GM’s 2010 Grade Curve Puts Mayhew vs. Mayhew After Good Start in 2009 to Upgrade Roster
NFL Countdown | by Mike O'Hara | 03.28.2010/9:06AM
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(Note: This is the first in a series leading up to the NFL Draft, April 22-4. My annual position-by-position series and Mock Drafts are part of the series.)
The grading curve has been raised in judging Martin Mayhew’s performance in his second offseason as the Lions’ general manager.
Expectations are higher than last year. The demands are greater to build a more competitive roster.
Mayhew will be scrutinized intently in the next month. Every move will be under the microscope.
The bulk of the free-agent signing period is over, and teams are ratcheting up their preparations for the NFL Draft. The Lions have the second overall pick – unless a trade is made – when the three-day talent lottery begins on April 22.
Mayhew had a productive beginning in his first full season as GM, but he will be judged by a higher standard this year – his own.
Mayhew deservedly got high marks for adding veterans and draft picks to a talent-starved roster in 2009. Trades and free-agent signings filled in some gaps, but Mayhew’s best work was in the draft. He drafted five legitimate starters.
Mayhew’s mission this year is to build on what he and coach Jim Schwartz have started. They cannot tread water, or march in place.
In some ways, Mayhew got a free pass last year. It was almost impossible not to be viewed as successful on some level because he was following Matt Millen, the man Mayhew replaced when Millen was fired early in the 2008 season.
The Lions made some important steps upward in 2009 – not all of them reflected in a 2-14 record, compared to the historic 0-16 mark of 2008.
But there is a big difference between relative improvement and genuine improvement. And what Mayhew did last year was genuine.
The first shovel in the ground in Mayhew’s building program started early in the 2008 season. He traded wide receiver Roy Williams to Dallas in a package that included the Cowboys’ first- and third-round picks in the 2009 draft.
How the Lions perform in this year’s draft remains to be seen.
Here are some observations and comparisons at on what they’ve done at key positions in acquiring veterans this year compared to 2009:
DT Corey Williams vs. Grady Jackson: Williams was acquired in a trade with Cleveland and will be back at home at tackle rather than end, where the Browns played him for two years. Williams is eight years younger than Jackson, who arrived in Detroit on his last legs and barely limped to the finish.
Exchange rating: B. Williams is a significant upgrade.
DE Kyle Vanden Bosch vs. Jason Hunter, Turk McBride: Vanden Bosch, a free agent from the Titans, is reunited with Schwartz. It’s unlikely he will be an every-down pass-rush threat, but he should be close to double digit in sacks. Hunter and McBride were late additions who contributed as role players.
Exchange rating: B. Vanden Bosch takes the place of Dewayne White, who was released after a zero-sack 2009 season. The entire line should benefit from a two-season overhaul. The unit would benefit from re-signing Jared DeVries, who was released partly because of financial reasons.
CB Chris Houston and Jonathan Wade vs. Phillip Buchanon and Anthony Henry): Houston and Wade are young players with some upside and something to prove. Buchanon, signed as a free agent, was disappointing on coverage, tackling and occasional return duty. Henry, acquired in a trade that sent Jon Kitna to Dallas, was another veteran on his last legs.
Exchange rating: C+. Houston and Wade have upside potential. Buchanon and Henry had little value – in the present or future.
LB Landon Johnson vs. Larry Foote and Julian Peterson: Johnson is primarily a special-teams player and doesn’t have close to the body of work of Foote and Peterson. Foote provided leadership and a present at middle linebacker in his one season as a Lion. Peterson was a playmaker on the outside who will be better in 2010 with a season in Gunther Cunningham’s system.
Exchange rating: D. Unless they add a player in a the draft, young players on the roster – chiefly DeAndre Levy, Zach Follett and Jordon Dizon – have to step into more prominent roles. The Lions have not matched last year’s linebacker additions, but they won’t have to if their young players develop.
WR Nate Burleson vs. Bryant Johnson and Dennis Northcutt: Burleson should be a competent No. 2 receiver, and he can help on returns. Johnson was surprisingly ineffective, as was Northcutt – acquired in a trade that sent third-year safety Gerald Alexander to Jacksonville.
Exchange rating: B-. If Burleson can run patterns and not drop passes, he’ll be an upgrade over the guys who played opposite Calvin Johnson last year. At times, Matthew Stafford must have thought he was throwing a beach ball at a fork lift.
Backup QB Shaun Hill vs. Daunte Culpepper: It’s absurd to think that Hill’s arrival creates any kind of controversy. Stafford’s the starter, no matter what. The only issue at this position is whether Drew Stanton will make the roster as the No. 3 QB. I make the odds on that five percent.
Exchange rating: C+. Stafford’s the starter. Anyone else is a disaster replacement. One thing in Hill’s favor is that was able to win games in San Francisco. Culpepper did not win a start in two seasons as a Lion.
Running back: Maurice Morris vs. DeDe Dorsey: Morris played competently after Kevin Smith went down with a knee injury. Dorsey has no real history as anything more than a roster fill-in.
Exchange rating: D. Smith’s injury creates a desperate need for a runner that likely will be filled in the draft.
Offensive line: Status quo for now.
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