Give this to Justin Gilbert: He's not lacking for confidence.
Granted, that's something a first-round cornerback should never be lacking, anyway, but the former Oklahoma State star made some awfully bold statements about both himself and the Detroit Lions following his visit with the club Thursday.
"I'd be excited. I've seen a couple mock drafts with some other teams, and I think this would be one of the top teams that I would want to go to," Gilbert said of the Lions, according to detroitnews.com. "To me, it's a Super Bowl-caliber team. All they need is a couple of areas fixed, and I think I could fix some of those areas."
Quick, someone refer Gilbert here. The Lions, of course, have never been to the Super Bowl. But he would certainly fill a position need for the team, and cornerbacks with Gilbert's combination of size and speed can be exceptionally valuable in the NFL. But valuable enough to put a team over the top for the Super Bowl?
Detroit first must simply get back to the playoffs. But Gilbert sees himself as an ideal fit at the No. 10 overall pick in the draft. Star receiver Calvin Johnson and running back Reggie Bush were reportedly childhood heroes of his, and he said the Lions' facility "just felt like home." But does Gilbert feel like home to coach Jim Caldwell? Gilbert's aggressive style would seem to be a match with what Caldwell is looking for at the position.
"A guy that's willing to be a little bit of a riverboat gambler with a short memory because that's a spot where you're going to be left alone out there from time to time," Caldwell said.
Not every team has Gilbert at the top of the cornerback board, however. NFL Media analyst Charles Davis said a couple of clubs told him "they're not crazy" about Gilbert, and don't have him rated as the best player at the position.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread.*
