The 2013 Jim Thorpe Award winning cornerback, Darqueze Dennard, hoped to be a top-10 pick in the draft this year. And in one of the best NFL Drafts for defensive backs, Dennard fell to the 24th pick, being selected by the Cincinnati Bengals.
Dennard officially signed a four-year contract with Cincinnati last Thursday. The deal will net Dennard $8 million.
The 2014 NFL Draft is over and the panelists had the weekend to digest the seven rounds of choices. Fino, Faith and Lou discuss the Lions’ controversial top choice of tight end Eric Ebron as well as their overall feelings for Detroit’s eight draft choices.
The panel also discusses the outcome of the NFL Draft for the Spartans who partook.
This week’s show finishes with a debate about the current series in the NHL Playoffs.
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The 2013 season was the most successful season Michigan State football has had in decades. The senior class is arguably the best in the team’s history. They won more games than any other senior class, including two Big Ten Championships, 3 three consecutive bowl games and were the 100th Rose Bowl Game champions. With all that talent and experience, several Spartan seniors hoped to hear their name called at the 2014 NFL draft.
Most of them did not get the call.
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The first round of the 2014 NFL Draft Thursday night contained many surprises. And when there are surprises, some players are bound to drop later in a round than expected.
Among those surprise players was former Michigan State cornerback, Darqueze Dennard.
“And with the 10th pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions select, Eric Ebron, tight end out of the University of North Carolina.”
The Tarheel was coveted as the best tight end in the draft and Mel Kiper’s eighth-best available player. With draft superstar wide receiver Sammy Watkins and Mike Evans already off the board, the Lions looked to grab an offensive weapon in Ebron.
Ex-Spartan running back Glenn Winston had an embattled career while wearing the green and white.
In 2008, he led the team with 364 return yards his freshman year in only seven games before being suspended after a fight with members of the hockey team.
The anticipation is almost over. The 2014 NFL Draft finally kicks off at 8 p.m. on Thursday.
Michael, Louis and Chris could not wait any longer, so on this episode of Lions Den they bring you their Mock Draft Special. Each host goes out on a whim and presents their mock drafts for the first ten picks of the first round, and also predicts who the Lions’ first six picks of the draft will be.
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This week on the Lions Den, Louis and Chris give their opinions on the Lions’ newly released schedule, Eric Ebron’s comments regarding the draft, and the confusion revolving around the Suh saga.
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The Detroit Lions re-signed veteran cornerback Rashean Mathis on Monday. Last year, Mathis led the Lions’ secondary not only in age, but also stats.
With Mathis coming back to the roster, and the Lions’ recent signing of former Indianapolis Colts corner Cassius Vaughn, the total number of defensive backs on the roster rises to seven. The Lions’ secondary is also equipped with two underrated safeties in former Ravens Super Bowl champion James Ihedigbo and Detroit’s returning safety Glover Quin. Behind Quin and Ihedigbo is reliable veteran Don Carey and recent signing Isa Abdul-Quddus.
With the NFL Draft less than a month away, the rumor mill is hot with what the Lions might do with the No. 10 overall pick.
On this edition of Lions Den, hosts Michael Higer and Louis Bilotta discuss an interesting scenario for the Lions and weigh in on the signing of new cornerback Cassius Vaughn.
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Hosts Dan Tyler and Andre Sims welcome reigning Jim Thorpe Award winner Darqueze Dennard to the studio to talk about the upcoming NFL Draft and more with the former Spartan defensive back.
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The Lions have remained busy this NFL offseason.
On this episode of Lions Den, Michael and Louis discuss the latest addition to the Honolulu Blue.
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The Detroit Lions’ offseason agenda is so hazy, not even a fortune teller could predict it.
Mark your calendars because March will be a big month. March 8 is when the free agency flirting begins followed by the March 11 date of when signatures and dollar signs can be inked into contracts. The Detroit Lions can start camp two weeks earlier than the normal April 21 offseason workouts because of the recent signing of new head coach, Jim Caldwell. These dates are creeping up, and the decisions are about to be made.
Since the departure of Louis Delmas at the safety position and Nate Burleson at wide receiver, you cannot help but wonder how the Lions will fill those holes during the offseason.
1. Houston Texans: Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina
The Seattle Seahawks proved that defense wins championships, and for a team that expected to go to the Super Bowl but fell way short due in part to injuries, you cannot pass on Clowney. With Clowney and J.J. Watt as bookends on the defensive line, offensive lines will have a hard time stopping this possible tandem. Clowney’s work ethic has been a big question mark, but Brian Cushing and Watt should be able to set him straight. Although the quarterback situation is not pretty, somebody like A.J. McCarron (Alabama) would be a nice selection in a later round.
Michigan State cornerback Darqueze Dennard had a breakout year in 2013. He was crowned the nation’s best defensive back after winning the Jim Thorpe Award and helped pace the Spartans’ defense to a top five national ranking.
Dennard’s individual success, along with the team’s on-field success, has allowed his NFL draft stock to skyrocket.
