NFC North Preview

Chicago Bears

Last Season : 11 - 5



Players Drafted

1st Round - Gabe Carimi OL
2nd Round - Stephen Paea DT
3rd Round - Chris Conte DB
5th Round - Nathan Enderle QB
6th Round - James Thomas LB

Players in

Roy Williams

Marion Barber RB
Sam Hurd WR
Roy Williams WR
Matt Speath TE
Adam Podlesh P
Chris Spencer C
Amobi Okoye DL
Patrick Trahan LB
Brandon Meriweather S

Players out

Matt Gutierrez QB
Brandon Minor RB
Chester Taylor RB
Devin Aromashodu WR
Rashied Davis WR
Zeke Markshausen WR
Brad Maynard P
Richmond McGee P
Olin Kreutz C
Josh Bullocks S
Danieal Manning S

The Bears won this division last year, they then won through to the NFC Championship game.  Here they lost to the major division rivals, the Green Bay Packers.  They will be hoping that this year they will be able to go one better, but I just don't see it.  They had alot of problems along the OL last year, and QB Jay Cutler was hit often.  They selected OL Gabe Carimi in the 1st round of the draft, hoping to try and stop this happening again.  I don't like the fact though that they allowed veteran C Olin Kreutz to leave.  His experience will be missed.  They bought in RB Marion Barber, for the tough yards, but the interesting signing to me is WR Roy Williams.  Williams and the OC Mike Martz worked together in Detriot, and Williams had his best ever year under Martz.  Will they be able to recreate this?

This Bears defence isn't a classic one, but it is still pretty good.  They manage to get pressure off the edge thanks to DE Julius Peppers and LB Brian Urlacher makes it very difficult to run against them.  They did lose S Danieal Manning in the offseason, but replaced him with former Patriot Brandon Meriweather.  Meriweather's uncompromising style should fit in well in Chicago.  The Bears will be decent, but I can't see past the Packers this year.

Detroit Lions

Last Season : 6 - 10



Players Drafted

1st Round - Nick Fairley DT
2nd Round - Titus Young WR
2nd Round - Mikel LeShoure RB
5th Round - Douglas Hogue LB
7th Round - Johnny Culbreath OL

Players in

Jerome Harrison

Jerome Harrison RB
Keiland Williams FB
Rashied Davis WR
Nate Hughes WR
Maurice Stovall WR
Jacques McClendon OG
Rudy Niswanger C
Isaac Sowells OL
Keyunta Dawson DL
Quinn Pitcock DL
Cody Brown LB
Jason Durnant LB
Stephen Tulloch LB
Anthony Maddison CB
Eric Wright CB
Erik Coleman S
Aaron Francisco S

Players out

Bryant Johnson WR
Dave Rayner K
Turk McBride LB

The Lions are a very interesting, up and coming team in my eyes.  QB Matt Stafford and WR Calvin Johnson have a great connection, and should provide the Lions will a great passing game.  One problem that the Lions had last year was the lack of a running game.  RB Jahvid Best is seen as being injury-prone, so they bought in Mikel LeShore, with a 2nd round draft pick.  The problem is LeShoure tore his achilles, and will miss the season.  It would be asking alot for Best to carry the team, so they bought in former Brown, Jerome Harrison.  Will be interesting to see how this goes.

The defence of the Lions is SO exciting.  The DL includes Kyle Van Den Bosch, Ndamukung Suh, and now last years 1st Round pick Nick Fairley.  These 3 should put opposing QB's under HUGE pressure.  They have bought in LB's Jason Durant and Stephan Tullochm that should make this a dominant front 7.  The secondary should also be much improved, thanks to the signings of CB Eric Wright and S Aaron Francisco.  This much better looking defence have played well in the preseason, and I can't wait to see them in the games that matter.  I think the Lions will win more games than last year, and may even shock everyone by winning 8 or more games, something they haven't done for over a decade.

Green Bay Packers

Last Season : 10 - 6



Players Drafted

Will they repeat??

1st Round - Derek Sherrod OL
2nd Round - Randell Cobb WR
3rd Round - Alex Green RB
4th Round - Davon House DB
5th Round - D.J Williams TE
6th Round - Caleb Schlauderaff OL
6th Round - D.J Smith LB
6th Round - Ricky Elmore DL
7th Round - Ryan Taylor TE
7th Round - Lawrence Guy DT

Players in

Players out

Ahman Green RB
Brandon Jackson RB
Korey Hall FB
Calvin Russell WR
Donald Lee TE
Daryn Colledge OG
Jason Spitz C
Cullen Jenkins DT
Nick Barnett LB
Brady Poppinga LB
Atari Bigby S
Michael Greco S
The Packers of course won it all last year, and you would have to be a brave man to bet against them doing it again.  They have got back all of the players that had season ending injuries last year, including RB Ryan Grant, TE Jermichael Finley and T Mark Tauscher. All of these players will return, and I can't see anything but success for this offence. 

On defence, the Packers have lost LB Nick Barnett, and DT Cullen Jenkins, but this defence is way to good to let this hold them back.  I can't see anyone in this division stopping the Pack, and if they get a bye in week 1 of the playoffs, somebody in the NFC will have to play the game of the year to stop them reaching the Superbowl.

Minnesota Vikings

Last Season : 6 - 10



Players Drafted

1st Round - Christian Ponder QB
2nd Round - Kyle Rudolf TE
4th Round - Christian Ballard DL
5th Round - Brandon Burton DB
6th Round - Demarcus Love OL
6th Round - Mistral Raymond DB
6th Round - Brandon Fusco OL
6th Round - Ross Homan LB
7th Round - D'Aundre Reed DL
7th Round - Stephan Burton WR

Players in

Donovan McNabb

Donovam McNabb QB
Tristan Davis RB
Devin Aromashodu WR
Michael Jenkins WR
Charlie Johnson OT
Scott Kooistra OG
Remi Ayodele DL
Colby Whitlock DL
Xavier Adibi LB
Mark Washington LB

Players out

Brett Farve QB
Tarvaris Jackson QB
Sidney Rice WR
Bryant McKinnie OT
Ryan Cook OG
Ray Edwards DL
Ben Leber LB
Lito Sheppard CB
Frank Walker CB

The Vikings are a very confusing team to me.  Out goes QB Brett Farve, who has been replaced by Donovan McNabb.  Alot of the pass catching responsibilities now fall on the shoulders of injury prone WR Percy Harvin, thanks to the departure of Sidney Rice (to Seattle).  Harvin is a very talented WR, but has had many injuries since he came into the NFL.  If he gets hurt again this year, the Vikings will struggle in the pass game.  They do though have the best RB in the game, Adrian Peterson.  Expect the Vikings to lean heavily on Peterson, and him to have huge numbers this year.

This Viking defence is not the unit it has been.  They have lost DT Ray Edwards who was a big part in that DL that gave them so much success.  I think that the Vikings will struggle this year, and will finish bottom of this very competitive division.

Pre Season Week 2 : Friday Nights Games

Here are the highlights from all the games on Friday night:

Redskins 16 Colts 3



Chiefs 13 Ravens 31



Lions 30 Browns 28



Panthers 10 Dolphins 20



Cardinals 20 Packers 28




Falcons 13 Jaguars 15

Fridays Pre Season Storylines

It was great to see live football again last night, after the doom and gloom of the lockout.  All matches from Thursday, Friday and Saturday, will be reviewed here on Sunday.  But for now, what games are happening tonight, and what should you be looking out for?

Dolphins @ Falcons

The visiting Dolphins have a lot of questions to answer on the offensive side of the ball.  Alot of the talk in the off season has been about QB Chad Henne.  Henne's performances last season were not great, and the fans wanted him replaced.  It will be a huge year for Henne this year.  Can he prove that the organisation were right to keep him??  Also keep an eye on the RB situation.  Newcomer Reggie Bush and rookie Daniel Thomas, are looking to replace veterans Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams.

All the talk in the off season in Atlanta has also been about the offence.  During the draft, the Falcons traded multiple draft picks, to trade up and take WR Julio Jones.  Jones is a very talented WR, and the Falcons clearly believe that he is the missing piece that they need to get them to the Superbowl.  Are they correct to think this way?

Bengals @ Lions

The Bengals are almost certain to be starting a rookie QB (Andy Dalton) come the opening day of the season.  To make things worse, their best WR for years (Chad Ochocinco) has left town, and is now catching passes from Tom Brady in New England.  They did take WR A.J Green in the first round of the draft, but with this broken off season, will he be anywhere near as effective as Ochocinco could have been?  It will be very interesting to see the Dalton - Green combination.

The Lions have a very young, exciting team, and were really looking forward to the new season.  Since training camp opened though, they have received injuries to 2 rookies, DT Nick Fairley and RB Mikel Leshore.  Leshore is actually out for the whole season, because of his torn achilles.  The Lions bought in veteran RB's Mike Bell and Jerome Harrison to help Javid Best run the ball.  Tonight it will be intersting to see who catches the eye.

Steelers @ Redskins

The Steelers starters almost pick themselves, and the main objective for them tonight, is to make sure none of the pick up an injury.  I expect that the Steelers starters will only play one series, then take the rest of the night off.  Will be interesting to see what they have lower down the depth chart, but not much to keep an eye on here.

If the Steelers are set up and ready to go, the Redskins could not be further behind.  With last years QB Donovan McNaab now in Minnesota, the Redskins are searching for this years starter.  Up step John Beck and Rex Grossman, o dear!  These 2 are the reason that the Redskins will finish bottom of the NFC East standings this year, no matter who starts.  I'm looking forward to seeing their defence though, I think that they could be very good - they are going to need to be.

Buccaneers @ Chiefs

The Wembley bound Buccaneers, start their 2011 campaign in Kansas City.  To be completely honest I'm struggling quite a lot to pick out an individual thing to look out for, for either team.  The Chiefs and Buccs rosters are loaded up with young players, so expect to see a lot of mistakes in this game.  This off season has been a nightmare for young teams, as they have been unable to practice together.  I expect to see some exciting plays, and some stupid mistakes in this very unpredictable matchup.  One player I am looking forward to seeing is Buccs QB Josh Freeman.  I want to see how he has developed as a leader over the off season.

49'ers @ Saints

The 49'ers decided to stick with what they know with QB Alex Smith, and bought in WR Braylon Edwards to give him a solid option in the pass game.  With Michael Crabtree looking likely to miss most of the preseason, the Smith - Edwards combo is likely to be developed by coaching staff intensely.  Another position to keep an eye on here is the secondary spots.  The 49'ers have bought in S's Dashon Goldston and Donte Whitner, as well as CB's Carlos Rodgers and Madieu Williams.  Improving the secondary was obviously a priority, so has it worked?

The Saints (like the Steelers) are pretty much set at all positions, and their primary goal will be to finish this game injury free.  A couple of new faces though that will be looking to make an impact were 1st round picks RB Mark Ingram, and DE Cam Jordan.  The Saints were praised by everyone following the addition of these 2 players in April.  Tonight is their first opportunity to prove the organisation made the right choices.

Check back here tomorrow for Saturdays story lines.

Thanksgiving Football

There is a huge tradition that goes hand in hand with Thanksgiving in America, and that's football.  We all know that thanks is given for a bountiful harvest, on the 4th Thursday in July, and has been a national holiday since 1941, but why the link to football?  The professional football league in 1934 asked if any team was interested in hosting a game on Thanksgiving day.  The only interested party were the Detroit Lions, who have done so ever since.  Due to the success of the game, the league decided to go for 2 games in 1966, but the Dallas Cowboys were the only interested team.  They have played on Thanksgiving ever since.  These 2 games became known as the 'Thanksgiving Classic' series, and have been hugely successful.  So successful in fact, that a number of other teams wanted to get in on the act.  So in 2006, the NFL decided to add a 3rd game.  This game though would not be a set host team, and would rotate around the league.  This years host team will be the Jets, who will welcome the Bengals.  The Lions host the Patriots this year, whilst the Saints travel to Dallas.

Patriots @ Lions

The 8 - 2 Patriots travel to Detroit to take on the 2 - 8 Lions.  The Lions are much improved this year, and will be looking forward to putting up a big performance here in front of their home fans. There was talk around that Patriots QB Tom Brady would not start due to a shoulder injury, but he does, look out Detroit.  The Lions will need to pressure Brady if they are to get anything from this game.  With the young DT Ndamukung Suh though, that is defiantly possible.  Suh is having an amazing rookie year, and will be out to prove a point on this big stage.  I do believe though that the Patriots have to much firepower in this one.  Also I cannot see the Lions putting up many points against this young, but very talented Pats D.  RB Jahvid Best should start the game, but his injuries this year will certainly limit him.  The Lions are still without franchise QB Matt Stafford, who like Brady, has a shoulder injury.

Saints @ Cowboys

The 7 - 3 Saints collide with the 3 - 7 Cowboys in the 2nd match up on Thanksgiving.  This game would have been seen as a clash of NFC favorites at the beginning of the year,  but the Cowboys have disappointed, and the Saints have managed to go about their business, without much attention.  This is a very important game for the Saints, as they need to keep up the pressure in their tough division, with both the Falcons and Buccaneers playing well this year.  The Cowboys have got back to playing decent football in the past couple of weeks, following the firing of HC Wade Phillips.  Jason Garrett seems to have this talented bunch playing hard, and the Cowboys will want to show the nation that they are not a laughing stock.  Should be a very interesting game!

Bengals @ Jets

The disappointing 2 - 8 Bengals take on the 8 - 2 Jets.  The Jets came back from the dead again on Sunday, with a last minute TD drive against the Texans.  That is not the first time the Jets have done that this year, and they have many people wondering, are they good? or are they lucky?  I personally believe that its a bit of both, but you have to be extremely talented to create so much luck!!  QB Mark Sanchez has proven that he is a very capable QB this year, and he leads the team when required.  Saying all this, I don't believe the Bengals will test them at all in this one.  They have been very poor this year when they were expected to defend their AFC North crown.  Most of there problems have come from their inability to run the ball, and that weakness will not be improved against this very good Jets defence.

Enjoy your turkey where ever you are in the world, but more importantly, enjoy the football!!

The Keys to Training Camp - NFC North

Chicago Bears

The Bears finished 2009 with a 7 - 9 record.  This record left them in 3rd place in the division behind the Vikings and Packers, and also out of the playoffs.  This is not good enough for this sports crazy city.  During the off season they have bought in the innovative Mike Martz as their offensive coordinator.  Will his system help the Bears get back to the Superbowl?


What will the offence look like?

It is no secret that the Bears offence struggled a lot last year.  They came in ranked 17th in the pass game, and a really poor 29th in the run game.  This stat is particularly shocking of a Chicago team, that are always so well known for their run game.  QB Jay Cutler (pictured) was bought in at the beginning of last year to be their saviour, he struggled throwing almost as many INT's as TD's (26 : 27).  This has led the Bears to bring in new OC Mike Martz.  Mike is known as an offensive genius around the league.  He was in charge of the Rams offence that became known has the 'greatest show on turf'.  Will Martz be able to recreate this kind of offence in Chicago, and does he have the pieces in place?

Who are the receivers?

 This is a major question in Chicago at the moment.  The Mike Martz system is very aggressive, very explosive, and relies on big plays from WR's.  It also does not include many passes to TE's, which is a shame, as the Bear with the most catches last year was TE Greg Olsen.  In fact, after Olsen came WR Devin Hester (pictured) and after him came RB Matt Forte.  Only 1 WR in the top 3??  The Bears have also failed to address this situation in the draft.  Devin Hester is a very exciting football player.  His returns are a joy to watch.  He was the player that ran the opening kick off of Superbowl 41 back for a TD.  The Bears have tried to mold him into a WR, but he is struggling slightly with the transition.  After Hester are Johnny Knox and Earl Bennett.  Both players are decent, but neither is a star WR.  How will these players fit the new system?

Can they get back to 'Bears defence'?

The Bears over the years have been known as a dominant football team.  When you look at last years stats - 13th against the pass, 23rd against the run - they aren't to bad, but they aren't Bears defence.  A major reason for the struggling defence was the injury to star MLB Brian Urlacher.  He missed a big section of the season last year, and in my mind, this is the reason they struggled so bad against the run.  It will be interesting to see how close to 100% he looks in camp.  Also it will be interesting to see how the Bears plan on using big off season acquisition DE Julius Peppers (pictured).  Peppers on his day is one of the best pass rushers in the NFL.  His presence can make the whole defence look better.  Can Chicago get the best from him?



Detroit Lions

The Lions had another poor year last year, finishing at the bottom of the NFC North with a 2 - 14 record.  The Lions have been struggling for a number of years now, but because of this have managed to get quite a few very high draft picks, and this year was no exception.  So what are the major talking points going into camp.


Can the defence improve?

O dear!!!  The Lions defence was absolutely horrid last year.  They came in dead last in points per game, total yards per game, pass yards per game and 25th in run yards per game.  This was a very bad defence.  But, lets give the owners credit, they went out this off season, and completely changed this defence.  At the very opening of free agency the Lions bought in talented DE Kyle Vanden Bosch (pictured).  He and first round draft pick (2nd overall) Ndamukung Suh will certainly improve this D line, and will get pressure on opposing QB's.  The interesting thing will be to see how the rest off the defence comes together.


How good can the Stafford - Johnson combo be?

As I mentioned earlier, the Lions have had a lot of very early picks in the draft in recent years.  One benefit of this is that they are gathering a number of very talented individuals.  On the offensive side of the ball there is no doubt that the most exciting combination is QB Matt Stafford and WR Calvin Johnson (pictured).  Last season both players had their injuries, so we didn't really see how good this could be.  Both players are incredibly talented and if this combo works out, could be the best QB - WR combo in the league - potentially.

Can the mentality be changed?

If I was a member of the coaching staff, or a fan of the Lions, the thing that would worry me is that the team are just so used to losing.  The Lions have not had a winning record since 2000, and have only won 33 games since then.  This is a major concern.  In sports, especially football, so much of what you do on the field is achieved by believing you can do it.  If you go out thinking you will lose, you defiantly will.  This is what is happening in Detroit, and it needs to change.


Green Bay Packers

The Packers finished 2009 with a 11 - 5 record, which saw them as runners up in the NFC North, but the record was good enough for a place in the playoffs through a wildcard entry.  The Packers went out to Arizona on wildcardKarlos Dansby returned INT in overtime to win the game.  So how do the Packers get back to the playoffs, and make the next step?

Can the O Line improve?

Rodgers goes down again.

When it came to writing this piece about the Packers the first thing that jumped into my mind about last year was how often it seemed Aaron Rodgers got sacked.  I went to look at the numbers and found that the Packers actually gave up the most sacks in the NFL last year with 51.  Most embarrassingly they actually had 14 against the rival Vikings.  When you add to this the fact that Julius Peppers and Ndamukung Suh have also moved into the NFC North, this becomes a real concern for Packers fans.  The Packers will hope that first round draft pick Brian Bulaga will help to solve this problem.  Also the Packers will hope to have Mark Tauscher fit and healthy for the season.  T Tauscher only managed to start 8 games in '09.

How much of an impact will the Johnny Jolly suspension have?

The Packers had a fantastic defence last year.  After the initial struggle of changing from a 4 - 3 team to a 3 - 4 team were passed, the Packers defence went on to become one of the best units in the league.  This statement was backed up by the numbers - 5th pass defence, 1st run defence.  A big part of that great run defence was DT Johnny Jolly.  This year though the Pack will have to play without Jolly.  Jolly has been suspended for the entire season following an arrest do to drug possession.  This could be of huge consequence for the Packers, as the NT is a massive piece in the 3 - 4.  There is talk that 2nd year pro B.J Raji will move to NT.  Can he be as effective?


Where will the pass rush come from?

Even though Green Bay had a great defence last year, they did seem to struggle when they came up against an elite QB.  Farve on 2 occasions, Big Ben, Carson Palmer and Kurt Warner all torched the Packers defence last year,and the Packers lost all 5 games.  A huge part of this is down to the fact that the Packers struggle to get a pass rush.  With the Jolly suspension, and Aaron Kampman now being a Jaguar, a lot of this responsibility will now fall on 2nd year pro Clay Matthews (pictured).  Clay had a fantastic rookie year scoring 10 sacks in total.  The Packers will need at least a repeat of this performance from Matthews if they are to move forward this year.



Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings finished last year on top of the NFC North with a 12 - 4 record, which not only gave them a spot in the playoffs, but also gave them 2nd seed in the whole NFC.  The Vikings then welcomed the Dallas Cowboys to Minnesota, and swiftly sent them back to Texas with their tail between their legs following an impressive 34 - 3 beating.  The Vikings then travelled to New Orleans for the NFC Championship game, a nail biting game that they eventually lost 31 - 28 to the eventual Superbowl winners.  So can the Vikings get one step further this year?



Will Brett Farve return? (and when?)

 There is only really one place that you can start when talking about the Minnesota Vikings for the upcoming season.  I believe that Brett Farve is the difference between the Vikings being a Superbowl team, or not.  The Vikings have the talent both on defence and offence, they just need somebody to steer the ship.  Welcome Captain Farve.  People continually say that Farve is past it, he can't play another year, but he keeps on proving them wrong.  Last year Farve had a great season throwing for over 4,200 yards, 33 TD's and only 7 INT's.  Are you trying to tell me that these numbers could be achieved by Tarvaris Jackson?  Not a chance!  If Farve comes back this year he will get the right people involved at the right time, and I believe, get the Vikings back to the NFC Championship at least.

How will they replace Chester Taylor?

 There is no question whatsoever that Adrian Peterson is an every down RB.  He is a fantastic talent both running the ball, and receiving coming out of the backfield.  Even AP though cannot be expected to play every single down during a game.  This is where Chester Taylor came in last year.  He would spell Peterson when he needed a break, and production would not drop off.  Taylor though was traded to the Bears during the off season, and I'm looking forward to finding out how the Vikes plan on replacing him.  They took RB Toby Gerhart in the 2nd round of this years draft, but he won't be as effective as a pass catcher.  There is also rumours that WR Percy Harvin may fill in at times.  I'm looking forward to seeing how this plays out during camp.

Who will play at CB?

 The main area of weakness in the Vikings defence is against the pass.  Last season they ranked 19th against the pass, their worse ranking in any major category.  The projected 2 starting CB's Antoine Winfield (pictured) and Cedric Griffin are both coming off injuries and so are a concern.  The Vikes did though bring in Lito Sheppard from the Jets, and draft Chris Cook in the 2nd round.  Camp will be very interesting to see which of these CB's will step up and take the starting role for the opening game of the 2010 season against the defending champion New Orleans Saints on Thursday 9th September.


Check back tomorrow for a look at the NFC South.

Draft Previews

Sorry I'm a bit behind schedule with getting these previews out.  There have been extra draft picks awarded to some of the NFL teams.  The reason for these extra picks is a very confusing one, but it is to do with teams losing free agents and the CBA (Collective Bargining Agreement).  The teams that have benefited from these extra picks are as follows:

Atlanta Falcons : 3rd Round - 35th pick, 4th Round - 34th Pick.
Carolina Panthers : 6th Round - 33rd and 35th pick, 7th round - 42nd pick.
Cincinnati Bengals : 3rd Round - 33rd pick, 4th Round 33rd pick.
Detroit Lions : 7th Round, 48th pick.
Green Bay Packers : 5th Round - 38th pick.
Indianapolis Colts : 7th Round - 33rd and 39th pick.
Jacksonville Jaguars : 6th Round - 34th pick.
Miami Dolphins : 7th Round - 45th pick.
Minnesota Vikings : 5th Round - 36th pick.
New England Patriots : 6th Round - 36th pick, 7th Round - 40th, 41st and 43rd pick.
Oakland Raiders : 7th Round - 44th pick.
Philadelphia Eagles : 7th Round - 36th and 37th pick.
Pittsburgh Steelers : 5th Round - 33rd and 35th pick, 7th Round 35th pick.
San Diego Chargers : 5th Round - 37th pick.
San Francisco 49'ers : 6th Round - 37th pick.
Seattle Seahawks : 7th Round - 38th pick.
St Louis Rams : 7th Round - 47th pick
Tampa Bay Buccaneers : 7th Round - 46th pick.
Tennessee Titans : 3rd Round - 34th pick, 6th Round - 38th pick, 7th Round - 34th pick.

So as you can see the draft may take on a different look now, and here is a preview for the first two teams that are picking.

St Louis Rams

Last year - 1 - 15 ( 4th in NFC West)

Team Needs - Everything!!

Players in : Hank Fraley G, Fred Robbins DT, Dacey Johnson TE, Kevin Dockery CB, A.J Feeley QB.

Players out : Lenon Paris OLB, Ruvell Martin WR, Jonathan Wade CB.

Draft Positions :

1st Round : 1st pick
2nd Round : 1st pick
3rd Round : 1st pick
4th Round : 1st pick
5th Round : 1st pick
6th Round : 1st pick
7th Round 1st pick, 19th pick, 47th pick.

Total : 9 picks.

The obvious thing that jumps out to me is that the top 3 players in the draft are either QB (Sam Bradford) or DT (Ndamukung Suh and Gerald McCoy).  Looking at the players that the Rams have bought in DT Fred Robbins and QB A.J Feeley shows to me that they are very much looking at taking QB Sam Bradford with the number 1 pick.  A.J Feeley is definatley not a starting QB in the NFL, where as Fred Robbins is a very good DT, and will definatley start.  I feel pretty sure that the Rams will take Bradford to be their franchise QB, and will look to fill more of their numerous needs, with the other 8 picks they have.

Detriot Lions

Last year - 2 -14 (4th in NFC North)

Team needs - Everything

Players in : Nate Burleson WR, Brian Clark WR, Landon Johnson OLB, Kyle Vanden Bosch DE.

Players out : Larry Foote MLB.

Draft Positions :

1st Round : 2nd pick
2nd Round : 2nd pick
3rd Round : 2nd pick
4th Round : 2nd pick
5th Round : 2nd pick
7th Round : 7th pick, 48th pick.

Total : 7 picks.

So with QB Sam Bradford off the board, the Lions will have to pick between the 2 DT's Ndamukung Suh and Gerald McCoy.  I believe that they will take Suh.  At the combine Suh was definatley had the more impressive workout.  Suh had 32 reps on the bench press, compared to McCoy's 26.  I think that this strength differential will be the deciding factror in them taking Suh.  They will have a further 6 picks to improve their team, which does need some improvement.  But the arrival of Suh, alongside free agent arrival Kyle Vanden Bosch should see a marked improvement on the defensive line.

So that is the preview for the Rams and the Lions, tomorrow I will go through the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Washington Redskins draft preview.  If you want to get in touch regarding anything NFL related please get in touch.  Email - nflgbview@googlemail.com, twitter - www.twitter.com/nflgbview , Facebook - http://tinyurl.com/yaxmcsq or leave a comment.

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