Lions Have Many Draft Options at Pick 23: A Fan's Take

The Detroit Lions are finally in a place where they can be a little more judicious with their draft picks and not always have to pick based on pure needs, but they might in fact end up using their first round pick to address their biggest weakness after all.

The Lions are short on top-notch cornerback talent, and Eric Wright could be among those who end up with another team in 2012.

Detroit will have plenty of options with the 23rd pick this year, and ProFootballWeekly.com's Nolan Nawrocki recently went on record as saying that the Lions will take Dre Kirkpatrick out of Alabama with their top pick. Of course, it's still an early educated guess, but the Lions know what kind of top-notch talent he brings to a defense.

Kirkpatrick was arrested for marijuana possession recently but it's not yet known how that will affect his draft stock. The Lions don't seem to be quite as concerned with such minor potential issues as a lot of other teams are, as Jim Schwartz is somewhat of a rogue personality who nevertheless maintains the respect and adoration of the locker room.

Kirkpatrick has the kind of size and aggression that could fit well with the Lions, especially if their front four returns to playing the way it did at the beginning of last year.

Detroit would also be happy if Peter Konz of Wisconsin slid to the 23rd spot, considering he would fill both a current and possibly future need. The Lions need another guard who can move people off the ball and Konz has mastered the art of doing so. He played center this past year for Wisconsin as well, and the Lions also need to think about replacing undersized Dominic Raiola which could eventually be a role Konz can fit. ProFootballWeekly.com has him going #18 to the Chargers, however.

Cordy Glenn out of Georgia may be able to slide back to guard in the pros from the tackle spot he played last year to become a dominating player, and he could also be in the mix. It'd be a risk but again, the Lions are finally in the position to where they can take them these days.

Middle linebacker Luke Kuechly of Boston College is also a possibility if the Lions decide to move in a different direction with their linebacking corps, but it's probably an outside shot. Kuechly might shoot up the draft boards as teams continue to dissect his film clips.

But perhaps the ultimate wild card is Vontaze Burfict of Arizona State, the heat-seeking missile of a linebacker for the Sun Devils who isn't even listed in Pro Football Weekly's mock draft in the first round.
He is perhaps more suited for the outside, but he would be even more intriguing for the Lions to draft than any other team.

That's because he's got some Ndamukong Suh in him, someone who plays with full intensity at all times, intimidates opponents and also ends up getting flagged a little too often for it. Would the Lions have the guts to pull the trigger on him? That depends on their evaluations and who else is on the board, but it's an intriguing possibility to say the least. Adding him to a crew including Kyle Vanden Bosch, a great leader and another intense player, Suh, Nick Fairley and others would make the Lions' defense intimidating if nothing else.

Other possibilities include Nebraska CB Alfonzo Dennard and Stanford G David DeCastro among many others.

With the combine still looming and prospects still being sorted out, the Lions and other teams have a lot of work to do. But Detroit should get a quality player at a position of need unless something crazy happens this time around, if they feel that it's the the way to go, that is. The best player available clause is back on the table in Detroit and it feels good heading into 2012.

Nick Meyer is a lifelong Lions fan from metro Detroit.