The Detroit Lions have a couple of holes to fill in free agency and through the draft, and wide receiver is high on the team’s list. While the majority of mock drafts this winter have connected the Lions with one of the top cornerbacks, there are rumblings indicating the team could be on the verge of making a big splash.
According to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, the team has shown “a ton of interest” in Clemson’s Sammy Watkins, the consensus No. 1 wide receiver in this year’s class. Detroit holds the No. 10 pick and it seems unlikely Watkins would fall out of the top seven — so could a trade be in the works?
I don’t know if they can pull it off. But #Lions are showing a TON of interest in Sammy Watkins. They draft No. 10… & have Megatron. #scary
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 6, 2014
The Lions released Nate Burleson at the start of the offseason, while youngster Ryan Broyles is recovering from a second torn Achilles’ tendon in the past three years. It seems as if the team is always looking for a dynamic wideout to line up opposite of perennial All-Pro Calvin Johnson, and that seems to be how many scouts view Watkins.
Whispers concerning the Houston Texans lately have been suggesting the team is not set on its decision to draft a quarter with the No. 1 overall selection. Rotoworld draft analyst Lance Zierlein seems to be one of those who feel the same.
The more conversations I have w/ contacts around league, the more I feel like Clowney, Mack, Matthews and Robinson all gone inside 5
— Lance Zierlein (@LanceZierlein) March 6, 2014
Based on league sources, Zierlein made a prediction: the top five picks will include Jadeveon Clowney, Khalil Mack, Jake Matthews and Greg Robinson. That’s a pair of edge rushers and two offensive tackles, with no mention of Johnny Manziel, Blake Bortles, or Teddy Bridgewater.
It’s not out of the realm of possibly the Texans nab Clowney with the top selection. The same goes to Jacksonville Jaguars and the Cleveland Browns. According to Zierlein, Manziel and the aforementioned Watkins are the two prospects capable of falling in the top six picks, and suggests if Bortles doesn’t get taken off the board No. 1 overall he may slip out of the top seven.
I feel like Watkins and Manziel are the biggest wildcards inside the top 6 picks. Bortles will fall out of top 7 if he doesn’t go 1st
— Lance Zierlein (@LanceZierlein) March 6, 2014
One of the top tackle prospects, Alabama’s Cyrus Kouandjio, now carries a medical red flag over his draft status — one that shouldn’t even be there.
Renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrew told CBS Sports he plans to inform all 32 NFL clubs that they were misinformed about Kouandjio’s status. A report surfaced during the NFL Combine that the tackle failed multiple physicals as a result of a failed surgery on knee while at Alabama. Andrews did not perform the surgery, but has evaluated Kouandjio regularly since.
Dr. James Andrews told me he’s sending a memo to all 32 teams refuting an NFL Network combine report about Alabama T Cyrus Kouandjio’s knee
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) March 6, 2014
