Immediate Impact Rookies: Quandre Diggs

fansided.com

From the first overall pick in the NFL Draft to a 6th round pick by the Detroit Lions. I am all over the board here, damn. Well it's a good thing Diggs is helping my cause, as he is already turning heads at the Lions camp. The reason why Quandre Diggs was a 6th round pick, is because scouts say he lacks the ideal size and speed to play outside. With that being said, the importance of a slot cornerback is only increasing in todays NFL, and I believe that he is going to make a really good one too.

I've glazed over the negatives, which is he lacks ideal size and speed to play outside. What he does have are incredible instincts and he attacks the ball. He is a very intelligent player on the field and has quick feet and fluid hips too, which are ideal characteristics for a slot cornerback. He is a fairly polished product (four year starter at Texas) and can come in and contribute immediately for the Lions.

He is also in a great situation with the Detroit Lions too. Detroit had a top 3 defense last season, and even though they lost Suh and Fairley, they should still be very good. They are getting Stephen Tulloch back from his injury, and they get another year of development out of a lot of key players like Darius Slay, Ezekiel Ansah and Kyle Van Noy. Detroit also lacks a good slot cornerback (sorry Bill Bentley) and they desperately need one in a division with Randall Cobb. Diggs can learn from Rashean Mathis who is an incredible veteran presence and has clearly taught Darius Slay a lot. They also have an incredible defensive coordinator in Teryl Austin, who will be able to utilize Quandre Diggs to his strengths and put him in positions to succeed.

The big thing holding Quandre Diggs back from becoming a star, is he has a limited ceiling. His lack of elite athleticism and size will keep him inside, and keep his ceiling limited. This article isn't about whether he will become a star or not, but instead it's that he will have a huge impact for the Detroit Lions straight out of the gate. Diggs is a physical playmaker that fits what Detroit is trying to do on defense, and he will impress people with his ability in the slot in 2015.

NFC North Breakout Candidates 2015

Chicago Bears

Shea McClellin, ILB: I'm taking a shot in the dark here. McClellin is switching positions for the third time in four years, and I think this one will work out for him. He has not lived up to his 1st round status as of yet, but last year he was exponentially better than his first two seasons. He played well against the run, and that is what they will need him for in 2015. The Bears run defense was atrocious last season, and they have little depth at inside linebacker once again. McClellin will most likely be relied on to play a big role for these Bears, and I think he can step up. I'm not expecting Shea McClellin to become a star, but I think he can be a good player and an everyday starter, which is breaking out compared to what he has been these past few years.

Green Bay Packers

Davante Adams, WR: All of these don't have to be bold picks right? Even though Davante Adams is the obvious choice, he is the right one. It seems as though he is almost destined to breakout in 2015, as he is in an incredible position on Green Bay's offense. Adams had an up and down season last year, with some incredible highs (Patriots game) and also some lows (Last 4 games of the season, combined 4 catches). Adams has incredible talent, especially after the catch, and it seems as though he gained Rodgers trust throughout the season. Adams will be an outside WR opposite Nelson, and will be treated as the 3rd option behind Nelson and Cobb. He has the talent to be a top wide receiver in the NFL, and will be treated as the 3rd receiver on this team by opposing defenses. Just based off of that, he's in for a big year. Oh yeah, and he has Aaron Rodgers throwing to him who is a pretty good QB. Explosive offense, explosive player, it just fits. I'm predicting 1,000 yards and 8 touchdowns for the young star in 2015.

Minnesota Vikings

Teddy Bridgewater, QB: Once again, I couldn't pick just one player. What screams volumes about how good Mike Zimmer is and how successful the 2014 draft was, these players were his two first round picks that he drafted with Rick Spielman. Bridgewater had a very good rookie season, and he will only get better. Last seasons supporting cast was downright bad. He had a struggling offensive line, Matt Asiata as his running back, and inconsistencies at wide receiver. In 2015, he has Adrian Freaking Peterson back. No matter what your personal opinions about All Day are, he is one of the best running backs in the NFL, and will make a huge difference for Bridgwater. They also replaced Greg Jennings with Mike Wallace, which should be an upgrade. They also have 4 rookie offensive lineman to add depth to an O-line that was very inconsistent in 2014. Just speaking of Bridgewater, he has the touch, vision, anticipation and pocket presence to be a very good QB in the NFL, and next season he will take a huge step forward. I'm predicting 4,000 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions which is a great season.

Anthony Barr, OLB: I might have a bit of a man crush on Anthony Barr. He is an extremely talented player, and he needed more press after his solid rookie season. Credit Mike Zimmer, because Barr was supposed to be very raw coming out of college, but he played very well in year one. He is now playing in a very, very good, young defense, and now will be playing alongside his former UCLA teammate Eric Kendricks. I believe that the Minnesota's defense can be lead by Harrison Smith and Anthony Barr. AB is in a position to utilize his strengths at weak side linebacker in the 4-3 defense, and he will most likely be asked to rush the passer more, and play more in the opponents backfield too. I'm expecting 8 sacks from Barr, 12 tackles for loss, 100 total tackles, a few forced fumbles, and also an interception or two. He is Minnesota's not-so-secret weapon on defense, and will do a little bit of everything for them.

Detroit Lions

Travis Swanson, C: Swanson struggled in his rookie season after being thrust into a starting role due to injury. Is he still my favourite center from the 2014 draft? Yup. Do I think he's going to have a good career? Hell yes. Swanson is a very talented player, and he will get a shot to be the starting center. Often times a player will make a huge jump after their rookie season (especially at a position like center where the player needs to know how to read a D-line and help their QB), and Swanson is talented and smart enough to do just that. The Lions have beefed up their offensive line, which will take some pressure off of Swanson too. Swanson started 50 games in college, is very durable, and probably needed a year to put on some muscle and get used to the NFL. Swanson will establish himself as a very good NFL center next season on a Detroit Lions line that will bounce back from a rough season in 2014.

Offseason Outlook 2015: Detroit Lions

Offense

The Detroit Lions as a team were the biggest surprise of the 2014 season. Yet somehow, their offense still underachieved. Matthew Stafford had his best statistical season since he threw for 41 touchdowns in 2011. The addition of Golden Tate really helped him. Tate established himself as a top 20 WR in the NFL, and the Lions needed him to step up because Calvin Johnson was playing hurt a lot of last season. Even though Johnson was playing hurt, he is still Calvin Freaking Johnson. He still had over a thousand yards, and went on some dominant stretches of football. Combined with Golden Tate, they are the best wide receiver duo in the NFL, and I'm excited to see what they do if both are healthy.  As extra wide receiver depth, they have Corey Fuller, Lance Moore, Jeremy Ross, and Ryan Broyles. Those players are okay for depth, but aren't reliable starters at this point, and as long as Tate and Johnson are healthy, the Lions don't need them to be. At tight end, the Lions have really invested in the position over recent years. Eric Ebron has a chance to be a star. Even after a very underwhelming rookie season, Ebron has the talent to become one of the best TE's in the NFL. I think he'll make a big jump in 2015, and become a top 10 tight end in the NFL already. The Lions also have Brandon Pettigrew and Joseph Fauria at the position. I'm a big fan of Fauria, he's an absolute monster of an end zone target, and I think he is underused in Detroit. Pettigrew is solid, he's athletic but can struggle with drops and staying healthy too. At running back, the Lions aren't looking great, but they look better than last season. Joique Bell and Ameer Abdullah are both very talented running backs and compliment each other well. Bell is a tough, contact runner and he'll be used in most of the short yardage situations. Abdullah has a chance to be one of the better running backs in the NFL, and he is the best pure runner on the team. He's shifty, has top notch speed, and he will immediately be one of the best pass catching running backs in football. Seriously, take 30 seconds and look up his game winning run in college, it's awesome and it shows you what he can really do. Speaking of pass catching RB's, Detroit also has Theo Riddick who really gained Stafford's trust as the season went on. Riddick really doesn't take up any carries, he's just basically a wide receiver in the backfield. The Lions have invested a lot into their offensive line this offseason. At left tackle, they have a solid player in Riley Reiff. He could potentially be a dominant guard, but he has improved since his rookie season and is a reliable blindside protector. At left guard, Detroit just drafted Laken Tomlinson and he should slot in as an immediate upgrade for them. He has a heavy anchor, andis going to give a boost to their run blocking and pass protection. Travis Swanson will take over the center position this season, and he is a talented young player. At right guard, Larry Warford has proven that he is one of the best, young guards in the National Football League. He is an absolute thumper in the run game, and he shuts down interior pass rushers too. To close out the O-line, LaAdrian Waddle has turned into an average starter, and he should be reliable for the 2015 season. The Lions also traded for Manny Ramirez for added depth on the interior line. This offense has the talent to be a top 10 offense in football, BUT they had the talent to be a top 10 offense last season too. If Calvin Johnson is healthy, that alone will have a huge impact on their offense. Abdullah is also in a good position to give a shot of life to this team, as he is the most explosive runner on a pass first team. They have a decent O-line, and between Stafford, Johnson, Tate, Ebron, and Abdullah, I can't see how they won't improve on last season's numbers. I predict a top 12 finish for this offense, which is at least a ten spot improvement from 2014.

Defense

One of the biggest surprises from the 2014 NFL season was the Detroit Lions defense. They had the 3rd best defense, and were one point allowed away from the 2nd best defense. It was obvious that this team had a really good front 7 last season, but the secondary stepped up in a huge way. At cornerback, they have Darius Slay and Rashean Mathis. Slay has turned into a great number one CB, although the one thing he really lacks is ball skills. He has two career interceptions, and even though he was shutting down opposing ones, the lack of forcing turnovers will keep him from joining the elites at cornerback. Rashean Mathis continues to defy his age by putting forth another solid season. A sleeper rookie I like is Quandre Diggs. If he wins the starting slot cornerback job, he could be a high impact player from day 1. At safety, Detroit has one of the more underrated safeties in football in Glover Quin. He had 7 interceptions last season, and even though that number is unrealistic to expect for 2015, he is still a great player to have roaming the field for you. Beside him, James Ihedigbo put forth a solid year, and has turned into a reliable safety. The backbone of this defense has shifted from the defensive line, to the linebackers. Stephen Tulloch injured himself celebrating last season (He really did, tried the discount double check when they were playing the Packers) but he is a great inside linebacker when healthy. DeAndre Levy is one of the best 4-3 outside linebackers in football, and beside Tulloch for a full season will give them a huge tackling duo that will shut down the run. Levy is also terrific in coverage, as evidenced by his 6 interceptions in 2013. Opposite Levy, Kyle Van Noy or Tahir Whitehead should be the starter, and both of those players have talent and will be solid starters. The Lions had two huge losses this offseason in Suh and Fairley. With that being said, their D-line isn't in horrible shape. Ezekiel Ansah is a star defensive end, and will be the anchor of their line for as long as they have him on their team. Opposite Ansah, Jason Jones or Devin Taylor will be getting most of the snaps, and both of those players are fairly underwhelming and that position is a weak spot of this defense. At defensive tackle, the Lions made a bold move and traded for Haloti Ngata after they lost out on the Ndamukong Suh sweepstakes. I loved this move, and even if Ngata doesn't bring the same level of production, the Lions still needed an interior threat on their defensive line to bring some more heat on opposing QB's. Detroit also made another underrated move by signing Tyrunn Walker. He isn't an elite defensive tackle by any means, but he could be a solid player with Detroit and he was one of the better pass rushing DT's in 2014 too. This defense should see some regression after losing Suh and Fairley, but it is still a very good D. Teryl Austin, Detroit's defensive coordinator, deserves a lot of credit as he has raised the level of play of almost every defender on this team in his current tenure. I think that people are expecting more regression just because of the loss of Suh, but this is still a talented team that is also getting back one of their better defenders in Tulloch. I still do expect a top 10 finish for the Lions defense in 2015.

The 2015 Detroit Lions are a good competitive team. I don't think that last season was a blip on the radar, and 2015 will prove that. Even still, I think this team will have a tough time making the playoffs. I'm grouping the Lions with the Vikings, Cowboys, and Cardinals as the teams that will be fighting for wild card spots in the NFC. They are definitely in the hunt for a playoff spot, and it would not shock me at all if they won a wild card spot, but if I have to split hairs I think they have a tougher schedule and a little less talent than those three teams. The Lions aren't in a bad position though. Stafford is a good young QB, and he is definitely no Andy Dalton. They have elite talent at WR with Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate. They also have stars on defense with Ansah, Levy, Tulloch, and Slay. This is a young team that is going to be good for a while, but they still seem like they are a couple pieces away from being truly great.