The Detroit Lions finally put an end to their playoff drought with an impressive 10-6 run last year. However, they were completely outclassed by the New Orleans Saints in the opening round of the playoffs. New Orleans routed the Lions, 45-28. The Lions are hoping that they can capitalize on their regular season success last year and truly build something special moving forward. What the Lions need to do is focus on winning the NFC North and get home field in the playoffs. Here are the Lions' big additions and subtractions, plus a breakdown of their biggest needs heading into the draft.
Additions:
Nfl 2012
CB Jacob Lacey
DE Everette Brown
Subtractions:
CB Eric Wright
OLB Bobby Carpenter
Top 5 Needs:
1. Cornerback
Starting corner Eric Wright decided to move on and sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the offseason, but his presence won't be missed as he played poorly for the Lions last year. Detroit was able to sign free agent Jacob Lacey, but he really isn't a huge upgrade over Wright. The Lions need to use their first-round draft pick on a player for the secondary, whether it is at corner or safety. The Lions could go after South Carolina's Stephon Gilmore if he falls to them in the first round, or they could gamble on Janoris Jenkins of North Alabama.
2. Strong Safety
In the 2010 NFL draft, Amari Spievey was drafted in the third round with the intention of starting him at strong safety. However, he has been a huge bust, playing horribly in his first two seasons with the Lions. What the Lions want to happen is for Mark Barron to fall to them at No. 23, which could allow them to move Spievey to his more natural position of corner. The safety class is extremely thin this year, so the only option the team has at safety is to draft Barron.
3. Center
The Lions need to finally get rid of center Dominic Raiola, as he is already getting up there in age, and he wasn't any good to begin with.
4. Running Back
The Lions have two solid backs in Jahvid Best and Kevin Smith; however, both have struggled with injuries for quite some time now. Best's best bet on the field is as a specialist who can catch passes out of the backfield. If the Lions are able to add more depth at this position, then they can build an even-stronger offense from an already-dangerous one.
5. Offensive Tackle
If it weren't for the re-signing of Jeff Backus, this would be the Lions' top priority. As it is, the team now has more glaring holes to fill, and this is no longer an immediate need. Backus does turn 35 in September, so if he suffers a serious injury, then this team is screwed. If the Lions want to continue to move closer to a Super Bowl, then they must continue to add players who can protect their starting quarterback, the fragile Matthew Stafford.
2012 Detroit Lions Offseason Needs
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