Jeff Seidel

Detroit Free Press Columnist



It happened last October in Minnesota. I was standing outside the Lions’ locker room, and quarterback Matthew Stafford walked slowly, gingerly, down the hallway. Pain shot across his face and it looked like it hurt to breathe. He was going to get X-rays on his chest and ribs after the Lions lost, 26-16, to the Vikings.There is one moment that I can’t seem to forget.

Minnesota had turned Stafford into a battered piñata: He had been hit eight times, although he was sacked just once.

Granted, that was before Jim Bob Cooter took over the offense and Cooter did a better job of masking the Lions’ biggest weakness, the offensive line.

But still, the Lions couldn’t do the basic things last season: protect Stafford or run the ball.

And that’s what was so encouraging about this draft for the Lions.

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The Lions drafted three offensive linemen, and it wouldn’t be shocking if two of them, tackle Taylor Decker and center Graham Glasgow, ended up as starters in the future.

Now, it wasn’t a perfect draft for Bob Quinn, the Lions’ new general manager. He did take a long snapper for goodness’ sake.

But it was an important draft, and there were a lot of reasons to like it, especially for Quinn’s basic philosophy: go big or go home.

In the first round, Quinn selected Decker, a mobile mountain, who stands 6-feet-7 and weighs 310 pounds.

Then, he took defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson (6-4, 307), followed by Glasgow (6-6, 307).

Can you imagine Quinn at McDonald’s? “I’d like to supersize that.”

McDonald’s employee: “Uh, we don’t do that anymore.”

But the Lions tried — at least in this draft — and that was encouraging.

That’s just the first of several things to like about this draft.

Quinn’s philosophy can be summed up in one sentence: He is trying to reshape this roster with big, tough, versatile, smart football players who are known for their character and leadership.

TOUGHNESS: My favorite pick was Miles Killebrew, just off his highlight tape. “I think he’s the biggest hitter in the draft,” analyst Mike Mayock said on NFL Network, as Killebrew’s highlight tape flashed on the screen. There was Killebrew, demolishing a running back, drilling him onto his back. “Bam!” Mayock said. Then, another big hit. And another. “You went full John Madden there,” draft host Rich Eisen said.

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Welcome to Detroit, Mr. Killebrew.

He’s loved already.

VERSATILITY: Is Killebrew a safety or a linebacker? Who cares. Is Decker a right tackle or a left? Who cares. He’s a football player. Antwione Williams can play all three linebacker positions, and Joe Dahl can play guard or tackle.

Clearly, Quinn values versatility.

Glasgow was one of the best centers in this draft. He brings versatility to the line. He started 22 games at center for Michigan but also had four starts at left guard and 11 at right guard. Anthony Zettel started out as a defensive end at Penn State and then ended up inside. Dahl played left tackle at Washington State but projects as an NFL guard.

And that long snapper — whoops. Let’s not even go there. But Jimmy Landes will give Don Muhlbach competition, if nothing else. And competition is a great thing, for every spot on the roster.

SMART:Several of these new Lions have been praised for being smart football players.

But it’s hard to get much smarter than Jake Rudock, the QB from Michigan. Will he ever be more than a backup? I don’t know. But processing information and decision-making are important attributes for an NFL quarterback, and that happens to be Rudock’s strength.

CHARACTER AND LEADERSHIP:Several of these new Lions have been described as leaders.

Decker was the undisputed leader of Ohio State’s offensive line.

Rudock was discarded at Iowa and became a leader at U-M.

Glasgow overcame some personal demons by living with his grandmother, maturing under a harsh, bright spotlight. It’s a story about family. It’s a story of second chances. You don’t think he’s going to come to the Lions and work his butt off? A guy who went through all of that to get through U-M?

And then there is Zettel, the tree-tackling crazy guy from Up North. Zettel showed all kinds of character and perseverance, staying at Penn State after the Jerry Sandusky scandal. Zettel could have left but he stayed and became a captain. He’s the kind of guy you can build a team around.

You gotta like this draft.

Not only for the players the Lions brought in.

But most of all, for Quinn’s philosophy behind the picks.

Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @seideljeff. To read his recent columns, go to freep.com/sports/jeff-seidel/.

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