2006 DETROIT LIONS DRAFT TRANSCRIPTS - SECOND ROUND SELECTION: FS DANIEL BULLOCKS

2006 DETROIT LIONS DRAFT TRANSCRIPTS - SECOND ROUND SELECTION: FS DANIEL BULLOCKSLIONS HEAD COACH ROD MARINELLI AND DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR DONNIE HENDERSON
On drafting FS Daniel Bullocks:
RM: "We're excited - we're adding to our defense right now with again, the same type of traits that Ernie (Sims) has. The speed; he (Bullocks) hits with authority; he's got good range; great speed; good tackler, ball skills. All of (the things) we've been looking for. We really think we've upgraded and have the chance to keep upgrading the speed of our defense."

On whether Bullocks will play free safety or strong safety:
DH: "In the scheme, he'll have the ability to play both. Right now we're going to start him out as a free. I'll do that right off the top and get him comfortable. With the system itself, he can play either one. The system is not predicated on being a strong or a free (safety). It's: you're going to play in the middle; you're going to play on the hashes and play in the box - you've got to be able to do all of those things. For a comfort level for him I'll just start him out at the free."

On the high character qualities that Bullocks appears to have:
RM: "He is a quality guy. I think he really, really loves football. You can feel that; the energy he's going to bring - and he plays that way. It's on tape, just like Ernie (Sims). He's showing that stuff on tape. Hitters; he hits, (he has) speed. That was something we were hoping to do: add depth and competition to our defense."

On whether he remembers when Bullocks first caught his eye:
RM: "Well, we started watching these guys in January quite a bit - I did at least. I think Donnie (Henderson) knew him a year earlier when he worked out his brother (Josh).

DH: "I had the opportunity to work out his brother when he came out. It was interesting because they made a little pact within themselves; the one brother came out early because of a family situation and the other brother stayed back. That's when I noticed them both."

On whether that pact told them something about those guys:
DH: "It really does. It tells you a lot about the family structure and how they were raised."

On what it was about Bullock's film that jumped out:
RM: "He's fast, but he plays at the same speed. Some guys will go to the combine and run real fast and then you watch them on game-film and it's not as fast. This guy carries his pads extremely well. He's a strong, fast man. He's athletic; good ball skills and he hits with authority and that's something that you're looking for all of the time. Then the type of person he is - he's got the football character that I keep talking about. This guy loves football. We're excited."

On not getting too hyped about a guy based on his combine workouts:
RM: "Film is everything. You just keep watching the tape. You know, there's a process: the guy initially probably catches your eye on tape and then all these workouts come and they either start getting higher (on the board) or they start getting lower. Then you come back and watch tape again and it kind of levels the whole thing back out. Because then you see what he can do athletically but boy, the film keeps jumping out at you. These guys are proven football players from great conferences, great schools and great competition."

On drafting two defensive players:
RM: "These guys are going to bring great competition to the unit."

On whether they were looking for a safety who is physical and has great ball skills:
DH: "Oh absolutely. When you pick a safety in particular, that's what you're looking for: a guy with ball skills. This guy, as coach was saying, the one thing he does is when he hits you, he stops you. You don't go any further. He's got enough speed that if a guy breaks through there, you know he can go get him. That's what you're also looking for back there with that safety. The other thing is: his range and what he does with the ball when he gets it. He has those tools."

On whether there are any concerns about his tackling:
DH: "I don't know if that is the truth. What I've seen is, when he tackles you, you don't go any further. Now, there's times he's missed tackles and a lot of that has to do with breaking down and coming under control and getting the balance and things like that. For the most part, when he hits you, you're done; you're not going any further."

On what they're looking for in this draft from this point forward:
RM: "Still the same things we were talking about. We still would like to work in the secondary; the offensive line - those areas. And then good players; there might be a guy up there that we really like that's still there."

On whether they're hoping that these young players will come in and help set the tempo:
RM: "Yeah, I think they really like football. All of these guys like it. They play at such a high level. The energy and the enthusiasm they're going to bring is something I'm looking for. It's not just good players on tape, but both of those guys bring those special ingredients that you're looking for that can help us."

CONFERENCE CALL WITH LIONS FS DANIEL BULLOCKS
On being drafted by the Lions: "It's the best feeling in the world; its been a long road for me and to be drafted by the Detroit Lions means a whole lot to me."

On his brother, Saints FS Josh Bullocks, being the 40th pick in the 2005 Draft: "Yeah, I was thinking about that. I saw Detroit come up, that's all I was thinking about. Then right before you called me and my brother was like, 'that's the same pick I went, the 40th pick.' It just feels really weird, but it feels like I'm blessed, being the same pick as my brother, just going to Detroit."

On the support his brother gave him through the draft process: "It kind of relieved some of the pressure. I watched him go through it last year and it felt almost like I was getting drafted. But when I was going through the process this time, my brother said, 'it's almost like I'm getting drafted all over again.'

Meeting with the Lions coaches before the Draft: "They talked about needing a playmaker to come in with the schemes that they run and I can be the type of player that can fit in their scheme and be there to play and be there to compete. So that's the best thing I like about them, their defensive scheme. The thing I learned the most when I was out there was it was pretty much a family environment, everyone seemed real close."