the team has just signed riley.terms were undisclosed as of right now.

Man...I know some people were upset we didn't take DeCastro, but a potential starting LT for 8 million/4 years? Simply too good to pass up.

I disagree 100%.

1) I think we missed out on a Pro Bowl OG for a mediocre, FUTURE LT. There have already been reports that Reiff will get zero snaps at LT this year, barring injury. That means he won't start progressing as a LT until next year, maybe. He will probably play RT this year, and he will be an upgrade, but there are reports that Culbreath was ready to stand in and take that spot anyhow. So, we'll get two years out of him as a starting caliber LT, then have to pay him a nice chunk of change too, perfect.

2) Why doesn't everyone see that we have a HOLE at LG? And, why do people want to get Backus' replacement, and Dom's replacement before filling that HOLE? Decastro would have done just that this season (filled that hole), and could have likely replaced Dom the following year.

Everyone spouts off the quote - an OL is only as good as its weakest link, but they constantly ignore LG yet want to upgrade and replace people that aren't dead and gone yet.

IMO Decastro would have been a better pick, but I am happy that we spent that pick on OL, and I do think Reiff will pan out and be an average starting LT for us.

I think the fact that he's not in the running for the LT position this year is more about Backus than Reiff. Anything happens to Backus (or he can't come back as soon as expected) and Reiff's your guy. The way they structured Backus's extension, it will also be easy to let him go next year.

LTs are very expensive. RGs are not. You're looking at needs, but my point was this was a better value pick.

On a related note, what were your thoughts on this?
https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2 ... es-part-2/

What's my thoughts on us having an average OL? I'm indifferent about it. The fact that we're 22 in run blocking says a lot. OGs are cheap? Tell that to Hutchinson.

Time will tell if Reiff or DeCastro turn out to be the better NFL player. However, DeCastro was widely viewed as the best pro guard prospect to come into the draft since Hutchinson. Reiff was not viewed in that same light. Nobody was comparing him to Joe Thomas, or any other PB tackle, either right or left. The Lions have gone on record, multiple times, as saying that they don't address positional needs during the draft, but instead they select talent, with a measure of common sense. When the Lions pick came up, I was hoping they would add DeCastro, as I think Stephen Peterman at RG (not LG wjb, Rob Sims is fine there) is a definitive weak link. He played better last season only AFTER the Lions signed Leonard Davis. Until then, he was as inconsistent as Cherilus. Teams shouldn't have to threaten starters to play better by making needless signings of other players to threaten their starting role.

So, as I said, time will tell which player turns out to be better. Regardless of position they play, talent is talent. Nobody can tell me that they wouldn't rather have gotten Hutch ahead of Backus during that draft. The same might be true of this draft, in reverse. In years to come, we may be saying "why didn't they take DeCastro?".

"With a measure of common sense" is the key phrase, and something Mayhew has repeated over and over again. When using common sense, position matters. If it was all about getting the best available talent, they should have taken Bryan Anger in round 1. However, most teams realize that a punter's skill set is not rare and therefore a punter is not usually a good choice in round 1--even if he might be a solid starter for 10+ years. The same is true of interior OL. Most teams get their guards and centers in later rounds because the skills/attributes needed to play those positions are not rare. OTs have skills that are more rare: that's why they are paid more and that's why they are drafted higher. I'm not suggesting that interior OL is unimportant but rather that when given the choice between an OT and OG, most GMs will select the OT.

I admit I was a bit surprised that the Lions didn't draft an interior OL in the mid/late rounds but we also need to remember that the season hasn't started yet. There was a lot of complaining after the initial phase of free agency and again after the draft regarding positions that hadn't been addressed. We should probably remember that Mayhew likes to make moves late in the process. The player acquisition period is far from over.

"They say". Thats what were basing things on when it comes to Reiff and DeCastro?

I would have been happy as hell with DeCastro. But im really happy with Reiff too. There MUST be a reason Detroit took him instead of DeCastro. I trust them 100%.

Anyways, none of these guys have played an NFL snap yet. "They say" DeCastro is the next Hutchinson...maybe he will be, who knows.

They also "said" Jamarcus Russel was a once in a decade QB.......just sayin.

He was.......the biggest bust QB in a decade.

In my case, no. I watched both players in different games. DeCastro is more athletic, and seems to finish his blocks better. He is a better pass blocker than run blocker, but he still does well pulling and blocking in space. Peterman absolutely sucks at that, which is why the Lions rarely are able to get a back outside, particularly to the right. Reiff has the measurables to be a good left tackle, but I see his skill set as being on par with Backus. Good...steady...nothing outstanding.

I'm good with the Reiff selection as well. I'm not upset about it. But DeCastro has abilities that stand out. He also has the ability to play center, which would be huge for us. So, far me, I see DeCastro as having more talent AND more versatility.

But, as you said, I have no reason to doubt Mayhew/Lewand/Schwartz, so I have no beef with the pick they made. As I said...time will tell.

Interestingly, Schwartz said today that Reiff might get some time at guard during camp--it's the first time I've heard the Lions' brass discuss Reiff as anything other than a tackle. Reiff is almost certainly going to play tackle in the long-term but if he plays guard in the short-term I think that could be a good way to develop him.

I think a great way to get Reiff involved this year is to play him at LG and move Sims to RG. Remember that Sims gained 20 pounds in the offseason (intentionally); that extra bulk and strength could help bolster the right side. Reiff can then start working next to Backus on the left side, which is probably a better way to develop him than sticking him at RG. I'm sure the Lions have a number of combinations they want to look at.

I think the uncertainty about Reiff's position this year is a really good problem to have and it speaks to the player's skill set: he could play LT, RT, LG, or RG this year. There weren't many players in the draft that offered that much position flexibility on the OL. Hopefully the coaches will find the best spot for him this year as they groom him to play OT in the long term.

MWill - I agree with you about moving Sims to RG. I really think it would help out our run blocking. I would also rather Reiff play LG than RT. I realize that RT is generally regarded as "harder" than LG, but I think Reiff could learn a lot playing next to Jeff Backus, and I'd like to keep him over on the left side

That said, Decastro was said to have the ability to play every position on the OL. He was hands down the better pick, IMO. I'm of the opinion that we effectively passed on Hutchinson for Backus when we passed on Decastro for Reiff. Time will tell I guess.

with what I consider a wasted pick in Broyes I would LOVe for us to have moved up and grabbed both.

Remember, Peter Konz was still available in round two when we selected Broyles. It will be interesting to see just how good he plays for the Falcons.

I like the idea of moving Sims to RG, then putting Reilly at RT and having a competition at LG for the rest. Of course, either Peterman or Cherilus would have to be cut if they don't win the LG contest.

The dream would be to have Jason Fox pull a Matt Stafford and finally stay healthy and play to his potential. If he does, then we actually could have a good looking future for this offensive line. All we'd need is to find a starting caliber center. And we could have had that had we taken Konz.

Then again, this was the second year in a row the Lions decided to pass on a highly touted center for a wide receiver. They passed on Steve Wisniewski in the second round of 2011, and he looked pretty damn good for the Raiders. Yes, Titus Young played well for the Lions. But I'll take a starting caliber center/guard over a third wide receiver in the second round of the draft, all day long.

My only issue with Konz is his ability to stay healthy. If they didn't believe in his hip (I think that was his major issue), I have no problem with them passing on him. I agree with you about Wisniewski, but everyone knows, Alex Mack is by biggest gripe. He's hands down better than all of them in my book, we could have had him, I believe, right before we extended Dom and over-paid him, and I'm not the biggest Pettigrew fan in town.