2013 NFL Draft Talk

[****ed in DET]

Some contracts will get restructured or cut. Cutting won't eliminate a cap hit but it will reduce it.

We are going to depend on rookies to add talent to this team next year. That's basically all we can afford.

Trading down would be nice but not a good year for it. If someone will move up and we can go back and get Banks or Milliner, that would be ideal but not very likely.

Guys like KVB, Backus, and Nate will prob still be around on reduced deals, just because we have to do something with the $ we owe them and roster spots will need to be filled. They can add depth and hopefully that's all. If we go into next year expecting all of those guys to start, I will be disappointed.

[whooligun]

I thought Backus played pretty good this year.

[sam 186]

I wanted Manti T'eo but he played awful in the national championship game (missed tackles, couldn't get off his blocks)...now I'm looking at either Mingo (LSU) or Jarvis Jones (UGA) and putting either of them at DE. Another option is to trade down acquire more picks and get Alabamas center, hes proved he can play any position, and for now he could play RG and cut Peterman, and eventually move to center. what do you guys think?

[LionsFan..LOL]

I wanted Manti T'eo but he played awful in the national championship game (missed tackles, couldn't get off his blocks)...now I'm looking at either Mingo (LSU) or Jarvis Jones (UGA) and putting either of them at DE. Another option is to trade down acquire more picks and get Alabamas center, hes proved he can play any position, and for now he could play RG and cut Peterman, and eventually move to center. what do you guys think?

I think we can get Barrett Jones in the second round. In that trade down scenario I wouldn't be opposed to getting Chance Warmack (the G from Alabama) in the first, and Barrett with the second. This way we fix the G and C spot.

[mexalcahuete101]

I think we can get Barrett Jones in the second round. In that trade down scenario I wouldn't be opposed to getting Chance Warmack (the G from Alabama) in the first, and Barrett with the second. This way we fix the G and C spot.

I've thought about all the different scenarios myself and this is the one I want.
1. Chance warmack
2. Barrett jones
3. Tyrann mathieu (although he has already been in trouble I feel he has hit rock bottom already before the nfl so I feel he is changed.....hopefully)
4. Will gholston (plugged in with suh, and fairley the kid will shine)
5. Dri archer (new Jahvid best, although faster, and can return kicks)
6. Zach line (because I went to school with him, kid is a beast!)

[sandsurfr2]

Did gholston decide to leave school? I thought someone in his family said he may go back? I think he may be a steal if he comes out, but a good combine will push his stock up.

[garnotm]

Did gholston decide to leave school? I thought someone in his family said he may go back? I think he may be a steal if he comes out, but a good combine will push his stock up.

Gholston, Sims, and Bell all left, I would really like to take a shot at Sims in the late rounds if he is still available I know we don't need another TE but is athletic ability is pretty insane for a guy his size.

[HotMayo]

What if Barkley is there in the 2nd round lol..

Would you take him and trade stafford for some picks/players? Just curious to what you guys would say.

[LionsFan..LOL]

No. Even if we strike gold with the other players and picks, I don't like Barkley as an Nfl QB. I'd rather stay with the talented guy we have (with some issues obviously) and build around him.

[sportzfreak9303]

No, you're wrong. Period. The -1.1 million is the roster without any of the pending free agents on it....meaning they have to cut players or restructure contracts JUST TO GET UNDER THE CAP FOR NEXT SEASON TO BEGIN WITH. Player salaries and cap hits don't stay the same from season to season like you are assuming, it's not as easy as saying "The team has x cap hit total in 2012, take away the pending free agent's cap hits and now the team has y cap hit total in 2013."

-Stafford had a cap hit of 9 million in 2012, his cap hit jumps to 21 million in 2013.
-Backus had a cap hit of 2 million in 2012, his cap hit jumps to 8 million in 2013.
-Burleson had a cap hit of 2 million in 2012, his cap hit jumps to 6 million in 2013.
-KVB had a cap hit of 4 million in 2012, his cap hit jumps to 11 million in 2013.
-Suh had a cap hit of 6 million in 2012, his cap hit jumps to 17 million in 2013.

---^^^That's 40 million that you didn't take into account when you just rolled the 2012 cap hits for each player over to 2013. So using the above examples, subtract 40 from 46 and we are already down to just 6 million in cap space. And that's just using 5 players on the team as examples. Many other players on the team have similar contracts with increasing cap hits which eat into that "46 million in cap space" you think we somehow have. WE ARE 1.1 MILLION OVER THE CAP EVEN IF WE LET EVERY SINGLE FREE AGENT WALK AND DONT SIGN ANYONE.

Sorry man, not to be rude but you have no idea what the hell you are talking about. All of that 46 million in cap space you think we have is eaten up by the large increases in the cap hits that I outlined above.

Yeah I know their cap hits go, up, I also know cutting a player does not simply eliminate their future cap hit. I'm smart enough to listen when Mayhew said he's going to re-construct Stafford, Suh, and possibly even CJ in the near future to make them more cap friendly long term. I also was quoted as saying that I would cut Burleson and KVB, and Backus could be reconstructed to the veteran minimum, with the remainder as a signing bonus, cutting his cap number significantly. Sorry I did not provide every minute detail for you to look over, you're majesty

FD is right. Lions are screwed when it comes to the cap and you can thank that to the old rookie contracts. The Lions needs to sign Stafford long term to open up cap space. They owe a ton of restructured money to Suh, KVB, and Burleson also. KVB and Burleson are most likely on the team next season due to cutting them not really getting much cap space in return.

Not true. Mayhew has already come out to say he plans on re-constructing our bigger contracts to make them more cap-friendly. Cutting players at designated times does help too, as you do not absorb as much of a cap penalty as you would otherwise. Cutting KVB and Burleson wouldn't turn over enough to make you crap your pants in excitement, but it's significant nonetheless. Contracts in the NFL are very cyclical. You sign long-term, back load contracts, then continually re-construct how that money is given so that it cuts down little by little on the cap hit, until eventually the F.O. sees that it'd be more productive to release you and start the cycle over with a new player.

I think we can get Barrett Jones in the second round. In that trade down scenario I wouldn't be opposed to getting Chance Warmack (the G from Alabama) in the first, and Barrett with the second. This way we fix the G and C spot.

As much as that's a pipe dream to those who wanted the Lions to draft O-linemen the last 5 years, we can't continually ignore the defense in the front end of the draft. I'd only consider Warmack if we traded back and picked up another 1st or 2nd round pick, to which then the next 3-4 picks after I would devote strictly to defense. There's just too many holes on defense, and the need isn't necessarily to the tipping point with the offensive line. It's simply just a pipe dream this year to see our offensive line improve along with our entire defense

[sportzfreak9303]

And NO when you cut/release a player you do not necessarily take a cap hit.
http://www.askthecommish.com/SalaryCap/faq.aspx
Thus, re-constructing Stafford, Suh, CJ, etc and cutting Burleson, Best, KVB, trading Titus Young, and letting players like Avril, Levy, Durant, and Cherilus walk WOULD create significant space. Check your facts, and do your math kids.

[sportzfreak9303]

Cap Hits in 2013:
Backus - $1.25 mil guaranteed bonuses, $2.25 mil salary, $4.4 mil in incentives, actual cap hit is $3.5 mil up front, and is projected to be $5 mil by http://detroitlions34515.blogspot.co...-cap-hits.html
not $8 mil like FortDetroit says. $8 mil would be assuming Backus clears all incentives, which would mean he played every snap, started every game, allowed only a certain number of sacks, made the pro bowl, the team had a certain number of wins, made a certain level in the postseason, etc.

By cutting Best, who we believe will not return to the field ever again, cuts almost all of his $2 mil cap hit for 2013

Cutting Burleson, who is coming off a broken femur (imo knowing people who have broken their femur, it's almost worse than tearing your ACL, a lot of them take years just to walk normal again), reduces his cap hit from $6.5 mil to 2 mil

Cutting KVB cuts his $5 mil salary, meaning we'd only pay the remaining $1 signing bonus, and $500K roster bonus. Roster bonuses however are not guaranteed if cut by the deadline I believe set in March.

As looked at in section 1.9b on http://www.askthecommish.com/SalaryCap/faq.aspx, also by releasing players after June 1st, you are capable of spreading the cap hit over the remaining contract span. Thus further cutting down the cap hit of said released players.

Thus, FortDetroit, I was right in my plotting. You can simply take away the cap numbers from the 2012 players. Of course in my plotting I also assumed that I could trust Mayhew to reconstruct the large contracts enough to offset the smaller cap raises that other players on our roster are receiving. I don't know where you got your information from, because I'm looking at the 2012 contracts, the 2013 contracts, including how they are divided between salary, bonuses, and incentives, projected cap hits, etc, the exact rules and guidelines to how player salaries work, and what happens in certain scenarios and how it affects your cap.

[joseph aka Jman]

No dont resign Nick Harris he is terrible, I hope we get Brad Wing from LSU

[Lionsfanfromsac]

Oops

[sportzfreak9303]

No dont resign Nick Harris he is terrible, I hope we get Brad Wing from LSU

yeah, watching him shank every punt made my stool soft every sunday afternoon -___- I had Wing in the 6th round in the mock. I traded back to #9, picked up 2 extra picks, drafted 4 defensive starters, a defensive backup, an oline backup, and 2 special team studs in Barner and Wing