Lions 2010 Draft - Round 2 & 3

The Lions did not have a pick in the 2nd round due to moving up to the first round to get RB Jahvid Best. So the fans had to wait until the 66th pick of the draft (34th of Friday night) before the Lions were finally on the clock. With their 3rd round draft pick the Lions took Cornerback, Amari Spievey from Iowa.

Watching the forums, the initial reaction by many of the fans was more in the lines of "Who is he?" Trust me, even if we do not know him, the Lions brass has studied him well. Remember in 2009 when the Lions selected DeAndre Levy? I did not know him. The only reason I did not get upset was because he was a linebacker, which they needed. At least they addressed the defense I figured. It turns out that Mayhew and company knew very well what they were doing in selecting Levy, so now we need to give them due respect that they know what they are doing with selecting Spievey.

Keep in mind, whether you know him or not, he is a cornerback and that is a position the Lions needed badly. But it is not like they just selected a cornerback because they needed a cornerback. Spievey is actually quite a decent player from the sounds of it. Here is the basics of what CBS says about him.

Not overly fast as he ran a 4.53 in the forty yard dash and though he is a bit slow to recognize the rushing play or double move when they are coming, he is adequate at reading routes. He is best when reacting to plays in front of him as a zone corner. Spievey is strong enough to be good in the press coverage and is good at staying on the receivers hip down the sidelines but tends to lose track of the receiver some when he turns around to look for the ball. He is very experienced in the zone coverage and reacts to the ball thrown in any direction. Can use either hand to defend the pass and shows flashes of great hands to catch the ball. He flashes explosive tackling on the edge and plants running backs into the turf. He has matured and improved his work ethics and is not afraid of contact between the lines.

My simple opinion of Spievey is that it sounds like he is a good worker and a very good tackler. He shows some good hands and is good in the zone defense. He can stay with receivers down the line.

I think the Lions will give him the opportunity to play cornerback and if that doesn't work out, he may be moved to the swing safety to compliment Delmas. He has the size and the tackling ability to play the safety position as well as decent hands to take advantage of the position. Because he sounds like he is better reacting to plays in front of him, that sounds more like a safety as well.

I believe the Lions are sure they can use him and develop him into a starter in one of those positions but it would not surprise me if they went ahead and signed Pacman Jones after the draft to solidify things up in the secondary.