1st Round (#23) OT Riley Reiff, Iowa

2nd Round (#54) WR Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma

3rd Round (#85) CB Dwight Bentley, Louisiana-Lafayette

Round 4 (#125) Ronnell Lewis, Oklahoma

Round 5 (#138) OLB Tahir Whitehead, Temple

5th Round (#148) CB Chris Greenwood, Albion

Round 6 (#196) CB Jonte Green, New Mexico State

Round 7 (#223) OLB Travis Lewis, Oklahoma

Analysis of notable selections:

Riley Reiff: One of the keys to the Lions winning games is keeping Matthew Stafford healthy. Stafford has struggled to stay healthy, and the last thing Detroit needs is for his franchise quarterback to take a lot of hits. Jeff Backus turns 35 in September and doesn’t have many years left guarding Stafford’s blind side. Reiff is a tough, gritty offensive tackle who can play both right and left tackle. Hopefully Backus gets another year and Reiff can be groomed to replace him. The former Iowa offensive tackle is fundamentally solid and could play right tackle or even guard during his rookie season. Detroit made a wise decision in drafting Riley Reiff and probably didn’t expect him to be available with the 23rd overall pick.

Ryan Broyles: Detroit already has a strong receiving group, but they drafted Broyles for his potential in the slot. The former Oklahoma star is small (5’10”, 188 pounds) and not exceptionally explosive. Broyles may be similar to former Oklahoma and Raven receiver Mark Clayton. Clayton’s college production never translated to the NFL and was bit of a disappointment. Broyles is also coming off ACL surgery. Detroit still has a work in progress on defense. The team struggled to stop the pass last season and the run. The Lions passed several cornerbacks (Casey Hayward, Josh Robinson and Trumaine Johnson) and an excellent linebacker (Lavonte David). Plus, Detroit could have added a talented young center in Peter Konz to replace twelve-year veteran Dominic Raiola. A slot receiver could have been found youngster later in the draft They’ve been wise for Detroit to add a piece to their defense or offensive line in the second round.

Dwight Bentley: The Lions add a quick finesse cornerback to their secondary. Cornerback was clearly an area of ​​need, but did the Lions pick the right one? Jayron Hosley played against better competition and is more of a ball hawk than Bentley. They’re both small and it will be interesting to see which cornerback has the better career path.

Ronnell Lewis: The Lions add depth at linebacker and an outstanding potential special team with this pick. Lewis runs well and is a hard hitter. He made sense in the 4th round. The former Sooner has average instincts, but he has some pass rush potential.

Travis Lewis: A bad combination resulted in the productive but small Lewis dropping out of the draft. Detroit wanted to add linebacker depth, and Lewis represented value so late in the draft. The four-year former Oklahoma starter played off injured in 2011. He can help the Lions on special teams and has a legitimate shot at making the team. Lewis should be well motivated to show that his production on the field means more than practice.

2012 NFL Draft Grade: B-

Bottom line: Detroit may have found its future left tackle in Riley Reiff. The team also strengthened its special teams by adding much-needed linebacker depth. Hopefully, the cornerback position improved with three small school picks. However, the Ryan Broyles pick appears to be shaky. The team could have gone in several directions in the second round and decided to add another wide receiver. It would have been a good idea to add a corridor as well.

Detroit ranked near the bottom in rushing last season and lacks balance on offense. A more productive running game would also help Detroit defensively by taking time off the clock. Jahvid Best was a risky first-round pick in the 2010 NFL draft due to durability issues. He is likely one more concussion away from ending his NFL career. Best is hard to count on for this reason. Mikel Leshoure is also questionable as a running back. Leshoure is recovering from a very difficult injury (Achilles tendon surgery) and his maturity and commitment to the game is suspect. The Lions have two young running backs who may not meet them.