The Lions suffered a crushing loss not only in the playoffs to the Dallas Cowboys but the loss of their star defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh to the Dolphins. Suh will be replaced on the Lions by the recently acquired veteran Haloti Ngata. Now there is no possible way Ngata alone could match the production of Suh, but Lions are going to have to try.
The names on the defensive line are less than stellar and with Calvin Johnson getting older every day the Lions must find their strength. The Lions spent their first round draft pick on offensive guard Laken Tomlinson which will provide Matt Stafford with a little extra protection. A large part of this team remains the same however especially with the Lions drafting not one wide receiver in the entire draft.
Several key needs were not addressed in the draft or free agency and now with a deficiency at defensive line it will be hard to compete in the brutal AFC North. There is however one upside with this draft, the Lions might have drafted their workhorse running back in Nebraska's Ameer Abdullah.
Abdullah was a combine standout and a standout in college not only as an athlete but as a leader, and overall high character guy. He is very smart with his runs and is great catching the ball out of the backfield. If the Lions decide to lean on their running game a little more it could make a world of difference in regards to masking their flaws on both sides of the ball.
A title may not be close Lion's fans but a couple of key additions and the coming years should bring them roaring back to the playoffs.
