Lions make the Best of round 1; Packers select Iowa star Bulaga
While the Bears could only sit back and observe Thursday night's first round, the Lions got better immediately on both sides of the ball, and the Packers may have gotten the biggest steal of the first round.
The Lions had the worst defense in the NFL last season, but they became much better when they grabbed Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh with the second overall pick.
The 6-foot-4, 307-pound Suh will be an immediate starter and will excel on the nose or at the 3 technique.
He isn't considered as effective of a pass rusher as Oklahoma tackle Gerald McCoy, who was taken by Tampa Bay with the next pick, but Suh is a more dominant force against the run. He showed tremendous ability to disrupt in the backfield and rush the passer in the Big 12 championship game against Texas when he had 7 tackles for loss, including 4 sacks.
"It was the most dominant game I've ever seen at the college level," according to NFL.com's Mike Mayock.
The Lions have won a total of two games in the past two seasons, but they improved their offense last year with quarterback Matthew Stafford and tight end Brandon Pettigrew in the first round, and now they have the centerpiece of their defense.
Late in the night of the first draft in prime time, the Lions traded back into the first round to get the Vikings' pick at No. 30, and they took explosive, big-play running back Jahvid Best. Their 2009 starter, Kevin Smith, had two shoulder injuries last year and a torn ACL.
Best has outstanding speed and elusiveness and is a threat to score from anywhere on the field as a runner, receiver or return specialist. The only question about the 5-10, 199-pounder is whether he has the durability to stay healthy in the NFL.
That move left the Vikings without a first-round pick, and it surprised observers because they passed on a chance to take Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen, who will be available this evening when the second and third rounds are conducted.
The Packers got exactly what they needed in Bryan Bulaga. Their starters at offensive tackle, Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher, aren't getting better, they're getting older. They'll be 34 and 33, respectively, before training camp opens.
Only three teams allowed more sacks than the Packers' 51, and that's not counting the 5 they allowed in the playoff loss to the Cardinals.
Somehow Iowa's Bulaga, a Crystal Lake native and graduate of Marian Central Catholic High School in Woodstock, slid all the way down to the Packers at No. 23, even though many considered him a top-12 pick.
Despite a shorter-than-ideal wingspan, the 6-foot-5, 314-pound Bulaga should become a standout left tackle, although he may start out on the right side.
"Growing up in the Midwest I always admired what the Packers did," Bulaga said. "I'm ecstatic to be a Packer."