft out of Michigan and he’s appeared in three games through two seasons, compared to 106 career appearances and 81 starts in Cassel’s career.

Opinion: Marcus Davenport Is Better Fit For Lions

April 22nd, 2018 at 11:34am CST by Rory Parks
  • In his latest mailbag, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com takes a look at two of the pass rushers that have been frequently connected to the Lions — Boston College’s Harold Landry and UTEP’s Marcus Davenport — and opines that Davenport would be the better fit. However, as we learned yesterday, Detroit could be looking to trade down from its No. 20 overall pick, and Rothstein notes that remains a possibility.

Lions Draft Rumors: Trade Down, RB, OL

April 20th, 2018 at 1:54pm CST by Zachary Links

It sounds like the Lions will be looking for opportunities to trade down from No. 20.

“I think we’re going to kind of take it as it comes in the first round and see what’s there in the teens and evaluate what our options are,” GM Bob Quinn said, via Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press. “I’m always in the business of getting more draft picks, if I can. … I think that’s just good for business. The more you get, the more you hit on. “So if we can acquire more picks, that would be something I look forward to. If there’s a player I really like at [No. 20 overall], I’m going to have to go ahead and take the pick.”

More from Detroit:

  • Don’t bet on the Lions taking a running back in Round 1. When asked how the addition of LeGarrette Blount impacts his draft strategy at the running back position, Quinn said “it could impact it a little bit,” as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes. “I mean, I think if we had to go a football game today we have enough running backs to be competitive,” he said. “Now, is that saying I’m not going to take one? I don’t know. Tell me who’s going to be on the board in the second, third, fourth round. I mean, I don’t know.”
  • Quinn won’t rule out taking a guard or center on Day 1, however. “If he’s a good football player, and he’s at or near top of the board, I have no problem taking an interior offensive lineman (in the opening round),” Quinn said (via Kyle Meinke of MLive.com) “I’d say in this year’s class, there are a number of them. I think it’s a pretty well-rounded class, guys that have some position flex. Guys that are maybe guards only, or centers only. I think there is a good mix.“

Dwight Freeney Retires From NFL

April 19th, 2018 at 3:56pm CST by Zachary Links

Dwight Freeney is calling it a career. After 16 seasons in the NFL, Freeney will sign a one-day contract with Indianapolis to retire as a member of the Colts. 

Freeney entered the league as the No. 11 pick in the 2002 NFL Draft. Since then, he has racked up seven Pro Bowl nods, three first-team All-Pro selections, and a Super Bowl ring.

Freeney, 38, will be best remembered for his time in blue and white, where he amassed 107. 5 sacks across eleven seasons. All in all, he has 125.5 career sacks to his credit, tying him for 17th all-time in NFL history.

The Colts averaged 11 wins per year during Freeney’s run with the Colts and had 11 sacks in his 22 playoff games with the team. Many thought the Colts were reaching when they selected Freeney in ’02, but he turned out to be the perfect fit for first-year head coach Tony Dungy.

“Bill [Polian] had seen Dwight and thought he was exactly the guy I had been talking about,” Dungy said of Freeney. “We’re sitting at No. 11 in the first round and people looked at his size and thought it was too high to draft him. Bill, to his credit, said, ‘If this is going to be the big piece of the puzzle, let’s not worry about where we take Dwight and what other people think. Let’s get the guy who is going to be the perfect piece.’ Dwight was the straw that stirred the drink.”

The Syracuse product played in three Super Bowls — two with the Colts, one with the Falcons — and started in 19 postseason games. All seven of Freeney’s double-digit sack seasons came with the Colts.

Following his Colts run, which ran through the 2012 season, Freeney played with five more teams. His most notable post-Indianapolis season came with the 2015 Cardinals, for whom he registered eight sacks and helped to the NFC title game despite being an off-the-bench edge rusher. He recorded three sacks in each of the past two seasons, playing in Atlanta, Seattle and Detroit. Prior to Arizona, Freeney spent two seasons in San Diego.

Lions Host Harold Landry

April 17th, 2018 at 8:44pm CST by Dallas Robinson
  • The Lions have hosted Boston College edge rusher Harold Landry, reports Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). Detroit has added several interior defensive lineman so far this offseason, but the team has yet to address its pass-rushing need. Landry could help in that regard, but there’s no guarantee he’ll still be on the board at pick No. 20. For what it’s worth, Landry played under now-Lions defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni at BC. Landry, who posted 48 sacks during his collegiate career, would not only give Detroit immediate help on the edge, but allow the Lions to hedge against a potential 2019 loss of franchise-tagged defensive end Ezekiel Ansah.

Lions’ Ezekiel Ansah Signs Franchise Tender

April 17th, 2018 at 2:34pm CST by Zachary Links

The Lions have officially re-signed defensive end Ezekiel Ansah. For now, Ansah is set to play out the 2018 season on a one-year deal worth more than $17MM. 

Ansah and the Lions have until July 16 to agree on a multi-year extension, per the terms of the franchise tag. From 2013-2017, 16 of the league’s 33 franchise tagged players have agreed to extensions before the summer deadline, but it’s not especially likely in Ansah’s case. In late March, Lions GM Bob Quinn hinted that he’ll take a wait-and-see approach with Ansah.

“We’re hoping he stays healthy, has a productive year and we go from there,” Quinn said.

Last year, Ansah recorded 12 sacks, 44 total tackles, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Only seven players – Chandler Jones, Calais Campbell, Demarcus Lawrence, Everson Griffen, Cameron Jordan, Ryan Kerrigan, and Joey Bosa – brought the quarterback down behind the line more than Ansah in 2017.

Ansah’s 44 career sacks rank fifth all-time in Lions history, an impressive feat with just five NFL season under his belt. The Lions, ideally, would like to keep him in the fold in the long run, but they may be hesitant about committing major dollars to him because of his so-so 2016 performance.

NFL Draft Rumors: Nelson, 49ers, Eagles

April 17th, 2018 at 2:25pm CST by Zachary Links

Good news for Wisconsin product Nick Nelson. The surgery to fix the cornerback’s torn meniscus was successful and he did not need a full repair, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Because it was not a full repair, he is expected to recover in six weeks rather than 3-4 months and should be ready for training camp. Nelson was projected to come off the board no later than the third round before the injury and he should be in consideration for rounds 2 and 3 once again after the operation.

Here’s a look at the latest NFL Draft news:

  • The 49ers met with Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith on Tuesday, according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. Smith had 137 tackles and 6.5 sacks last season and could be a replacement for Reuben Foster, who is embroiled in serious legal trouble stemming from a domestic violence arrest.
  • Iowa center James Daniels, who is widely regarded as the top center in this year’s draft, visited with the Eagles this week, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. On Tuesday, he’ll meet with Bears before traveling to the 49ers on Wednesday. Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com says that Daniels is one of the best center prospects he’s seen in the last five years and has him ranked as the 23rd best prospect overall in this year’s draft.
  • South Carolina tight end Hayden Hurst, met with the Lions on Tuesday, Rapoport tweets. If the Lions select Hurst in the first round, that will make three first round tight ends for them in the last ten years, following Brandon Pettigrew (2009) and Eric Ebron (2014).
  • Louisville cornerback Jaire Alexander visited the Eagles and Dolphins this week, Rapoport tweets. Alexander is widely projected to be a first round pick and may be the second CB to come off the board after Ohio State’s Denzel Ward.
  • Teams like Alabama defensive tackle Da’Ron Payne, but the belief that he is a two-down defender and not an adept pass-rusher may keep him out of the Top 10, Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com hears.
  • Speaking of Payne, he visited the Redskins on Monday, a source tells ESPN.com’s John Keim (on Twitter). Washington owns the No. 13 overall pick in the draft.
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