FanHouse DanConnor

Detroit Lions 2008 Draft Picks:

Round 1 (17): Gosder Cherilus, OT, Boston College
Round 2 (45): Jordan Dizon, OLB, Colorado
Round 3 (64): Kevin Smith, RB, Central Florida
Round 3 (87): Andre Fluellen, DT, Florida St.
Round 3 (92): Cliff Avril, OLB, Purdue
Round 5 (136): Kenneth Moore, WR, Wake Forest
Round 5 (146): Jerome Felton, FB, Furman
Round 7 (216): Landon Cohen, DE, Ohio
Round 7 (218): Caleb Campbell, S, Army

The Good: I don't care what anyone thinks, I like the Cherilus pick. Most wanted a running back in that spot, but the Lions needed one of those first-round tackles and the only other viable option, Jeff Otah, is overrated to me. And the Lions got a very good running back anyway in Smith, who never got the recognition he deserved while being incredibly productive in college. He's the perfect big back for the Lions' new zone scheme and will surprise people with his NFL-ready talent.

The divisive story of Campbell is feel-good to some and has been good fodder for talk radio today, but forget about that. He's simply a very good player. He's smart, talented, and has the personality Rod Marinelli likes. Campbell will begin his career as a special teams demon but with steady development can get time in the secondary either this year or next.

Penn State has always been known as Linebacker U, and in recent years this tradition hasn't changed with players like Paul Posluszny and Dan Connor. Of course, both of those gentleman are now either in the NFL, or on the verge of being in the NFL with the draft coming up in a few weeks. The Nittany Lions weren't too worried about the loss of Connor last season, because they had their new beast in the middle ready to take over in Sean Lee.

Unfortunately, the Nittany Lions are going to have to go to a backup plan because Lee has torn an ACL and will likely miss the 2008 season.

Lee will have surgery within the next 2-4 weeks and rehabilitation will take approximately nine months, according to Dr. Wayne Sebastianelli, Penn State's Director of Athletic Medicine.

"I have a responsibility to the team to help do everything I can this year in what might be a non-conventional way," Lee said in a school news release. "I have to turn this into a positive. It's a bump in the road. I'm excited about the team we have and the kind of season we can have. It's a great opportunity for a young guy."

Easier said than done because replacing a player like Lee won't be easy. If you were so inclined, you could make an argument that Lee was the team's best defensive player last season, even with Connor alongside him. He's already been named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week twice, was a second-team all conference selection, and was going to be a team captain. If there's any good news about this, and it's of little consolation, it's that Lee does have a redshirt to burn.

It's been a particularly bad off-season for Penn State, what with just about everybody on the team getting arrested for something, and the never-ending distraction that is Joe Paterno's impending retirement. The way things are going, I'm pretty sure I'm going to wake up to the following headline at some point in the next week: Penn State's Beaver Stadium Collapses, Killing Entire Team. Just watch, it'll happen.

With their 24-17 victory in San Antonio over Texas A&M last night, Penn State not only gave Joe Paterno his record 23rd bowl game victory, but it also opened a new window to what we should expect from the Nittany Lions next season. Rejoice, Penn State fans. The Anthony Morelli Errror Era is over!

On Saturday night the Nittany Lions reintroduced a facet of their offense they've been missing since Michael Robinson led Penn State to an Orange Bowl victory in 2006 over Florida State: a mobile quarterback.

Part of Penn State's game plan going in was to get junior quarterback Daryll Clark involved in the offense, and they did just that. Clark didn't throw any passes during the game, but he did rush the ball six times for 50 yards, including an 11-yard touchdown that tied the game at 14-14.

Also, while senior Rodney Kinlaw led the Lions in rushing with 143 yards, it was freshman Evan Royster who broke free for a 38-yard touchdown that would prove to be the difference in the game.

So heading into 2008 there's a lot to be optimistic about in Happy Valley. Yes, the defense must deal with the loss of Dan Connor, but Penn State is Linebacker U, so I feel safe in my assumption they'll find somebody to fill that void. They also face the possible loss of corner Justin King, who is yet to decide whether or not he's going to return for his senior season.

Still, given the fact that Michigan may drop off a bit next season as they get accustomed to Rich Rodriguez's new offense there's an opening at the top of the Big Ten. It's not going to be easy because Ohio State will still be Ohio State, and the rest of the Big Ten continues to improve, but at this point a conference title and BCS berth should be the NIttany Lions goal going into next season.

With Clark under center, and Royster toting the rock, it's a goal that's very much within reach.

Joe Paterno is old. We all know this. He consumes the brains of the living to give him the power to drive Penn State forward. But we didn't know that he still hasn't quite gotten over World War II:

Connor, an All-America at the "Fritz" or weakside linebacker position last season, will enter his senior season in his preferred role of middle linebacker.

Fritz! In other news, Sean Lee will start at Kraut, next to Connor at Jerry. Paterno has instructed them to do that blitz thing and conquer the Big Ten by spring. One wonders what harmlessly retired ethnic slurs comprise the remainder of the defense. Does Penn State feature Redcoat cornerbacks and Tory safeties?