Back at the NFL’s scouting combine in February, Lions general manager Martin Mayhew told the media he was confident cornerback Chris Houston would bounce back from a subpar, injury-plagued 2013 season, but the GM doesn’t appear quite as certain now. As Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com writes, Mayhew confirmed that Houston is still dealing with a medical issue, and may need surgery to correct the problem. Depending on the veteran’s health status, cornerback could be an area of focus for the Lions when the draft gets underway this Thursday.
Here’s more on the Lions….
- The Lions and Bills have had conversations about moving into the top five, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), who hears that those clubs are looking for a bargain. Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link) adds that there’s “no doubt” the Lions would move up to land Sammy Watkins, Khalil Mack, or even Mike Evans, if the price is right, but it’s not clear what the right price would be.
- Jeff Seidel of the Detroit Free Press believes the Lions should target a cornerback in the first round, and identifies Michigan State’s Darqueze Dennard as the ideal choice for the club.
- While cornerback – and a few other positions – may be areas of need for the Lions, the team isn’t likely to deviate from its usual best-player-available strategy, writes Kyle Meinke of MLive.com.
- The Lions still like Ryan Broyles, who is recovering from Achilles surgery, but the club figures to draft at least one receiver this week, says Chris McCosky of the Detroit News.