Thursday, May 18, 2023

Morning Lions Links for Friday 5-19-23

Articles:

Hooker on taking mental reps: 'I'm hungry. I'm ready to compete':  https://www.detroitlions.com/news/hooker-on-taking-mental-reps-i-m-hungry-i-m-ready-to-compete

Frank Ragnow’s toe injury is non-operable, but Lions Pro Bowler feeling optimistic:  https://www.mlive.com/lions/2023/05/frank-ragnows-toe-injury-is-non-operable-but-lions-pro-bowler-feeling-optimistic.html

Lions rookie WR wants to flash more than vertical ability in quest to make team:  https://www.mlive.com/lions/2023/05/lions-rookie-wr-wants-to-flash-more-than-vertical-ability-in-quest-to-make-team.html

Detroit Lions linebacker Jack Campbell was heavily sought by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers:  https://lionswire.usatoday.com/2023/05/17/detroit-lions-2023-draft-jack-campbell-tampa-bay-buccaneers-calijah-kancey/


Brodric Martin: 'I Want to Play This Year':  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/lions-brodric-martin-wants-to-play

Detroit Lions Aidan Hutchinson Preparing for 'Big Year':  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/lions-aidan-hutchinson-preparing-for-big-year

Dan Campbell Shares Signs of Greatly Improved Lions Culture:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/dan-campbell-signs-improved-lions-culture


Ranking the easiest, hardest schedules for all 32 NFL teams: Saints, Falcons and Colts have favorable schedules in 2023 (16. DETROIT LIONS (Projected win total: 8.2, Easiest game: Week 3 vs. Atlanta Falcons, Hardest game: Week 1 vs. Kansas City Chiefs):  Starting the season with a game against the Chiefs is not easy — nor is playing five of their six intra-division games after their bye.):  https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-strength-of-schedule-rankings-2023

NFC North projected starters: Packers a wild bunch (Lions - Jameson Williams is suspended for the first six games of the season after violating the league’s gambling policy. That removes the Lions' best deep threat and makes wideout a position of relative weakness compared to the rest of the offense.
Signing Marvin Jones Jr. will help in the first stretch of the season. He's not as fast as he once was, but he can still make contested catches.  Both the running back and tight end positions are more explosive this season. Jahmyr Gibbs was a surprising pick so high in the draft, but he can break the big plays Dan Campbell craves. David Montgomery won't. I don't see him as a significant upgrade over Jamaal Williams.
Considering the money Montgomery received from the Lions, it won't surprise me if he plays more snaps than Gibbs this season.  The offensive line continuity is what every team craves. Veteran Graham Glasgow is in place if Halapoulivaati Vaitai can't stay healthy, but this group is nasty and versatile.  I loved tight end Sam LaPorta coming out of Iowa. Look for him to have a few game-changing plays when offensive coordinator Ben Johnson gets him the ball in space.  Johnson showed last season he is one of the NFL's most creative young minds. Building on that success when the league knows what's coming will be a great test of his staying power.  The Lions needed to upgrade their backup quarterback situation and did so with third-round pick Hendon Hooker. Give Hooker a year before he's challenging Jared Goff for playing time.  The defensive depth is where the Lions show the most growth. James Houston was a revelation as a rookie pass rusher and isn't even listed as a starter here. Romeo Okwara, John Cominsky and 2022 second-rounder Josh Paschal are also part of an Eagles-like rotation of bodies up front.  That said, the Lions are definitely deeper on the edge than at defensive tackle.  Jack Campbell was drafted to start right away, presumably at the expense of Hard Knocks hero Malcolm Rodriguez.  Safety Brian Branch can do a little bit of everything, making him a natural successor to C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who is on a one-year contract. In the meantime, the Lions should find a role for Branch in a suddenly-deep secondary.  This is still not a great cornerback group, but it's better.  I can't remember a Detroit team with a better roster or higher expectations. The Lions should be favorites in the NFC North because they have the best line play and did well to address their biggest weaknesses.):  https://www.nfl.com/news/nfc-north-projected-starters-for-2023-nfl-season-lions-look-like-division-s-best

2023 NFL offensive infrastructure rankings (Tier 2: 10-4.  10. Lions:  Detroit's offense is ready-made to drop in a quarterback who raises the ceiling rather than holds up the floor. Jared Goff can competently steer the ship with Ben Johnson as the coordinator, a very strong offensive line, and above-average weaponry, but the ceiling if the roof if the Lions can land a quarterback with a higher upside. Maybe that's Hendon Hooker, but he'll be 26 years old by the end of this season and he's coming off a torn ACL. It's probably not him.):  https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/2023-nfl-offensive-infrastructure-rankings-chiefs-back-on-top-eagles-make-leap-giants-move-up/

NFL playoff predictions for 2023 season (NFC North - 1. Detroit Lions (10-7) -- Division winner, 2. Minnesota Vikings (8-9), 3. Chicago Bears (6-11), 4.  Green Bay Packers (6-11).  Just like the Jags, the Lions surprised me with how high they finished in my model here. I sort of felt like I'd be down on them and higher on Minnesota and Green Bay and yet ... the numbers don't lie. Detroit's got a HUGE game to start the season against Kansas City; I'm more worried about how the Lions recover from that matchup (win or lose) than how they perform in Arrowhead with a pair of huge home conference games looming immediately afterwards. The NFC North has never been more wide open with Aaron Rodgers' departure. Dan Campbell and Jared Goff would love to take advantage. But I wouldn't put it past any of these teams from winning the North either -- Minnesota was a luck box last year but has a very good roster. Justin Fields taking a leap would make the Bears VERY interesting and Jordan Love is a complete and total wild card, not just in this division but the conference as well. I'm fully prepared for this set of projections to be completely wrong.):  https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-playoff-predictions-for-2023-season-eagles-fall-falcons-rise-plus-full-division-and-wild-card-picks/

Regrading 2020 NFL Draft: Bengals' class earns lone A+ (Detroit Lions - 2020 Grade: C+.  The Skinny: They took corner Jeff Okudah in the first round, but he was traded to the Falcons this year in a move that signals the Lions had enough of him. He never lived up to the lofty expectations of being the third overall pick. Of the remaining eight picks, just one -- third-round guard Jonah Jackson -- is penciled in as a definite starter this season. Third-round edge player Julian Okwara is a backup SAM linebacker now. Fourth-round guard Logan Stenberg is a backup. Second-round running back D'Andre Swift was a good player in his three seasons for the Lions, but injuries limited him and they traded him to the Eagles last month.   How I did: I liked the pick of Jackson, who I said was a mauler. I questioned the pick of Swift since they had so many other needs. I also said I would have taken Panthers defensive tackle Derrick Brown over Okudah, which has played true. I didn't love this draft at the time and it's played out that way. New Grade: D-): https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/regrading-2020-nfl-draft-bengals-class-goes-from-great-to-franchise-altering-steelers-eagles-improved/

NFL Defense Rankings (Updated 2023): Who Has the Best Defense in the League? (15. Detroit Lions:  The Lions had one of the worst defenses in the NFL last year but should improve dramatically through a combination of regression and additions like Emmanuel Moseley, C.J. Gardner Johnson, Cameron Sutton, Brian Branch, and Jack Campbell — even after they lost Jeff Okudah. They should also see a bit more in the way of a pass rush than last year despite limited investment there, which should mean they can compete.):  https://www.profootballnetwork.com/nfl-defense-rankings/

Who Will Be 2023 NFL OROY? (DON’T SLEEP ON: JAHMYR GIBBS - Everything said about Robinson is equally true for Lions rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs. Gibbs is a dual-threat playmaker that’s going to be heavily involved in Detroit’s explosive offense. That makes Gibbs a tempting choice at +900.  Gibbs is joining an explosive offense that accounted for a fourth-ranked 380.0 total yards per contest in 2022. The Lions scored a fifth-ranked 26.6 points per game as a result. Both Jamaal Williams and D’Andre Swift departed Detroit’s backfield this summer. Gibbs will play in a timeshare role alongside David Montgomery, but Gibbs’ pass-catching upside makes him the favorite to lead all Lions backs in touches.):  https://thedraftnetwork.com/2023-nfl-offensive-rookie-of-the-year-odds/

Who Will Be 2023 NFL DROY? (DON’T SLEEP ON: JACK CAMPBELL - The Detroit Lions cast positional value aside when they drafted former Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell with the No. 18 overall selection in the first round. Few are questioning the immediate impact, however. Campbell should slot right into Detroit’s front seven behind talents like Aidan Hutchinson.  Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn has a clearly-defined role for Campbell in mind. He’ll play next to Alex Anzalone, a veteran that should help Campbell acclimate rather quickly. A tackling machine, Campbell is an underrated candidate to post 175-plus tackles as a rookie. That would place Campbell in league-leading territory. It makes Campbell a tempting value play at +1800.):  https://thedraftnetwork.com/2023-nfl-defensive-rookie-of-the-year-odds/

NFL win total odds: Bears, Lions, Panthers, Titans picks, predictions (Detroit Lions under 9.5 wins (+100) - The Lions hype has gotten out of control, as we’ve written about in this very spot before.  So, naturally, I love the plus-money value on the under for a team with an exciting ceiling but a risky floor.  Let’s not forget that this team had one of the worst defenses in the league last year, and it’s already lost key pieces to an offense that ranked in the top five by most metrics in 2022.  That leaves a narrow margin of error for this team to build upon its 9-8 record from last season.):  https://nypost.com/2023/05/18/nfl-win-total-odds-bears-lions-panthers-titans-picks/

2024 NFL Draft:

Top 50 2024 NFL Draft Prospect Watchlist: Brock Bowers, Caleb Williams Highlight the Stars of Tomorrow:  https://www.profootballnetwork.com/2024-nfl-draft-prospect-watchlist/

Podcast:

Lions mailbag: Defining a ‘successful’ season for Detroit’s defense in 2023:  https://www.prideofdetroit.com/2023/5/18/23728204/lions-mailbag-defensive-improvement-offseason-2023-rankings-podcast

Video:

Three keys to a Lions upset vs. Chiefs in 2023 Kickoff Game | 'NFL Total Access':   https://www.nfl.com/videos/three-keys-to-a-lions-upset-vs-chiefs-in-2023-kickoff-game-nfl-total-access

Top breakout-player candidates for 2023 | 'NFL Total Access':  https://www.nfl.com/videos/top-breakout-player-candidates-for-2023-nfl-total-access

Posted by LionsFan at 12:52 PM

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