The Detroit Lions made it farther than many expected, putting together a solid season and establishing themselves as a young team that is now expected to make the playoffs again in 2012. Their focus is now off of the playoffs and on the 2012 NFL Draft (among other things), and with a deep draft, there's a lot of potential for big names late in the draft. It's a bit different than the Lions have been used to, having been able to take guys like Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson and Ndamukong Suh at the top of recent drafts, but again, there's talent their.
SB Nation has the Lions drafting defense with the No. 23 pick in their latest 2012 NFL Mock Draft:
Detroit Lions, Alfonzo Dennard, CB, Nebraska
Detroit needs help on the offensive line, but with Dennard on the board they can address another big need that was exposed this weekend.
Detroit has had some injuries to their secondary, but that doesn't change the fact that they have some defensive backs essentially signed off of the street. Their offense was almost able to keep pace with teams like the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints, while their defense can be arguably comparable. If they can get it strengthened, the Lions really could be a force to be reckoned with. With an already tough defensive line, corner seems to be the way to go here.
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