Detroit Lions GM Martin Mayhew and head coach Jim Schwartz met with the media to talk about their decision to pick Titus Young in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft. Their comments, via the Detroit Lions, are below.
GM MARTIN MAYHEW
Opening statement
"Titus Young, the guy is an explosive playmaker; he's a stick of dynamite. He's got speed, he's got great hands, he's another guy we were really happy to see on the board at our turn to pick. He's got a role on offense right now, he's probably going to have the opportunity to step in as our third guy. We haven't had great production from that spot in the last couple of years and we feel that Titus is the guy that can step in and solve that problem for us."
On whether he's concerned about the spots at corner and linebacker
"I'm concerned about those spots at corner and linebacker. I'm not concerned about taking the best player that we can find and have a very defined role on our football team. What I told you a week ago, we're going to draft the best players that we can find. We feel like we've done a good job, especially last year, after the draft process, we think we'll do the same thing this year. There will be some opportunities to fill some gaps later on."
HEAD COACH JIM SCHWARTZ
Opening statement
"We're probably a little more tense on the board this time with these picks going off in the second round then we were in the first. There's a couple of players that we had a nice little target on and Titus Young was one of them. We knew it would probably be close, but just like Martin said, we have a very defined role for what he can do for this football team. He's an explosive player, by explosive I mean by 20-yard gains or more; natural catching the ball, probably one of the most natural receivers in this draft; skills to go out and create separation. He fits very well with the other pieces that we have on offense, so we were really excited to get him into this spot."
On where he'll fit into the current receiving corps
"Let me put it to you this way: how important was it for Atlanta to add a receiver to theirs? And look at what they had to pay. It's one thing to say you have different players at different positions, but you get into a playoff situation like Atlanta did last year and you need more fire power. Or, you get a player hurt; we had Calvin (Johnson) miss the last game of the season last year. There's so many things that can go on. I heard you guys mention what does it mean for other players? There's so much ground between now and the start of the regular season that you don't worry about stuff like that. It's the draft and you try to add good players that you have a good role for, that you have a specific thing in mind for him and this was a great opportunity for us."
On where he sees Young
"One of the things he does, and Nate can do that for us also, Nate can play in the slot, he can also play inside, and Titus does that also. He's also outstanding in the return game, that's another thing he can add to the equation. We have an outstanding returner, but again, you never know what's going to happen. You never know what's going to happen between now and the end of the season, what happens between now and the first game. Good players that can make plays, that can score touchdowns, are always valuable."
On whether he expects him to be in the mix in the return game
"Yeah, I mean, when we go out, if we have a rookie mini-camp, you'll see him out there catching punts and catching kicks, for sure."
On his ability to stretch the field
"Yeah, he's not just a one-trick pony though as far as a field stretcher. He's very, very quick. I though the quickest wide receiver in this draft. I don't know if you'd have a whole lot of argument when you compare him to some of the other guys. He was competing with some guys that are 6-3, 220 pounds and he's' not. He can create separation a lot of ways. He has deep speed, but he also has that quickness to drop his weight and separate. He's very, very difficult to press, not because he's big, but because he's so quick it's hard for people to get their hands on him. He's not as big as some of the other ones, but he makes a lot of those same kind of plays. He can do a lot of different things. He's explosive with the ball in his hands, they got him a lot of reverses last year. Put the ball in his hands, he can make a play."
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