Power Ranking Number 26: Detroit Lions

Two years ago this team didn’t win a game, but it seems like with the last two drafts and the off-season moves this team is head on its way up. Many people feel that quarterback Matthew Stafford is on his way to being a franchise quarterback and the Lions have surrounded him with offensive weapons, adding the like of rookie running back Jahvid Best, wide receiver Nate Burleson and tight end Tony Scheffler to go along with one of the league’s best wide receivers in Calvin Johnson. Stafford missed some games last season because of injury and the Lions hope that by adding offensive guard Rob Simms to the offensive line that will help. The Lions offensive line hasn’t been one of the league’s best in recent history and that is why many thought that they would draft an offensive tackle in the first round this season.

With the number two overall pick in this year’s draft they drafted Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh who many believe was the best overall player in the 2010 NFL draft. Bring in the likes of defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch and defensive tackle Corey Williams will be a huge help on the defensive line. The Lions secondary is still a question mark but they did trade for cornerback Chris Houston and brought back veteran cornerback Dre Bly to go along with second year player Louis Delmas.

So will the Lions win the Super Bowl, I highly doubt that, but could they be one of the most improved teams in the NFL, that is more likely.

Top 10 RB’s for 2010 NFL Draft

Here are my top ten running backs and some sleepers to watch.

1. C.J. Spiller, Clemson
2. Ryan Mathews, Fresno State
3. Jahvid Best, California
4. Jonathan Dwyer, Georgia Tech
5. Montario Hardesty, Tennessee
6. Joe McKnight, Southern California
7. Toby Gerhart, Stanford
8. Dexter McCluster, Mississippi
9. Ben Tate, Auburn
10. Anthony Dixon, Mississippi State


Sleepers:
Deji Karim, Southern Illinois
Alfonso Smith, Kentucky
Curtis Steele, Memphis

NFL Combine News & Notes

RUNNING BACKS:
California's Javid Best... could be considered in the early second round if teams have no concerns about his late-season concussion... many feel that he will, at least initially, work best if teamed with a north-south runner, the way the Giants have with Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw.

Clemson's C.J. Spiller... someone could jump on Spiller in the same manner that the Tennessee Titans did with Chris Johnson in the first-round... his big-play potential and versatility would make him a solid addition to teams like Atlanta, Seattle or San Diego.

Tennessee's Montario Hardesty... has created enough buzz around his workout, which included leading all running backs in the vertical jump, broad jump and than posting very impressive 40-times, that many area scouts were saying they planned to go back and review additional game film from his career... one scout also noted that Hardesty looked very good during the weigh-in after adding ten pounds and showing that he worked hard since the end of his season.

Georgia Tech's Jonathan Dwyer... may have slipped to a mid-to-late 2nd-3rd round because of a lack of deep speed and change of position in terms of where he will line-up in the backfield and than the fact that he did not have a great on-field workout, struggled with his hands/routes... Dwyer will need to have a strong Pro Day and work his 40-times down and show improved quickness in order to bounce back from his sluggish performance in Indianapolis.

WIDE RECEIVERS:
Clemson's Jacoby Ford... officially ran the fastest 40-time at the NFL Combine; 4.28... he's still seen as a smallish prospect that would be more of a slot receiver and return man... there is certainly a chance that someone will jump on the pure straight-line speed that Ford exhibited earlier than expected but most scouts insisted that he's still more of a late 2nd-3rd round pick.

Louisville's Scott Long... had the fastest 3-cone drill time at the NFL Combine; 6.45... hit 41.5" on the vertical and ran mid-to-high 4.4 range, which when combined altogether has teams going back to research why his production was so inconsistent during his senior year... Long was not one to point a finger, but the Cardinals offense struggled because of the QB play this past season and now Long's upside and natural skill set may allow him to be taken as high as the 3rd-4th round.

QUARTERBACKS:
West Virginia's Jarrett Brown... had a fantastic workout, running 4.54 in the 40-yard dash... 34.5" vertical and then threw the ball impressively during portions of his on-field workout... Brown may have the most upside of any available senior signal caller... he went 11-3 as a starter... lacks ideal experience and did threw more interceptions than touchdowns during his senior year if you subtract his four touchdown performance against East Carolina... however, he is more accurate than you would expect, has a very live arm and the athleticism to create plays in the pocket and on-the-move... special athlete with the ability to become a starting quarterback with 2-3 years of seasoning.

Ole Miss' Jevan Snead... threw the ball with improved accuracy than what you see on most of his junior game film... generally showed very good arm strength, quicker release than many of the other quarterbacks that threw the ball for scouts... he does eye down and aim the ball on some of his throws... also has one noticeable flaw to his throwing motion as he comes across his body, which created some of his accuracy and turnover issues this season... he has a fair amount of upside with patience, but there are also a few questions that need to be answered about his ability to take hard coaching and make the changes needed to be a successful NFL QB.

Cincinnati's Tony Pike... likely did not help or hurt himself with his on-field workout, but left a number of the same questions unanswered for scouts that they arrived with on him... shows a good, quick release, but he exhibited just average arm strength on his deeper throws... however, the biggest surprise was his accuracy throughout his on-field workout was disappointing... he also has a very slight frame needs 15-20 pounds bulk/muscle... and most scouts said he would be a 2-3 year project in their minds who is more of a 3rd round choice.

TOP OVERALL PICK... WHAT WERE THEY LIKE?

*What scouts were saying about McCoy and Suh after meeting with them this past weekend:

Oklahoma's Gerald McCoy... smiles, speaks well, very charismatic, humble about himself and game, good background... may be a little talkative at times for certain coaches or position coaches... not arrogant, but very confident in his ability... had a few issues with doing one of the on-field drills... scouts said it will be interesting to see if he will look to improve upon his combine results at Oklahoma's Pro Day or sit on what he recorded since he's pretty much already assured of being a Top 3-to-5 pick.

Nebraska's Ndamukong Suh... a little more reserved off-the-field, quiet, attentive, good passion for game, comes across as dedicated, hard worker and coachable... wants to be successful but not a "A" type personality... he will work hard even when he achieves success... will not mind doing all the dirty work as an interior defender to help create plays for others... was very well trained when it came to performing his drills.

- Information from The NFL Draft Bible and other reporters was used in this report. The NFLDraftBible.com is the preeminent source of NFL Draft Information.

Pre-Combine Top 150

1. DT Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska
2. DT Gerald McCoy, Oklahoma
3. S Eric Berry, Tennessee
4. DE Derrick Morgan, Georgia Tech
5. CB Joe Haden, Florida
6. LB Rolando McClain, Alabama
7. OT Russell Okung, Oklahoma State
8. WR Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State
9. DE Jason Pierre-Paul, South Florida
10. QB Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame
11. QB Sam Bradford, Oklahoma
12. OT Anthony Davis, Rutgers
13. DE Carlos Dunlap, Florida
14. RB C.J. Spiller, Clemson
15. DT Dan Williams, Tennessee
16. OG Mike Iupati, Idaho
17. OT Trent Williams, Oklahoma
18. DT Brian Price, UCLA
19. S Earl Thomas, Texas
20. OT Bryan Bulaga, Iowa
21. CB Kyle Wilson, Boise State
22. DE Brandon Graham, Michigan
23. S Taylor Mays, USC
24. DT Jared Odrick, Penn State
25. DE Everson Griffen, USC
26. OLB Sergio Kindle, Texas
27. RB Ryan Mathews, Fresno State
28. OLB Navorro Bowman, Penn State
29. OLB Ricky Sapp, Clemson
30. WR Arrelious Benn, Illinois
31. DT Terrence Cody, Alabama
32. TE Jermaine Gresham, Oklahoma
33. RB Jahvid Best, California
34. CB Kareem Jackson, Alabama
35. OT Bruce Campbell, Maryland
36. DE Jerry Hughes, TCU
37. ILB Brandon Spikes, Florida
38. RB Jonathan Dwyer, Georgia Tech
39. WR Brandon LaFell, LSU
40. TE Aaron Hernandez, Florida
41. OLB Sean Weatherspoon, Missouri
42. WR Damian Williams, USC
43. TE Rob Gronkowski, Arizona
44. C Maurkice Pouncey, Florida
45. WR Mardy Gilyard, Cincinnati
46. WR Golden Tate, Notre Dame
47. ILB Daryl Washington, TCU
48. CB Patrick Robinson, Florida State
49. S Morgan Burnett, Georgia Tech
50. S Nate Allen, South Florida
51. OT Charles Brown, USC
52. CB Dominique Franks, Oklahoma
53. S Chad Jones, LSU
54. OLB Eric Norwood, South Carolina
55. DE Greg Hardy, Ole Miss
56. CB Devin McCourty, Rutgers
57. OLB Rennie Curran, Georgia
58. CB Brandon Ghee, Wake Forest
59. ILB Sean Lee, Penn State
60. CB Perrish Cox, Oklahoma State
61. CB Donovan Warren, Michigan
62. OL Vladimir Ducasse, Massachusetts
63. WR Dezmon Briscoe, Kansas
64. WR Demaryius Thomas, Georgia Tech
65. DE Corey Wootton, Northwestern
66. S Reshad Jones, Georgia
67. RB Dexter McCluster, Ole Miss
68. DT Arthur Jones, Syracuse
69. OG Jon Asamoah, Illinois
70. DT D’Anthony Smith, Louisiana Tech
71. OG Mike Johnson, Alabama
72. DT Tyson Alualu, California
73. ILB Micah Johnson, Kentucky
74. OLB Thaddeus Gibson, Ohio State
75. QB Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan
76. TE Ed Dickson, Oregon
77. RB Montario Hardesty, Tennessee
78. OT Jason Fox, Miami
79. OL Rodger Saffold, Indiana
80. DE Jason Worilds, Virginia Tech
81. DE Alex Carrington, Arkansas State
82. QB Tony Pike, Cincinnati
83. QB Colt McCoy, Texas
84. CB Jerome Murphy, South Florida
85. DE Austen Lane, Murray State
86. ILB Pat Angerer, Iowa
87. RB Toby Gerhart, Stanford
88. CB Amari Spievey, Iowa
89. RB Anthony Dixon, Mississippi State
90. OLB Roddrick Muckelroy, Texas
91. C J.D. Walton, Baylor
92. RB Joe McKnight, USC
93. CB Syd'Quan Thompson, California
94. ILB Darryl Sharpton, Miami
95. DT Cam Thomas, North Carolina
96. DE Koa Misi, Utah
97. OT Selvish Capers, West Virginia
98. C Matt Tennant, Boston College
99. OT Zane Beadles, Utah
100. DT Lamarr Houston, Texas
101. QB Tim Tebow, Florida
102. TE Anthony McCoy, USC
103. DE Brandon Lang, Troy
104. OG John Jerry, Mississippi
105. WR Jacoby Ford, Clemson
106. S Kam Chancellor, Virginia Tech
107. OT Kyle Calloway, Iowa
108. QB Jevan Snead, Ole Miss
109. DE Lindsey Witten, Connecticut
110. OLB Dexter Davis, Arizona State
111. WR Carlton Williams, South Florida
112. DE Willie Young, NC State
113. DE George Selvie, South Florida
114. OLB O’Brien Schofield, Wisconsin
115. WR Jeremy Williams, Tulane
116. WR Danario Alexander, Missouri
117. WR Jordan Shipley, Texas
118. TE Colin Peek, Alabama
119. S TJ Ward, Oregon
120. CB Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, Indiana-PA
121. OL Ciron Black, LSU
122. DT Mike Neal, Purdue
123. DE Jermaine Cunningham, Florida
124. OLB AJ Edds, Iowa
125. WR Eric Decker, Minnesota
126. CB Javier Arenas, Alabama
127. WR Taylor Price, Ohio
128. DT Geno Atkins, Georgia
129. CB Chris Cook, Virgina
130. OT Jared Veldheer, Hillsdale
131. LB Reggie Carter, UCLA
132. TE Dennis Pitta, BYU
133. DE Clifton Geathers, South Carolina
134. OLB Dekoda Watson, Florida State
135. CB Trevard Lindley, Kentucky
136. S Myron Rolle, Florida State
137. OT Kevin Haslam, Rutgers
138. CB Walter Thurmond, Oregon
139. S Larry Asante, Nebraska
140. CB Alterraun Verner, UCLA
141. S Major Wright, Florida
142. DE Antonio Coleman, Auburn
143. LB Donald Butler, Washington
144. WR Andre Roberts, Citadel
145. DT Jeff Owens, Georgia
146. RB Ben Tate, Auburn
147. RB Charles Scott, LSU
148. DE Justin Cole, San Jose State
149. CB Devin Ross, Arizona
150. LB Jamar Chaney, Mississippi State

2010 NFL Combine: RB Overview

List of Running Backs Invited to NFL Combine:

Matthew Asiata, Utah
Joique Bell, Wayne State
Jahvid Best, California
Legarrette Blount, Oregon
Chris Brown, Oklahoma
Andre Dixon, Connecticut
Anthony Dixon, Mississippi State
Jonathan Dwyer, Georgia Tech
Toby Gerhart, Stanford
Montario Hardesty, Tennessee
Trindon Holliday, LSU
Javarris James, Miami
Stafon Johnson, USC
Darius Marshall, Marshall
Ryan Mathews, Fresno State
Dexter McCluster, Mississippi
Joe McKnight, USC
Shawnbrey McNeal, SMU
Lonyae Miller, Fresno State
Brandon Minor, Michigan
Patrick Paschall, North Dakota State
Charles Scott, LSU
CJ Spiller, Clemson
James Starks, Buffalo
Ben Tate, Auburn
Keith Toston, Oklahoma State
Keiland Williams, LSU

Juniors:
Jahvid Best, California
Jonathan Dwyer, Georgia Tech
Darius Marshall, Marshall
Ryan Mathews, Fresno State
Joe McKnight, USC
Shawnbrey McNeal, SMU

Played in Senior Bowl:
Joique Bell, Wayne State
Legarrette Blount, Oregon
Anthony Dixon, Mississippi State
Montario Hardesty, Tennessee
Dexter McCluster, Mississippi
Lonyae Miller, Fresno State
Ben Tate, Auburn

Played in East – West:
Andre Dixon, Connecticut
Javarris James, Miami
Patrick Paschall, North Dakota State
Keith Toston, Oklahoma State

Played in Texas vs. Nation:
Trindon Holliday, LSU

Surprising guys left off:
Andre Anderson, Tulane
Deji Karim, Southern Illinois
Curtis Steele, Memphis

Story Lines:
Joique Bell – After a good week at the Senior Bowl can the small school running back keep it going at the NFL Combine.

Jahvid Best – How is the overall health?

Legarrette Blount – Blount answered a lot of questions at the Senior Bowl, but will have more questions to answer at the NFL Combine.

Jonathan Dwyer – If Dwyer does run the 40 yard dash, where will he be at as far as time.

Toby Gerhart – Gerhart speed has been questioned and can answer a number of those questions if he does run the 40 yard dash.

Trindon Holliday – Holliday is a track star, so how fast will he be in the 40.

Ryan Mathews – Could Mathews be the number one running back draft this year, a good NFL Combine will help him.

Dexter McCluster – McCluster had a great Senior Bowl, can he have a repeat performance at the NFL Combine?

Joe McKnight – Questions about off the field benefits at USC will definitely come up.

Charles Scott – How healthy will Scott be, and will he be able to do everything at the NFL Combine?

CJ Spiller – How high can Spiller get drafted?

James Starks – Starks missed this whole season with injury he must be cleared medically, and then we will see how he performs on the field.

Ben Tate – Tate helped himself at the Senior Bowl and needs to have a good NFL Combine to keep rising up NFL teams draft boards.