And with the #33 Pick in the Arrowhead Pride Community Mock Draft, the Detroit Lions Select...

UCrawford with the pick...

One of the good things about having the worst defense in the NFL last season is that when the draft rolls around it's a lot easier to find players to fit needs without having to reach. And that's definitely a good thing for the Lions this year because the cornerback position is certainly a need.

Last year, uber-flop GM Matt Millen traded away Detroit's promising but underachieving and disgruntled defensive tackle, Shaun Rogers, in order to upgrade the secondary with Cleveland CB Leigh Bodden. Like so many other Millen moves in Detroit, it was a miserable failure. Bodden got all of one interception in a defensive scheme he was reportedly ill-suited to play in although much of that could be attributed to Detroit's weak front seven), the Detroit pass D was the worst in the league, and Bodden was cut by the team in February. The Lions brought in free agents Phillip Buchanon and Eric King this offseason to fill holes, but neither of them have established themselves as top-notch starters in the NFL, and former Dallas Cowboys CB Anthony Henry (acquired in trade for QB Jon Kitna) looks to be moved to one of the safety positions this year to compensate for declining athleticism and coverage kills. And while the Lions still have problems on the defensive line especially with the trade of Cory Redding), there aren't too many players available right now that fit what the Lions need who aren't a reach. With the Lions planning to run a 3-4 base D in 2009 Missouri DT Evander Hood is undersized, #4 rated DT Ron Brace (who fits the 3-4) is a reach, and Tennessee DE Robert Ayers was a one-year starter who posted all of three sacks for the Volunteers in 2008 which positively reeks of bust potential.

So Darius Butler, a CB with good speed and decent size, immediately gets slotted into the Lions' secondary, likely as a starter to try and replace the long-departed Dre’ Bly as the Lions' shutdown corner, which should give the Lions a decent defensive backfield for the 2009 season and a fighting chance at countering other teams' passing games.