I, too, was intrigued by the Tim Toone pick and didn't really understand it. Assuming that he can return kicks and punts and run good routes and actually catch the ball, would he have any chance of making the team? Let's look at our current receiver corp:

Calvin Johnson (absolute keeper)
Nate Burleson (keeper)
Bryant Johnson
Dennis Northcutt
Derrick Williams

Would he have a chance to knock one of those bottom three off the roster? Perhaps the coaches aren't real happy with one or more of them. Northcutt might be done for and Derrick Williams looks like a bust.

As for Tim Toone, he only weighs 175 pounds. That seems substandard for a receiver. I can just see him getting wrecked by a hard hit on an over-the-middle slot route.

He is a 7th round pick. Don't judge it, it is almost unimportant. For all we know is they wanted him for something he could do in camp that they needed to evaluate other players. People pick kickers and punters in 7th purely for a second leg or a primary leg for the off season and pre-season.

My guess is UDFA's have a better chance at making the team then him and that was probably understood when the Lions made the selection.

Derrik Williams is also a keeper. He is a 3rd round pick and only had one year at a position that is said to take 3 years to grasp in the NFL. He did do a lot of different things for Penn State and maybe with this offseason he will make a jump in his progress.

I've got to believe that Northcutt is the guy who's getting let go. Northcutt has a little wiggle in the punt return game and now with Williams, who's staying regardless because he only had one season after being chosen in the third round, and Toone, he's extremely expendable. Bryant Johnson should get let go because he sucks, but I don't know if they have a guy to play the third receiver role, if Williams doesn't step up.

I agree about Northcutt. I see him being the one that is most likely being let go. Toone can also be placed on the PS, so that is another option and they can keep them all if they wanted.

Some teams keep 6 WRs, especially if one is a designated return guy - Detroit always kept 6 when Drummond was here.

I thought Williams played pretty well in the preseason last year, don't write him off just yet.

I've never liked Bryant Johnson and thought he was terrible last year, he would be my personal choice if one of the vets had to go.

I don't think he has a great chance, but I wouldn't count him out entirely just yet. While DWill almost certainly gets another year to adjust (and hopefully improve), I absolutely believe both Bryant and Northcutt are fighting for their jobs this offseason.

My guess is Toone was brought in to compete almost directly with Northcutt for both return and potentially slot duties, and Michael Moore was signed to give Bryant Johnson some direct competition (considering both that Moore was a college teammate for Stafford AND his numbers took a huge hit when he left).

We'll see ho wit works out but it wouldn't bother me in the least to see some new faces on the WR depth chart after last season.

Only if he excels in special teams, then he has a fine chance.

Yeah, Other than the fact that they have NFL experience I see no need to keep Both BJ and DN. I dont really see a reason to keep either, except a WR corps of: CJ, NB, DW, Rookie, Rookie, (maybe a 6th - rookie) is unlikely, so they will probably keep 1. I would keep DN, but have him compete with DW, TT, Other Rooks for the 3rd Receiver/slot position. I would have no qualms if both were cut, but would be curious who they have that much faith in at #3. I am expecting us to run a lot more of 2 TE or 2 RB (or RB/FB) Sets this year and not as many 3 WR. We shall see.

I agree 100%.

Go ahead and cut Bryant Johnson and Northcutt both. I don't think they'd be any worse off with the young receivers. I wouldn't be surprise to see Williams improve and become a solid WR. It wasn't often but he did make some fine plays at WR last season. My big issue with him was that they brought him into return and he was less than good at that.

I agree with you. He tried to do too much in the return game, and when he did get chances he didn't do much with them. He seems like he is just too slow to be an effective punt/kick returner in the NFL. Williams does look like a nice solid possession guy, and seems to run routes well. I like him as a 4-5 guy.

Last year, the Lions only had four WRs on the roster for a couple of weeks, but they usually kept five. I'd imagine that they'll keep five again because it appears that they'll be using a lot of two TE sets, so they won't need six WRs like some teams.

Calvin Johnson, Nate Burleson, and Derrick Williams (because it usually takes a WR more than one year to "get it") should be locks. I also think they'll only keep one of the back-up vets in Bryant Johnson and Dennis Northcutt. I have no idea which one it will be though. That leaves one roster spot for a young prospect. It could be Tim Toone, Mike Moore, or Jessie Hester, but it should come down to who offers the most on special teams. In that case, I'd probably give the edge to Toone.

Tim has a lot better chance of making the team then this guy dose. Check it out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBWOZD__IN0

That is freaking hilarious! Love Swartz in this...