The Detroit Lions’ 2023 draft drew some mixed reviews from the public, but according to ESPN, NFL insiders are big fans of their pick.
Last week we saw the national media begin to slide in favor of the Detroit Lions when it came to their polarizing draft class. A class that drew early criticism – largely for its perceived “reach” and disregard for position value – was beginning to garner praise from national analysts late last week.
Interestingly, however, the Lions draft class does not appear to have drawn much, if any, criticism from league circles.
In an article for ESPN, reporter Jeremy Fowler dropped “key information” for all 32 teams regarding their draft, and it seems the Lions’ catch garnered some rave reviews from both league executives and NFL scouts.
Here’s an interesting quote that Fowler offered from an anonymous NFC executive:
“They said hell with (positional) value and just took good football players. This guy [Jahmyr Gibbs] is a player. When they open on Sunday, I don’t think anyone will care where it was taken. And these players suit Dan Campbell’s toughness approach very well.”
Obviously, among fans and the media, Gibbs’ selection was one of the more surprising decisions of Day 1 of the NFL draft. There was long talk about whether Bijan Robinson deserved a top-15 selection and that Gibbs – second to run back from the board – finished 12th overall was not expected by most.
However, as more information came out, it became clear that the league was higher than the media for Gibbs. Note the Detroit Free Press regarding Tashard Choice, Gibbs’ position coach at Georgia Tech:
Choice, who coached both Robinson and Gibbs, said he knows six NFL running backs coaches who were ticked that the Lions took Gibbs at 12 because they thought their teams had a chance of picking him later in the round 1 to land.
Fowler offered another quote from a league insider. In this case, it’s Lions second-round pick Sam LaPorta. While the Lions didn’t come as a complete surprise drawing a tight end, many didn’t expect LaPorta to go ahead of other available players in that position. Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer, Oregon State’s Luke Musgrave and Georgia’s Darnell Washington were all available for the Lions’ pick, but Detroit chose LaPorta over all.
An anonymous scout defended the election.
“He can play multiple spots, he’s smart and he’s faster than [Michael Mayer],” Said.
Overall, Fowler heard from “several NFL executives who loved Detroit’s draft, which felt like a throwback to 2001.”
Of course, it’s only the results that count, but it’s interesting to hear that internal discussion of the Lions draft may differ drastically from public perception.
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