SI Lions Roundtable: Who Will Be Drafted by Lions in First Round?

John Maakaron, Vito Chirco and Logan Lamorandier tackle this week's Detroit Lions news

1.) How will you watch the NFL Draft this year?

John Maakaron: I have a great war room at the work office setup. I'm fully capable of filing reports and watching this year's draft. 

I will be reporting, watching along and cannot wait to see how the first-round plays out. 

Vito Chirco: I'll be watching it from the warm confines of my bachelor pad. I don't think I'll be in my basement like NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, though.

Logan Lamorandier: The old fashioned way. Probably just be at my dining room table with my computer and notes with the TV on in the background.

2.) Do you see Lions trading pick No. 3 or staying put?

Maakaron: If a trade takes place, I think it will be with either the Dolphins or Chargers. Of course, there could be a team that jumps up in the mix for a quarterback -- but I see the Lions staying put. 

Chirco: At this point, I see the Lions staying put in the first-round of the draft. 

Lamorandier: I see them wanting to trade back, but it takes two to tango. If I had to put money on it, I would bet they make a deal to move down.

3.) What was your biggest takeaway from GM Bob Quinn's video conference?

Maakaron: My biggest takeaway was Quinn indicating that if a deal is to be made for the No. 3 pick, he wants to have it locked in place pretty much by the middle of the afternoon on Thursday.

Chirco: Quinn's valiant effort to make media members and fans alike believe that a number of players had reached out to the organization during free agency because they wanted to play for Detroit head coach Matt Patricia.

I just don't believe it, after all the noise that ex-Lions Quandre Diggs, Damon "Snacks" Harrison, Glover Quin and Darius Slay have made about the negative atmosphere inside the locker room -- which is spearheaded by Patricia.

Sure, Quinn and Patricia have started adding players to the locker room that buy into the rigid, tight-lipped culture that the regime has attempted to build -- i.e. ex-Patriots and free-agent acquisitions Jamie Collins and Danny Shelton. But, overall, I still believe there is a level of disconnect between Patricia and the players inside the locker room in Allen Park.

Lamorandier: Quinn gave a lot of answers regarding the draft how you would assume he would respond. What I found interesting was that he didn't pigeonhole Halapoulivaati Vaitai into the right tackle spot. He left the door wide open as to where Vaitai will line up in 2020. 

4.) What's your approval rating % of GM Bob Quinn? And why?

Maakaron: No question, Quinn has failed to live up to expectations in his tenure with Detroit. 

Expectations are much higher since he hired his friend of over a decade, yet the team has struggled mightily. I would give Quinn an approval rating of 20%.

Chirco: I believe a general manager should be evaluated based upon the individual's ability to build a winner. Since taking over as the organization's front-office head honcho in 2016, Quinn has failed to do that.

Instead, he's torn down the roster during a time when it has seemed like it hasn't been completely necessary. For that reason, I give him an approval rating of 37.5 percent. And there's no way I'd go any higher with it.

Lamorandier: As a hole, my approval rating for Quinn is about 25 percent. There have been a couple nice moves in his time with the Lions, but there have been plenty of misses on his free agents and has been an average to below average drafter relative to other general managers.

5.) With their first pick, the Detroit Lions select ......?

Maakaron: Nobody is talking about it much, so that could signal Detroit is looking to shake things up with the No. 3 pick. The player that would surprise everybody would be linebacker Isaiah Simmons out of Clemson. 

Chirco: Okudah at No. 3. I think he's been the consensus pick for Quinn & Co. for a while now, and I don't see the organization veering from it heading into Day 1 of the NFL Draft Thursday.

Lamorandier: Jeffery Okudah is the consensus pick and is my favorite outside of Chase Young as well. My sleepers are either offensive tackle Jedrick Wills or Tristan Wirfs, though.


Published
John Maakaron
JOHN MAAKARON

John Maakaron has covered Detroit Sports since 2013. Brings a vast array of experience covering the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Lions, Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans, Detroit Mercy Titans, and Oakland University Golden Grizzlies. John brings a wealth of sports broadcast experience. In 2013, John had the vision to establish the Detroit Sports Podcast Network. Has recorded over 3000 podcasts analyzing Detroit Sports. In 2019, Sports Illustrated Media Group, a historical sports media outlet, partnered with Detroit Sports Podcast to provide daily Lions content for their growing and expanding digital media outlet. Our Lions content can also be read in the newspaper at The Oakland  Passionate about Detroit Sports and it is reflected in his coverage of the local teams!