Prince Amukamara or Jimmy Smith?

Draftniks have been debating the relative value of those two cornerback prospects for weeks now. The Lions have no doubt been having the same debate internally.

There is an outside chance Amukamara, from Nebraska, will fall to them at No. 13. Smith, from Colorado, is almost certainly to be available for the Lions. Amukamara has graded out higher than Smith on most draft boards mainly because of citizenship. There are no character issues with Amukamara, no failed drug tests or arrests for minors in possession.

Smith can't say the same.

On the field, though, most scouts believe Smith is the greater talent and the riskier pick. Will the Lions, in desperate need of an elite-level corner, take that risk?

"It's really tricky right now," said ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper, Jr. "I pushed (Amukamara) to No. 13 because I kept hearing Dallas was going to take an offensive lineman. St. Louis could trade up to No. 9 (Dallas) to get (receiver) Julio Jones, but that wouldn't impact the cornerback position.

"Jimmy Smith is the hot guy right now. He's moved up because the character issues and the off-the-field stuff isn't as big a deal as people thought it was. He's a top-10 talent and his improvement helps the Lions out a little bit. If they want to move down a little bit and look at Jimmy Smith they probably could because the teams picking after them don't really need a corner."

Kiper went further, saying he thought Smith would be a good choice even at No. 13.

"The teams I've spoken to feel very comfortable about Jimmy Smith," Kiper said. "If you are looking at talent, he's a top-10 guy. If the top teams in the league would take a player, and he's got great talent, it's not a stretch. If Philadelphia is looking at Jimmy Smith and Baltimore is looking at Jimmy Smith, then why shouldn't Detroit?

"Sometimes we look too much into value. Value now is based on team's own preferences. How they value a player. If they feel like they've done all their work on him and they're comfortable, then why not? Talent-wise, it's a no-brainer."

The Lions seem to agree with that. General manager Martin Mayhew spent some time with Smith during a pre-draft visit and he came away impressed.

"I am glad I met with him," Mayhew said during the NFL league meetings last month. "I feel better about him. He was a guy who made some mistakes but who seems to now realize the mistakes that he made. He's a young guy who's very talented. He has a really good skill level, good size and speed and if you look at our corners, we don't have that.

"He's an interesting guy. I have a better feel for him as a person now than before he came in."

Smith's measurables are eye-popping. He's 6-2 1/4, 211 pounds, and he ran a 4.37 at the Combine. He has a long reach (77 inches) and thrives on playing physical, press coverage.

But, Smith failed four drug tests at Colorado. He was busted for minor in possession. His intensity and work ethic were criticized. He raised more flags when he showed up seemingly out of shape at his Pro Day workout.

Mayhew hasn't taken many draft-day risks in his first two seasons. This might be the time to make one.

--Nice Fits: Outside linebacker Bruce Carter, defensive end Aldon Smith, OT Anthony Castonzo.

General manager Martin Mayhew is loathe to give away his intentions, but his mission in this draft is clear. One way or another, he's going to come away with a cornerback, an offensive tackle, a defensive end, a running back and perhaps an outside linebacker.

That may seem a bit backward since the team's most pressing need is outside linebacker, but the talent pool is uncommonly shallow at that position this year and Mayhew isn't going to reach.

"We will not suspend common sense, but we will take the best player," Mayhew said. "We could go a lot of different places with that (13th) pick."

The Lions caught a break when their appeal of a tampering charge was partially upheld last month. As a result, their seventh-round pick has been reinstated for this draft. The pick, which the Lions acquired from the Denver Broncos, will be the 202nd pick and will give them a total of six.

The Lions still have to swap fourth-round picks with Kansas City - dropping from nine to 23 in that round. And the Lions will forfeit either their sixth or seventh pick in the 2012 draft, depending on whether they make or miss the playoffs. If they make the playoffs, they lose their sixth pick; miss the playoffs and lose their seventh.

They don't have much leverage to move up in the draft, but they very well could trade down to pick up more picks. With so many quality offensive and defensive linemen available, and so few elite-level linebackers and cornerbacks, it would make sense for the Lions to move down and gain additional picks.

"Certainly it is more of a challenge to pick at 13 than it was to pick at one or two," Mayhew said. "But we think we had a great pick at 20 in 2009 with Brandon Pettigrew. And we think we had a pretty good pick at 30 last year with Jahvid Best. So from my perspective, there will be a great player at 13. We just have to identify and draft that player."

TEAM NEEDS

Outside linebacker: The Lions will go into the draft next week knowing they won't be able to address their most glaring positional need with their 13th overall pick. That's because, as Lions' luck would have it, their need for an outside linebacker coincides with an unusually shallow pool of first-round worthy players at that position in this draft. Mayhew and his staff will be seeking the proverbial diamond in the rough in the middle rounds.

The outside linebacker core was the weakest link of the defense in 2010 and as a result, three of the players who started most of the games are either gone or expected to be. Julian Peterson was released. Landon Johnson is a free agent and Zack Follett's NFL future is still very much in doubt after he suffered a serious neck injury last season.

That leaves two young veterans - Ashlee Palmer and Bobby Carpenter - as the only outside linebackers on the roster, not including Caleb Campbell, a special teams ace who spent most of the season on the practice squad.

Cornerback: The search continues for a shutdown corner. They think they have one on the roster already in Chris Houston, but the four-year vet is intent on exploring his free-agent options - whatever they may be once the new collective bargaining agreement is set. The Lions have tendered him, but he said he still wants to look around.

That leaves a whole lot of uncertainty on both sides. The Lions also re-signed veteran Nate Vasher before the lockout, but they see him more as a nickel back and reserve.

They have three young promising corners - Aaron Berry, Alphonso Smith and Prince Miller -- but as Mayhew said before the Combine, they showed great promise but didn't do all that much in the games.

Offensive line: Left tackle Jeff Backus will be 34 next season. Right tackle Gosder Cherilus is coming off microfracture knee surgery. Center Dominic Raiola is 33. Right guard Stephen Peterman fought through another injury-plagued season. And, oh by the way, four different quarterbacks were injured last season. With so many talented tackles and interior linemen available in this draft, Mayhew has a great opportunity to restock the offensive line.

Defensive line: This position is the foundation piece of the entire defensive structure under coordinator Gunther Cunningham. Even though it was the strength of the team last season with defensive ends Kyle Vanden Bosch, Cliff Avril, Turk McBride and Lawrence Jackson, plus tackles Corey Williams, Ndamukong Suh and Sammie Hill, the thinking is, you can't have enough talent on the defensive line. And with the draft so rich in D-line talent, especially defensive ends, there's no way they come out of this draft without adding another piece.

Running back: The Lions cut ties with veteran Kevin Smith and have all but written off speedy but unproductive Aaron Brown. That leaves second-year man Jahvid Best and veteran Maurice Morris. The Lions would love to find a big, power back to complement Best.

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