If Detroit Lions fans have their way, the Lions' embattled front office will select Michigan State cornerback Darqueze Dennard in the first round of the 2014 draft.
MLive.com conducted a fan poll as to whom the Lions should pick in the first round with the No. 10 pick overall pick, and the choice was Dennard, with Texas A&M wide receiver Mike Evans coming in second. Cornerback, safety and wide receiver are the Lions' biggest position needs, according to NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah.
Dennard (5-foot-11, 197 pounds) might be the best cornerback available in the draft, and he is known for his physical play. He won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's top defensive back and finished the season with four interceptions and 10 pass breakups. Presumably, he would give the Lions a guy who would greatly improve the pass defense, important in a division that includes quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Jay Cutler. Detroit was 23rd in the league in pass defense this season, surrendering 246.9 yards per game and allowing 24 TD passes; the Lions had 15 picks, tied for 17th-most in the league.
Still, the idea of pairing Evans with Calvin Johnson undoubtedly would make Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford a happy guy. Evans (6-5, 225) might be the most physical receiver in the draft, and he does a good job using his size. He also can get deep, as evidenced by his career yards-per-catch average of 16.5.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.