The Detroit Lions' 6-10 record is not as dismal as it seems. They played the majority of the season without Matthew Stafford, their starting signal caller. Despite Stafford's injuries, the Lions won six games and seven of their losses were decided by one score or less. The future is bright in Detroit.
Matthew Stafford will start the 2011 NFL season healthy. The Lions have to focus on keeping it that way. With a healthy Matthew Stafford, the Detroit Lions will contend for a playoff spot. They have a dynamic offense driven by a handful of young stars.
On defense, the Lions are improving. Ndamukong Suh was everything he was hyped up to be in 2010, collecting 10 sacks and constantly wreaking havoc in opposing backfields. The front seven still requires multiple upgrades, especially at linebacker. The secondary also needs to be addressed after allowing 7.3 yards per pass attempt in 2010.
The Detroit Lions are just a year or two away from their first winning season since the year 2000.
1. Cornerback - The Detroit Lions lack a legitimate starting cornerback across from Chris Houston. In addition, Chris Houston needs to be resigned this offseason. Detroit's defense is slowly improving and a lock down cornerback would go a long way towards solidifying their mediocre secondary. If Prince Amukamara slides to the 13th pick, the Lions will not hesitate to pull the trigger. They could even reach for Colorado's Jimmy Smith after his impressive combine.
2. Linebacker - With Julian Peterson no longer on the roster, the Lions have holes at both outside linebacker positions. Detroit needs to improve on the 4.5 yards per carry that they allowed in 2010. Linebacker can be addressed in the later rounds, as Akeem Ayers is not quite worthy of the 13th pick in the draft.
3. Tackle - Despite what some may say, Jeff Backus is not a franchise left tackle. He has been solid over the past couple of seasons, but he is 34 years old and cannot handle the elite pass rushers of the NFC North. Also, right tackle Gosder Cherilus is coming off of micro-fracture surgery. Tackles such as Tyron Smith and Nate Solder could be there for the taking in the early part of round one.