Lions, Tigers, and some worthy commentary

Mel Kiper, go back to your cave: The 2006 NFL Draft is over.

How did the Lions do? Well, ESPN will probably come out with reports by early Monday that grade the draft performances of every team. Maybe the Lions will receive a B. Or a C. I don't know. I'm not too disappointed or too happy with their picks. But I'm not going to give them a grade.

To evaluate draft performances before any draft picks have set foot onto an NFL field is a waste of energy. You see, the Lions may have made a huge mistake in passing on Matt Leinart yesterday. That said, he could become the next Joey Harrington -- a huge bust. Who knows?

The Draft Guru -- Mel Kiper -- knows. He knows all. For any such predictions and evaluations, I would go to him. But he's also the same Draft Guru who four years ago said Joey Harrington would have a good NFL career and was a worthy pick for the Lions at No. 3. And while much of Harrington's failure is due to the inept coaching in Detroit the last three seasons, he still has not vindicated Kiper's prediction.

Leinart has not proven a thing, either. Will he do well in Arizona? I don't know. My guess is yes, he will. My guess is that the Lions should have taken him at No. 9. But I also don't know anything about the guy they did take, this linebacker Ernie Sims -- other than he hits hard.

I like that they covered many bases with their picks as the draft progressed. They drafted two linebackers, two defensive backs, two offensive linemen and a running back. No receivers, good. No "D" linemen -- which has been our strong area in recent years -- also good. So at this point, all appears OK. But there's still the Leinart factor. Will we regret picking him? Will he haunt the Lions, similar to the likes of Randy Moss, Jevon Kearse, Daunte Caulpepper -- all players on whom the Lions passed in recent years?

Remember, if Leinart had won the Heisman again this year, and his Trojans had held on to win the national title game at the Rose Bowl versus Texas, Leinart would be in consideration for the greatest college football player of all time: three national championships, two Heismans.

Alas, he only ended up with two titles and one Heisman. Still not too shabby. He's got all the tools to be great. So if you're going to evaluate the Lions' 2006 Draft, it comes down to one thing: how well Leinart does as a pro QB. Now we must wait and see...

How 'bout those Tigers? They just stomped all over Minnesota this weekend, sweeping the series and outscoring the Twinkies 33-1. That's right, 33-1! They became just the fifth team since 1951 and the first since 2002 to post a +32 run differential against a team in a three-game series.

This combination of heavy hitting and stellar pitching hasn't been seen in Detroit in years. I just wish they would've saved a few runs for when they'll need them as the season marches on.

But with April gone and the Tigers sitting in second place in the central with a record of 16-9, it's only proper to sit back and revel in the moment. At least until the World Series talk begins next month.