Transcripts from today's media session with Lions President and CEO Matt Millen and Head Coach Rod Marinelli following Detroit's third round selections as well as a transcripts of the media conference calls with new Lions RB Kevin Smith, DT Andre Fluellen

LIONS HEAD COACH ROD MARINELLIOn whether they were concerned that St. Louis would take RB Kevin Smith before them: "(Them) and Miami too - I was concerned about

LIONS HEAD COACH ROD MARINELLI
On whether they were concerned that St. Louis would take RB Kevin Smith before them: "(Them) and Miami too - I was concerned about that. What key I thought though with the whole thing was on the first day when we moved back two spots to be able to move up 10 spots in the third (round) which put us in position to get that runner in the third round. That was big for us. This is a guy we liked a lot. He's very tough; very durable, physical. He's just a good football player."On what stands out to him about what they've done so far: "Yeah, there's no doubt these guys like playing football. You'll see them. When you meet them, you'll get a good feel of these guys. This is runner, Kevin, is just physical and productive. His film says everything. I think one thing he does a nice job of is I think he carries his pads extremely well. He's strong, so you carry your pads. Whatever he runs (in the 40) he runs the same thing on the field because he's strong. He has run the system in terms of the zone; he can cut and he's productive. We're excited about him."

On how you evaluate his production playing for Central Florida vs. a guy from Texas: "You just look at what he does on tape. You watch the cuts; the vision; you watch him play against the University of Texas, those are games we've looked at. He's a high motor guy; he's tough and very physical."

On Smith saying how comfortable he was here on his visit: "Sometimes you just kind of connect with guys. He sensed that, when he was here, we liked him; that he fits; that he's physical. It gives us another guy in the hopper in the backfield"

On whether they decided last night that they had to move up to get Smith: "I wanted the kid, we all did. The flashbacks thinking, 'we just can't miss this guy.' This is a guy we need and it's a runner that we all liked in that room. Every guy on our offensive staff, Coach Colletto, Kip (Brown), everybody. We sat down and we watched all of these runners together on tape just game after game as a whole staff to feel good about these guys and (Smith) came out first every time for us."

On whether Cliff Avril will be a strong-side linebacker: "He's going to be a defensive end."

On whether they knew what Smith had said to the Rams on his visit to St. Louis: "No, I really didn't; sometimes when you're with a player you really like, it just comes off that (way). You try not to show your cards a little bit, but sometimes you just can't help it. You like a guy and you like his film. I've told you guys a hundred times: err on the side of production. If you watch his film, you feel good about him."

On whether there is a concern that Smith had too many carries in college: "That's why it's good he came out a year early (laughter). That would be to save his body - I think he probably felt the same thing. But no, this guy's a workhorse now and he's strong and he has been very durable."

"I think if he went and did it again this year in college, you would say, 'wow.' One thing, when we were at the combine with him too and talking with him, he just said, 'in the offseason, I work to gain my armor in the weight room.' That meant a lot to me - his preparation in the offseason."

On whether knowing he might be there later in the draft affected their thinking in the first round when they passed on Illinois RB Rashard Mendenhall: "Yeah. We were kind of hoping (he would be here) - you never know how this whole thing (is going to work out). This is the guy we liked and we felt we could, maybe if we were fortunate enough, it would fall our way and it that did. That one fell good for us."

On whether there are concerns about DT Andre Fluellen's elbow injury: "No, he's been banged up. One thing that is positive is: he plays with all of that stuff. He goes in there and he plays. I had a chance to go down to his workout and watch him workout and I know his coaches extremely well and he's got really a unique ability… his get-off is probably as good as anybody in football right now - his takeoff, he's got a great feel on how to come off in terms of movement. He's a guy that's a very disruptive player inside. I'm going to look at him both as the under (tackle) and the nose (tackle). I'm going to see where he fits best. He's got really quick hands. When we went down there, and I know a couple of their coaches very well and they couldn't (say) enough good things about him and how bright (he is), the motor and all of those things."

On why Fluellen dropped to the third round: "Everybody looks at guys differently. He's 296 pounds, he's got great movement - I don't know, I couldn't tell you."

On whether Fluellen needs to get bigger: "Not really. No, I don't want him to get too much bigger. I just want him to get stronger and just keep lifting. Guys I've had in that position like him have all been around 300-pound guys, but they've got to (be able to) move. He's got quickness, the quickness is really good. So now we've just got to start coaching him. He's a very, very bright guy, you'll see that; sharp, he picks things up extremely well."

On a player like DE Cliff Avril who is considered by many to be too small to play defensive end in the NFL: "The first thing, when you take a guy like him: what can he do for you initially? He can initially help us get off on third down. He's got to come in and do it again and compete for it but he can come in on third down right now and he's got 4.5-speed in that area - he's a phenomenal athlete. He's got to do it every down. We made a nice (film) reel on him in terms of just all of his rushes to really watch his instincts. I thought he was exceptional in practice at the Senior Bowl; he just did some really instinctive things just where he was rushing all of the time. He's got instincts as a rusher; he's got closing speed as a rusher. I think he's 252 or 253 right now, he's a heartbeat away from 260 and now you've got yourself the speed that you're looking for and he's got good bend. He's got all of the athleticism that you need at that position."

On how the Lions' draft thus far fits what he's trying to accomplish from a team standpoint: "I think one thing that's real important is: you bring young players in and they come into a good setting. Where work is important; where what we do in the offseason is important - all those things, you have the type of players that embrace these types of guys; (it's) about doing the extra things to become the best that you should be. Be your best. I feel good about these players coming into this situation right now. I just think they're a bunch of good guys that really like to play. They really do. They'll be in shape and run and do the things we ask them to do with the speed."

On whether they feel they've addressed some positions of need with each of their picks: "Yes. The thing we've spent a lot of time as a front office staff (discussing): the guys that we draft, we've got to make sure they make this team; so let's not draft somebody where all of the sudden we have four guys in that spot and he doesn't make this team for whatever reason. I want to make sure the guys we're getting (that) we've got spots, we've got a plan for these guys and we know how to use him and they're going to come in and make our team."

On whether that was a lesson learned from past years: "Yeah, and what it does too, for every coach who goes out and looks at a guy and likes him, 'how are you using him and how does he make our team?' It just puts more emphasis on those things. These guys (we've drafted) all have the speed I'm looking for."

On how better the process has been this year: "It's been good. I just keep talking about the speed, the quickness, the athleticism and the guys that love this stuff. We've all got to stand on the table at the end of the day that this guy comes in and he really wants to be special - they want to be great players. The more we talk and communicate about those things, you find those guys."

On whether the draft was deep enough in three positions that they felt they could get the players they need in the first three rounds: "Yeah, we kind of felt that. Because it is, it was pretty deep. Then there are the rushers, those outside rushers; it's some projections that you look at - an outside backer going to defensive end or those types of things you have to look at. Sometimes you can find really good rushers, maybe even better than the early rounds because of the speed, the raw speed some of these guys have. They're the people that look for outside backer or a defensive end. Then it's how you use him."

On whether they got calls for WR Roy Williams yesterday: "I was checking my cell phone and nobody called me."

"He's a special player. I think there are guys that, no doubt about it, see that in this league, he's a heck of a talent.

On whether they could have traded him if they wanted to: "If you open the doors obviously people would flood in on him because he's a special player. But I think we've got really a good plan for him and if we can get this running game going - I think we've added to it a little bit with another tackle in the mix and another runner in the mix. We have a chance to be very physical."

LIONS PRESIDENT & CEO MATT MILLEN
On whether they feel they've overhauled the roster to fit what Marinelli wants: "Not necessarily an overhaul of the roster, just getting guys who fit a need, fit a profile and have the skill set to be able to contribute. That's pretty much it.

"The runner, I liked getting him - we all liked him a lot. We did not feel comfortable sitting there because there was some other movement up there. So we went up to Miami's (pick) and that was just the two spots.

On choosing Florida State DT Andre Fluellen with their second selection in the third round: "There were a couple of guys we were looking at right in that spot.

"He fits this scheme really well. He's a disruptive type of guy; he's a guy that comes off the ball real quick all of the time; he has a great motor. He fits exactly (in) this scheme. We thought that was a good match."

On moving up to draft DE Cliff Avril: "I talked to everybody to try to maneuver and try to move (up). With his first two steps, we get consistency off of him on the pass rush. (Marinelli) loves the guy; he's thrilled with him.

"We're excited to get the guys who kind of fit the scheme, but also who fit a need."

On whether they might need to keep nine defensive linemen on the 53-man roster: "Yeah - we could keep nine; we added a DT and we added a defensive end. So you add a young pass-rush guy, you've got some speed off the edge. We add competition to the group. Everybody's got to take a step up and there's going to be somebody left out and that's okay. That means you're getting better there."

On why they took a DT before they took a DE: "Well, Avril was sliding, but that's irrespective of making the pick. The thing with Fluellen right there is: from a scheme standpoint and what we try to do and what we're looking for out of that particular (position), he's a guy who fits. If you (don't) take him, there are no others. If you don't get Avril, there's still some more you could get. Avril was the best one (for us); you would like to get him, which is why you trade and make a move to go get him, but absent Fluellen, it's empty."

On what the best offer they received for WR Roy Williams was: "In the world of trading, this is how it goes: 'Hey, are you interested in moving Roy? Yeah, we could, it depends. Okay, well, we would give you a baloney sandwich…' It always starts with a baloney sandwich every time. So unless somebody comes up and says their willing to really do something, all they do is talk. So there was a lot of talk. The way I judge that and the way most people would is to say: they're not really interested; if you were, you would come back with something else or you would give me something realistic."

On whether they got any realistic offers: "No. We had some calls for a few guys and Roy was one of them, but… nothing. You think I'm kidding with the baloney sandwich, but they were talking like, we'll give you such and such and it was nothing."

On whether that just opens the door: "Yeah - you listen to everybody. There's not a player on the roster that you don't say, 'yes, I would listen.' Every team in the league says that exact same thing about every player, except for maybe (Tom) Brady and (Peyton) Manning. 'Yeah, okay, we're interested, what do you want to do.' If they're really interested in doing something, they'll say something. If they're not, they'll just kind of throw something at you."

On whether there were any serious offers for Williams: "It never got past the introductory speech."

On whether they came into this draft knowing they needed to draft certain positions: "What you're doing then, if you say, 'okay, these are the spots we need,' you can never pigeon-hole yourself and say, 'in this round, we're taking this and in this round we're taking (that). When you step back and look at the picture, 'you say, this is what we need to come out of this draft with.' Then, the board kind of plays to your favor and then you make that decision. There was another one at the end… I was trying to move up (again) just at the end right before I walked in here and then he was taken."

On fan and media mock drafts: "The only thing a mock draft tells you is: who's talking. It's all misinformation. Generally what happens in them though… you guys all write them. You guys are talking to whoever you talk to and then you hear different things from different cities and you take your best guess based on rosters and what needs they have. As a fan, if you're sitting there, you look at them and it gives you a rough idea. I think you could get the first probably up to 10 picks probably right - 6-10 picks maybe. But after that, you don't know. You just have to sit there and wait. You can say who are the better players and they should go, but you don't know what order they're going to go. You guys are doing the same thing we're doing, we just sit and we look at all of the same things and you make your mocks and you just have to have that group like we said of who should be available and make the pick."

On RB Rashard Mendenhall dropping: "He has to fit; he's a good player. He's a real good player who's got to fit your scheme and you have to find the attributes that you like that fits with what you do. That's what happens."

On whether all of the trades in the first round jumbled the draft board: "It does a little bit, but generally, you can say, 'oh, they're moving up and they're going to take one of these two guys.' Especially early you can do that because it's a lot more predictable early. Now you just sit there and you don't have any idea. What we're just trying to do now is we think they're going to take this and you're probably batting about 60-65%."

On whether there was an opportunity to move back further in the first round to get Cherilus: "No, there wasn't. To be perfectly honest with you, I didn't try to. I had my little group, that I could move back and then you have to bright-line someplace and that was it."

CONFERENCE CALL WITH LIONS RB KEVIN SMITH
On how it feels to be a Lion: "Oh man, it feels good. I knew it was the place I wanted to be. It's a dream come true - especially being a Lion, especially being with the organization that when I went there on a visit, I felt at home. I was just as happy as I could be."

On how it feels to be chasing former Lions' RB Barry Sanders again: "I'm not going to be chasing him, but I get to play for the organization that he played for, for so long."

On why he feels this is the place for him to be: "I feel so comfortable in my vision. They've got a great group of guys in the organization and this is an organization that's working hard and they believe in the same thing that I believe in. (They have) a great quarterback and great receivers and other great running backs. I just want to fit in. I'm so happy right now; I'm at a loss for words."

On when he found out he was coming to Detroit: "The GM (Matt Millen) called me, the coach (Rod Marinelli) called me and he told me, 'look, we switched places with the Dolphins, we're going to come get you,' and he put me on the phone with all of the coaches and for me, I just burst into tears."

On what he means by they'll believe in what he believes in: "I mean, as far as winning and doing things the right way. The first time I went there, I had a long conversation with coach (Sam) Gash and he let me know - and coach Marinelli - they let me know exactly what it was about and that's exactly what I'm about."

On why he feels he fits zone running schemes so well: "That's what we ran. I got a chance to play at UCF where we ran the inside and outside zones so much and I adapted and learned so well and that scheme, for me, has to be my No. 1 running style."

On whether anyone from the Lions called him last night to let him know they would trade up to take him: "No sir."

On how long of a day it was for him yesterday: "When I had a guy go in the first round out of my conference, I was sure that, 'ok, today's the day.' Then I had a second guy in my conference picked and it's kind of like you're looking at the list and you're seeing teams that you know aren't going to get running backs and it's getting shorter, and shorter, and shorter and I waited until about 8:55 PM and I transferred my motor to, you know, 'ok, let's see what happens on day two.' I was the first pick, so it's just a blessing."

On where he is right now: "I'm in Orlando with my family members at a hotel in the bar room waiting for me to come inside. I can check out early (laughing)."

On what it was like for him last year to chase Sanders' single-season record: "It was just a great accomplishment and a great achievement. I can't honestly say that I was chasing Barry's, but the numbers were there, but I wasn't chasing Barry. To be recognized is just an outstanding achievement. To be recognized, to be even close to a legend like that."

On whether he talked with the Dolphins or the Rams at any point yesterday or today: "No sir. No sir."

On what he says to people's comments of him putting up numbers against inferior competition: "Check me out in my Detroit Lions uniform in the first preseason game."

On what number he wore in college: "No. 24."

On believing he'll show what kind of back he is in the NFL: "I believe I'll do exactly what I'm supposed to do in the pro's, and that's play football to the best of my ability. Whatever that outcome is, that's going to be shown. I can guarantee it's going to be a good one."

On how he would describe his running style: "Rare. They said I don't have the speed of hitting the home run, but I have the most long runs in the nation against whatever competition. I believe I have the best vision in college football and on some levels, better than some pro's that I've watched. I just know how to play football. I understand the offense and I think my style is rare because I execute a game plan so good. I can't compare myself to anybody now. I can only compare myself to Kevin Smith and I haven't seen anybody run like me."

On whether he knows T Gosder Cherilus at all: "No."

On whether he took any visits to the Rams or the Dolphins before the draft: "Yes I did. I worked out for the Dolphins and I took a visit to the Rams."

On when he'll come to Detroit: "I think mini-camp is next weekend, if I'm not mistaken and rookie camp. Yes, I'll be up there next weekend, ready."

On coming to a team that is in need for a running back: "No matter where I go, I know coming into Detroit, they've got two running backs that you have to respect. They've been in the league. I have to get my feet wet before I plan on making any contributions, but I'm still going there behind those guys and get a feel for things and hopefully be able to fit somewhere in there where I can get a chance to be on the field."

On whether it's realistic for him to start on opening day: "I can't say that."

On the passing game and how he might fit in as a receiver in the pros: "That's why I feel like this was the best fit for me. Look at my receivers outside, you have Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson and you got (Jon) Kitna and Drew Stanton. I've never had receivers - I had Brandon Marshall and Mike Walker one year and I think those were the years that we were all balanced on offense; but, the pair of two seasons that I had to have, a receiving corps of that caliber, I think that opens things up for me and them as well."

On how he knows so much about the Lions offense: "When I went to the Lions and I sat in coach's room, I told him, this is where I want to be. I did all my research. Not just because - it had nothing to do with Barry (Sanders), it's just because, like I said, when I took that visit, I felt so comfortable at the Lions. Everybody is telling me, don't say you want to keep - everybody's asking me, and had all those reasons to tell other teams, we sat down and it was like, 'so, what team would you go to and why?,' and I said 'the Lions' to a few teams. Some people said to me, you don't say what team or you might have to go to a team that you don't really want to go to. For me to go to the Lions last, they had the likes for me."

On whether he actually told other teams that he would go to the Lions: "I sat down in the room with the Rams and we had dinner and they asked me, Darren McFadden and Chris Johnson what team we would go to. I said Detroit."

On what teams McFadden and Johnson said they would go to: "I think McFadden said Oakland and Chris Johnson said Tampa Bay."

On whether it's not his expectation to get the starting job right away: "I'm going to come in and contribute to the team. If they think, 'you know what Kevin, I want you to learn behind Tatum (Bell) or Brian (Calhoun),' then that's what I have to do. Of course I come in there - and I'm a competitor - I'll come in there to get better. If that works out where maybe I'm starting, or maybe I'm getting a few carries every game, that's fine. Whatever the situation might be, I'm just going to come in and work hard and be all that I can be to help the organization."

On whether he was just not called on to get the ball in the passing game at UCF: "Yeah, you know, our offensive coordinator wanted to open things up more than we did but we just ran the ball. That's just basically what it was. We would line up; you're going to know exactly what we're going to do. We're going to run the ball, run the ball, we're going to play the hitch, we might play the three cut -in. Besides that, there was not much slot work. I had been in the slot a few times in my career, but it wasn't much slot work. We wanted to get more involved in the finesse game, but I think we just didn't have the personnel."

CONFERENCE CALL WITH LIONS DT ANDRE FLUELLEN
On being welcomed to Detroit: "I'm so ready, I'm so glad to be up there."

On where he is right now: "I'm in Cartersville, Georgia with my family."

On why he feels he'll be a good fit in Detroit: "I mean, it's very similar to the defense we ran at Florida State: quick, penetrating defensive linemen, getting up the field - I've had a relationship with coach (Rod) Marinelli before, he's actually coached a lot of my coaches at Florida State. It's just a good situation for me and the transition should be very smooth."

On how he's known Coach Marinelli: "I met him last year once. We didn't really talk, but I saw him on the field and shook his hand, but this year he's been very instrumental that he wanted me as a Detroit Lion and here I am."

On whether he felt his Senior Bowl practices enhanced his draft value: "Yeah, I think so and I think it just kind of solidified everything. I had some injuries my senior year, so that kind of hurt me, but at the same time I was able to go out in the Senior Bowl, which is considered the best competition. I had a pretty good week and I really think that it helped for me to showcase myself."

On what LB Ernie Sims told him when he visited the Lions: "The first thing he said, the first thing that came out of his mouth was, 'man, get ready for it because it's cold.' That's the first thing he said. Then he said it's just a good situation. Everybody on the team seems generally to be pulling for everybody else; that's what him and Buster Davis said. There's not too much conflict in the locker room and everybody's on the same page."

On where he sees himself fitting in the Tampa 2 system: "Probably the under tackle, but either one really because it's pretty much the same technique at both positions. At the nose tackle things happen a little faster, but at the same time it's probably the under tackle position that will be where I'll best fit. That's where I've been playing for the last 3-4 years."

On his health and playing through injuries: "Well, like I said, it was pretty tough playing through the injuries I had my senior year. I had a lot of aspirations of being an All-American, All-ACC, and really with my injuries it just didn't allow that to happen. But now, I'm healthy, I'm feeling good now and just ready to produce from day one."

On whether he considers himself the steal of this draft: "I think so, but I just thank Detroit for just, you know, giving me a chance; just seeing past all of the injuries and the lack of production my senior year and looking past that and looking at me as a football player because at the end of the day, I'm a tough, gritty, nasty kind of football player. That's how I am, that's how I always will be."

On his attitude: "Attitude is even how far you're going to go in the game. That's what I pretty much base it on. You can't have a negative attitude, or go into practice not going full-speed. If I'm at practice, I might as well go full-speed because that's what I'm there to do. I'm there to play football and I'm not getting better if I'm going half-speed. I don't see why people are late to meetings; I don't see why people think they have to miss stuff. This is the opportunity we have as football players. Not everybody - there are a lot of people in the world that can't do what we have, so I might as well take full advantage of it."

CONFERENCE CALL WITH LIONS DE CLIFF AVRIL
On his feelings on coming to Detroit: "Awesome. It's crazy because Detroit was the last place I played college football in the Motor City Bowl. So I'm kind of halfway there."

On where he is now: "I'm in Jacksonville, Florida."

On if that is his hometown: "Yes, sir."

On if he got any feeling on his visit to Allen Park that he might be coming to the Lions: "I kind of got that feeling with a couple visits I took and what not. I definitely felt comfortable when I went and I'm glad to be a Lion."

On what he thinks his role will be in Detroit: "I think they want me as a D-end. So I think it's going to be more of a pass-rushing thing for me. Just trying to get to the quarterback as much as possible."

On his strengths in getting to the quarterback: "I feel like I'm pretty quick off the line so I feel like I try to use my speed to my advantage. I'm going to have to get a little stronger of course, but I think just having the speed I have will definitely help me out."

On if he knows anybody in Detroit: "Actually I know Shawn Jefferson, one of the coaches. I know him pretty well, he's from the Jacksonville area. And then I know Gilbert Gardner; he went to Purdue and I met him a few times. I know of those guys."

On how much more weight he feels he can put on his frame and still maintain his quickness and speed: "Probably about 10 pounds, maybe; 5-10 pounds. Put it that way. I think that would be a decent amount and be able to keep my speed at the same time."

On how he competes in weight lifting and how much he can bench: "There's weight lifting competitions in Florida and I was part of that. But the most I've ever benched was 445, single rep of course (laughter)."

On how much he has interacted with Head Coach Rod Marinelli and what he thinks that relationship will be like: "It'll be interesting. I spoke to him today, of course, and I spoke to him when I went on my visit. I noticed that he's big on D-line and defensive ends, of course. So I think our relationship will be pretty good because he's had great D-ends and D-linemen and I think that will definitely make me a better player."

On if he can be a Dwight Freeney impact-type player if he puts on extra weight: "Yeah. I think so. I think I can definitely … I mean, that's what I'm going to have to base it off of. I'm a little smaller than the average D-end, but at the same time I think I'm a little faster so I think I'll definitely try to take that into consideration and be (like) Dwight Freeney, basically."

On if he's followed the rest of the Lions' draft and how he feels about being in the wave of new, young players coming in: "Well, I haven't paid attention to it. Actually, I kind of dosed off during the draft because I was mad. But I haven't really paid attention to see who all the Lions got so far. I think they got a tackle, I believe, and I went up against him a couple times at the Senior Bowl. But I think they're going after the guys they need and the guys that can come in and make an impact. Hopefully we all can do that."

On what T Gosder Cherilus was like at the Senior Bowl: "He was one of the best tackles I went against at the Senior Bowl, to tell you the truth. We actually got in a little scuffle, which was kind of interesting. But he's a real good athlete. To be so big, he's got real good feet and what not. He's a good athlete."

On whether the scuffle was in practice or in the game: "Not the game, it was practice, one-on-one. It wasn't anything major. It was just: both (of us) are competitors, so we both went at it."

On if he was holding him: "Basically (laughter), basically. He was holding me and I kind of got mad or what not. But it is what it is - it's part of the game."

On why he was mad during the draft: "Everybody's mad around this point because some guys think they should have gone higher. It was more so getting frustrated because I hadn't heard my name. I kind of stopped paying attention and my phone started ringing and my family members were going crazy getting mad at me like, 'why am I not up?' I got the call."

On if they woke him up to tell him he was drafted: "No, they woke me up to tell me my phone was ringing because they called me before it came on the TV. Then they were like, 'look at the screen' - they're about to pick me up. It was a great feeling."

On where he dozed off at:Â "On the couch."

On if it makes him feel any better that the Lions traded up to get him: "Definitely, definitely does. It feels great. They clearly wanted me or felt like they could get me and it's a blessing. Regardless of how I look at it, it's a blessing that they got me and I'll try to make something happen."