Nobody will be more affected by the moves the Detroit Lions made on the first day of the NFL Draft than quarterback Matthew Stafford.
The Lions not only took offensive guard Laken Tomlinson in the first round, but they also made a trade to acquire veteran center/guard Manny Ramirez from Denver.
The additions were necessary after the team decided not to re-sign guard Rob Sims and center Dominic Raiola.
Tomlinson is expected to start at left guard while Ramirez likely will compete for the starting job at center with Travis Swanson.
"I was happy," Stafford said of drafting Tomlinson. "We were a little thin at the position. To add a guy that's got great character, played great the last two years at Duke, I was fired up.
"Getting Manny in that trade was great, too, to add depth. We've upgraded that since the week before the draft. It was like night and day. We just have so many more bodies and guys that are really capable of playing well."
The Lions continued to fill out their 90-man offseason roster Wednesday by signing two more free agents -- receiver Greg Salas, 26, and cornerback Chris Owens, 28.
Salas (6-foot-2, 210 pounds) made eight catches for 167 yards in 10 games last season with the New York Jets. Owens (5-9, 180) appeared in 11 games and made three starts for Kansas City in 2014.
Those moves come a day after the Lions signed another free agent, Lance Moore, who was a standout receiver for several years with the New Orleans Saints.
The Lions are hoping that joining an offensive system similar to what he excelled in with the Saints will bring out the best in Moore. Detroit offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi was an assistant coach in New Orleans for seven of Moore's eight years there.
The question, however, is how much Moore, 31, still has in him after nine NFL seasons. He made just 14 receptions for 198 yards and two touchdowns last season for Pittsburgh.
"He has great knowledge of the system," Stafford said. "It's changed a little bit, but not too much.
"He's a guy who's proven himself in this offense and in this league. He's made a living getting open in this offense."
Moore and Salas will compete for the receiving jobs behind Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate. Owens will compete for a back-up role in the Lions' secondary.
EXTRA POINT
--- The Lions confirmed that they completed a simple restructure of Tate's contract, paying more than $3 million of his $4 million contract for 2015 in the form of a signing bonus instead of base salary.
The change created more than $2 million in salary-cap space, which helps a team that has very little cap space available.
The Lions then also confirmed the signing of second-round pick, running back Ameer Abdullah, to a standard four-year contract.
Tomlinson is the team's only draft pick who remains unsigned.
