2013 draft appears to be loaded with OT's, CB's, LBers, and DE's. It also appears that there will be 3 Qb's taken in the top half of the 1st round which will push other players lower. Just maybe, a 4th QB will be picked before the Lions pick.

I just figured I would look ahead a little because I have wanted CB's and LBers for the seemingly for ever and always end up still wanting them after the draft. And we may be needing a DE by then also.

Billy, I've started with my 2013 wish list already as well. Trying to guess at 2012's picks and then identify needs for 2013 and where they may be chosen is half of the fun.

You can't tell me that Kiper, McShay, Goose and our own Mr. Mike haven't been peeking around that corner. Nearly everything is on hold, waiting for the draft. As I said earlier, now are some of the best times for football fans everywhere.

Let er rip. Let's see what we can argue about.....the most fun.

I agree. Lots of fun. My early pre-2012-Draft prediction for 2013 is we will be aiming hard for our LT. Im not sold we are going to this year.

I,m not real big on next years de class.witch one,s are you liking billy.

It's not any one DE that I like. I don't necessarily like/dislike any of them at this point. I was just meaning shear numbers that are expected to be 1st round talent.

Based solely on the 2012 draft, this is how I see the Lions needs for the 2013 draft.
1. CB
2. OG
3. C
4. LB
5. S

Hopefully this will change over the course of the season, and I mean in a good way. Some players step up or trades and free agency.

What rd. was Avril drafted? DE is a position that could fix itself, depending on what Avril does.

Avril was a 3rd round pick when we took him.

If we were to remove the tag and give him a tender, what rate could we go? 1st rd., original rd. or what and what kind of pick would we be looking at in return if someone signs him?

The Restricted Free Agency period is over for 2012. He won't be eligible for it next year. Technically, the way it would work is we would put a tender on a player at either a 1st round, ala Mike Wallace, or an original round tender, like we did for Levy/SLH. You can also use the 1st and 3rd tender too. At least in the old CBA that was an option. If a team were to sign Avril with the Franchise Tag that we have (non-exclusive) we would get 2 1st rounders. Drew Brees has an exclusive Franchise Tag which means he can't be signed by any other team except the Saints.

As for the 2013 draft, I haven't done much more than look at a list of prospects. Every year there are surprises and disappointments. Some analysts had RG3 as having to make a switch to WR. Whitney Mercilus was just a dude with a badass last name, and Vontaze Burfict (undrafted) was a potential top 15 pick. I love the draft as much as anyone, but we can only do so much predicting at this early date.

Although I ask this, odds that the Lions select an offensive player in the first round?

Tenders are for restricted free agents. Cliff was a free agent, meaning if we removed the tag, he could sign with whomever he wanted and we wouldn't get anything. The non-exclusive tag allowed Cliff to negotiate with other teams, but there wasn't a chance a team was going to give up two firsts for him. No one offered Hill a contract even for a fourth, because draft picks went up in value.

So in other words, Dan Snyder and the Skins weren't looking for a DE......lol

100%. We draft everything in pairs. So you just watch. We WILL draft another OT in the 1st round next year. And then turn around and draft either a WR, TE, or RB in the 2nd round since the NFL apparently mandated that the Lions use their 2nd pick on a WR, RB, or TE EVERY YEAR.

This is what I like to see. Confidence that the Leo's are going to make the right move.

Lets hope that the Lions pick is somewhere in the range of 25-32, which in this years draft meant

25- NE LB Dont'a Hightower
26- Hou DE Whitney Mercilus
27- Cin G Kevin Zeitler
28- GB DE Nick Perry
29- Min S Harrison Smith
30- SF WR AJ Jenkins
31- TB RB Doug Martin
32- NYG RB David Wilson

This is when you take value at your spot, or you trade back in (Min, TB) to fill needs. I don't think they went into the #23 pick this year thinking "We have to get an OT", Reiff was the second rated OT on the board and was still available, and most likely carried a higher grade than any of the other defensive players. Of those chosen in these spots, Nick Perry or Kevin Zeitler would be the only two I would have considered. I think they might take an offensive player next year, if he's rated highly on their board and represents good value.

The Lions have made it clear that their philosophy is to not reach for a need, and that Matt Stafford is going to be taken care of at all costs. He is the centerpiece of the organization, and keeping him surrounded by weapons and upright is goal one. Does this mean they have to let the defense suffer? By no means, it just shows where the top resources go. Bentley and Greenwood could end up being our starters for 10 years, but since they aren't first or second round picks, we as a fan base will automatically discount their talent.

Thats why Im somewhat keeping quiet about the lower round picks, because we have yet to see how they perform as Lions. For Christ sake, I wanted Aaron Curry back in 2009!!

REALLY?! I didn't realize Ndamukong Suh was a QB for us. Or perhaps you meant our 2008 1st round pick, Gosder Cherilus? Since we took Stafford in the first round in 2009, one of those two MUST be our backup QB.

Have you learned nothing about Mayhew? He will draft whatever player he feels bring the most value. If it happens to be an offensive tackle, then that's what it will be. It's not like we couldn't use another one, particularly if neither Jason Fox nor Johnny Culbreath show the stuff to be starting material.