Michael Rothstein, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Wrapping up Day 2 of free agency for the Lions

Some thoughts while wrapping up Day 2 of the new league year and Detroit Lions free agency:

1. Haloti Ngata is one big dude. Ngata will be a definite space eater in the middle of the Detroit defensive line for 2015. After seeing him in person, he should at the very least be able to be an effective run-stopper for the Lions this season in place of Ndamukong Suh. When speaking with him about his four-game suspension last season, he seemed pretty motivated to prove what type of player he is.

2. The Lions appear to be waiting out the market. While free agents are visiting and signing with a bunch of other places around the league, Detroit hasn't made much noise. Besides the trade for Ngata, the only name I've really heard attached to the Lions has been former Atlanta guard Justin Blalock, who is trying to set up a visit. Detroit is in search for a starting guard and a veteran leader on the line. That could be Rob Sims, but Blalock would also fit that mold. Blalock graded out better than Sims in both run and pass blocking in 2014 according to Pro Football Focus, but Sims was the better screen blocker. Sims gave up more sacks and quarterback hurries than Blalock last season, too. Detroit has been pretty smart with free-agent signings recently so it'll be interesting to see what Martin Mayhew does here.

3. I'm curious to see what happens with Nick Fairley. The Detroit Free Press reported the Lions have moved on from signing him and he was in Cincinnati on Wednesday. There has reportedly been interest in him from other teams as well. He is an intriguing free agent because all of the talent is there, but he's a question for any team because of his prior work habits and his inability to stay healthy for an entire season. He's going to sign somewhere, but what his guaranteed money ends up being is one of the more intriguing storylines remaining for me from a Lions perspective.

4. The Lions really should have discussed Suh by now. Yes, Detroit wanted to tout Ngata on Wednesday, but not having Mayhew or Tom Lewand take questions on Suh is elongating the story at this point. Suh had his media conference with Miami. The Lions found what they believe to be a replacement. So the story is almost done, except for what happened with the Lions considering their long-held public optimism in being able to re-sign Suh. Now it continues until the next time Mayhew, Lewand or Jim Caldwell take questions from the media.

5. The Lions should make some more moves. With only six picks as of now in this spring's draft (a first, second, third, sixth and two sevenths) due to the Ngata deal, Detroit's issue with depth is two-fold. The first will come with having to make sure they hit on a couple immediate starters with draft picks. The second comes from needing to fill starting holes at defensive tackle, offensive guard and cornerback. Those are the three biggest needs right now so those would be the positions that Detroit might focus on as the next wave of free agency starts to ramp up in the next few days. Cornerback, based on the option left, could be an intriguing situation.

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