LB DeAndre Levy
Pick: Third round, No. 76 overall
College: Wisconsin
Height, weight: 6-2, 236
The skinny: A three-year starter at outside linebacker, Levy will play middle at this weekend's rookie minicamp for the Lions. He had five sacks and recovered two fumbles last year, and ran a 4.5-second 40-yard dash at his pro day after tweaking a hamstring at the combine.
What they're saying: “We went against a lot of teams, a lot of system formations where I ended up with similar assignments to the (middle linebacker) a lot of times, so I'm just going in there and learn as much as I can and hopefully apply it to the field as soon as possible.” - Levy

WR Derrick Williams
Pick: Third round, No. 82
College: Penn State
Height, weight: 6-2, 236
The skinny: One of the best return men in the draft, Williams scored three punt- and two kick-return TDs in the last three years. The nation's top recruit coming out of high school, he'll also play slot receiver for the Lions.
What they're saying: “My philosophy on special teams is not to be safe and find a guy that can catch the ball and fair catch it. We're going to try to get some explosiveness, try to score, so a guy like Derrick Williams brought great value there.” - Lions coach Jim Schwartz

DT Sammie Lee Hill
Pick: Fourth round, No. 115
College: Stillman
Height, weight: 6-4, 329
The skinny: Big and raw, Hill got by on natural ability at Stillman. He's a developmental prospect who probably won't have a big impact in 2009, but is the type of massive tackle who could take over for Grady Jackson one day.
What they're saying: “He's got rare athletic ability for such a big man. And we're not talking about an overachiever that's 6-1, 300 and that's all he's ever going to be. This is a naturally big man that's a naturally good athlete.” - Schwartz

RB Aaron Brown
Pick: Sixth round, No. 192
College: TCU
Height, weight: 6-1, 196
The skinny: Brown was used sparingly out of the backfield last year, totaling just 99 carries in 10 games. He earned honorable mention all-Mountain West honors as a return specialist and projects as a change-of-pace back with natural hands.
What they're saying: “I had a really good feeling that the Lions would (draft me). I had a trip up there about three weeks ago and met with Sam Gash, the running backs coach, and the personnel guys. They made me feel more welcome than a lot of teams have.” – Brown

OL Lydon Murtha
Pick: Seventh round, No. 228
College: Nebraska
Height, weight: 6-7, 306
The skinny: NFL.com describes Murtha as the typical Nebraska lineman, “smart, big and strong.” He ran a 4.89-second 40-yard dash at the combine, best among offensive linemen, but doesn't project to have much of an impact even on a line that hasn't looked good in years.
What they're saying: “Everybody we drafted we liked and we saw a role for, so it wasn't just like we were drafting just blindly to take guys. But I thought we did a really good job of balancing high-rated players with how we were going to use them." - Schwartz

LB Zack Follett
Pick: Seventh round, No. 235
College: California
Height, weight: 6-2, 236
The skinny: Follett played primarily outside linebacker, but also spent time in the middle and occasionally at defensive end. He the Pac-10 with 23 tackles for loss last year. Still, he may have to beat out Alex Lewis for job.
What they're saying: “I guess the best words to describe him are good football player. Versatile, has played inside, has played outside, even lines up as a pass rusher with his hand in the dirt.” - Schwartz

TE Dan Gronkowski
Pick: Seventh round, No. 255
College: Maryland
Height, weight: 6-6, 255
The skinny: Caught 29 passes as a senior after totaling 11 receptions in his first three seasons. Has good size and is best known for his blocking ability.
What they're saying: “We didn't anticipate taking two tight ends but at that point in the draft with the people that were available he was by far the highest-rated guy and you want to still stick with that.  - Schwartz