Thursday, March 27, 2003
Lions: Notebook
Mariucci: Top Lions pick interests others
By Mike O'Hara / The Detroit News
PHOENIX -- It was a fortunate coincidence -- or good timing by the player's agent -- that Lions Coach Steve Mariucci and President Matt Millen had to leave the NFL meetings early Wednesday to attend Arizona State defensive end Terrell Suggs' workout in nearby Tempe.
On pure ability -- excluding quarterbacks -- Suggs ranks with Michigan State wide receiver Charles Rogers and Kansas State cornerback Terence Newman as the top prospects in next month's draft.
Rogers is the logical choice to go to the Lions, who draft second behind Cincinnati -- unless someone jumps ahead of the Lions to draft Rogers, or the Lions get a trade offer that is too good to pass up.
There have been early trade rumbles, Mariucci said Wednesday morning. He did not identify teams that had an interest in the second pick.
"I can't go into detail, but there has been some interest in the No. 2 pick by other teams," Mariucci said. "That probably would be a draft-day decision as to what we do, where we go and who it is."
Last year, Millen worked the telephones right up until he had to announce the Lions' choice with the third pick. He couldn't find a trading partner, and the Lions drafted quarterback Joey Harrington of Oregon. Millen might have taken Harrington even if some team -- Dallas or Washington, perhaps -- had made a decent offer. No one knows for sure.
That's the beauty of deals that aren't made, or speculation about what might come together. Much is left to the imagination, and there's no hard evidence to prove anyone wrong.
The first round of the draft is April 26 -- four weeks from Saturday. Four teams have two picks in the first round -- the Jets, Patriots, Saints and Raiders. Of those four, the Jets have the highest pick in the round at No. 13. That seems too far for the Lions to drop.
The Cowboys might want to move up from No. 5 to guarantee getting a quarterback, or Newman.
Below the second pick, the Lions might get Suggs, a terrific speed pass rusher who had 24 sacks last year. Newman would be a possibility, but not below the top four or five picks. Andre Johnson of Miami (Fla.) is a muscular athlete with speed. Most scouts rank him as the No. 2 receiver, but a substantial level below Rogers.
No linebackers or running backs rate in the top half of the first round.
Drafting offense vs. defense, staying put or trading down, are options that will give Mariucci, Millen and the scouts many sleepless nights until draft day.
"In general, a good defense is a young quarterback's best friend," Mariucci said. "Common sense tells you, you're not going to give up a lot of points.
"When the score's close, you can continue to run the ball and mix up your passes and screens and throw when you want to."
This is the time to talk. Draft day -- or close to it -- will be time to deal.
"We'll be very prepared to say yes or no, and this is what we need," Mariucci said. "We'll also know if we're going back to five or eight or to 12. We'll know which pool of players is going to be there, and make a very educated decision on moving back.
"We will be prepared to do that. Would we do it today? No."
Lions: Notebook
Mariucci: Top Lions pick interests others
By Mike O'Hara / The Detroit News
PHOENIX -- It was a fortunate coincidence -- or good timing by the player's agent -- that Lions Coach Steve Mariucci and President Matt Millen had to leave the NFL meetings early Wednesday to attend Arizona State defensive end Terrell Suggs' workout in nearby Tempe.
On pure ability -- excluding quarterbacks -- Suggs ranks with Michigan State wide receiver Charles Rogers and Kansas State cornerback Terence Newman as the top prospects in next month's draft.
Rogers is the logical choice to go to the Lions, who draft second behind Cincinnati -- unless someone jumps ahead of the Lions to draft Rogers, or the Lions get a trade offer that is too good to pass up.
There have been early trade rumbles, Mariucci said Wednesday morning. He did not identify teams that had an interest in the second pick.
"I can't go into detail, but there has been some interest in the No. 2 pick by other teams," Mariucci said. "That probably would be a draft-day decision as to what we do, where we go and who it is."
Last year, Millen worked the telephones right up until he had to announce the Lions' choice with the third pick. He couldn't find a trading partner, and the Lions drafted quarterback Joey Harrington of Oregon. Millen might have taken Harrington even if some team -- Dallas or Washington, perhaps -- had made a decent offer. No one knows for sure.
That's the beauty of deals that aren't made, or speculation about what might come together. Much is left to the imagination, and there's no hard evidence to prove anyone wrong.
The first round of the draft is April 26 -- four weeks from Saturday. Four teams have two picks in the first round -- the Jets, Patriots, Saints and Raiders. Of those four, the Jets have the highest pick in the round at No. 13. That seems too far for the Lions to drop.
The Cowboys might want to move up from No. 5 to guarantee getting a quarterback, or Newman.
Below the second pick, the Lions might get Suggs, a terrific speed pass rusher who had 24 sacks last year. Newman would be a possibility, but not below the top four or five picks. Andre Johnson of Miami (Fla.) is a muscular athlete with speed. Most scouts rank him as the No. 2 receiver, but a substantial level below Rogers.
No linebackers or running backs rate in the top half of the first round.
Drafting offense vs. defense, staying put or trading down, are options that will give Mariucci, Millen and the scouts many sleepless nights until draft day.
"In general, a good defense is a young quarterback's best friend," Mariucci said. "Common sense tells you, you're not going to give up a lot of points.
"When the score's close, you can continue to run the ball and mix up your passes and screens and throw when you want to."
This is the time to talk. Draft day -- or close to it -- will be time to deal.
"We'll be very prepared to say yes or no, and this is what we need," Mariucci said. "We'll also know if we're going back to five or eight or to 12. We'll know which pool of players is going to be there, and make a very educated decision on moving back.
"We will be prepared to do that. Would we do it today? No."
