ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- It wasn’t a flashy acquisition, but the Detroit Lions may have done something more important with their active first round Thursday.
They made themselves deeper and better at a position of major weakness in 2014. Trading for veteran guard/center Manny Ramirez and drafting Duke guard Laken Tomlinson solidified a woeful Lions offensive line before the first day of the draft was out.
General manager Martin Mayhew, who typically takes the best player available, came out a major winner Thursday night. He filled a need with Tomlinson. He solved a veteran interior line problem with Ramirez. He picked up two extra picks -- fifth round selections this season and next season -- to move down five spots so Denver could select a player the Lions likely weren't interested in anyway, Shane Ray.
The move itself was impressive and with few trades in the first round, the Lions actually saw their draft board fall off pretty much like they expected it to.
“We were getting a little concerned early because all the guys that we had ranked high were coming off one after another, so we were getting concerned about who was going to be available,” Mayhew said. “But then we had some other guys get taken and that gave us the ability to move back a few spots.”
It helped the Lions fill those much-needed voids on the line.
The 32-year-old Ramirez replaces the leadership left by the departure of Dominic Raiola and, likely, Rob Sims. The 23-year-old Tomlinson represents part of a new future for the Lions in the middle of their offensive line, joining center Travis Swanson and right guard Larry Warford as a young core of talented interior linemen in Detroit.
Being able to remake the offensive line with two players and only one pick is massive for Detroit.
“I know one thing, we got a little bit more depth than we had previously and we got some really important pieces in place,” Lions coach Jim Caldwell said. “But we’ll see what happens as we start to go through this gauntlet.”
The “gauntlet” he’s talking about begins with rookie minicamp this month. It continues through organized team activities, minicamp and then training camp this summer leading up to the season. But the Lions knew they had to make changes and what they hope are improvements to an offensive line and a running game ranked 28th in the NFL last season. It’s also a group that allowed Matthew Stafford to be sacked a career-high 45 times.
Tomlinson is a safe addition for Detroit. His scouting profile had him better against the pass than the run, but he should improve there quickly. His time as a soccer player in his native Jamaica gave him good footwork and his intelligence is high. He plans on going to med school and becoming a surgeon when his playing career is over.
This leads to a strong, motivated, well-rounded player.
“I play with great physical fundamentals,” Tomlinson said. “I play with low pad leverage and I good push on defensive linemen. I play real light on my feet and I just, I play, I’m one hell of a player. My work ethic is 125 percent and I’m going to wear my guys out.
“That’s just kind of my game that I bring to football.”
He is almost the perfect Caldwell player. He’s smart. He has good character. He understands the value of hard work. He modeled his game the Lions starting right guard, Warford.
While this will be evaluated over and over as Tomlinson’s career progresses, Thursday night is easily viewed as a win for the Lions and their general manager.
