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RecapsNFL Draft2019 NFL Draft grades: Analyzing all 9 Detroit Lions
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Ricky Jean Francois Jersey White ,98commentsServing out grades for the Detroit Lions 2019 NFL Draft class.EDTShareTweetShareShare2019 NFL Draft grades:
Analyzing all 9 Detroit Lions picksChristopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY SportsFirst
round (8): TE T.J. Hockenson (Iowa)I’ve long maintained the belief that the
Lions could do a lot worse than Hockenson at eighth overall, and that I’d be
fine with the selection. With reports that the Lions had the opportunity to move
back and with Devin Bush (one of my top players in the draft) on the board
still, the pill was slightly tougher to swallow. I like to give my immediate
grade after the pick on Twitter just to compare how I felt then and how I felt
now. I immediately gave the pick a C with the information we had and how I felt
about Hockenson and now I’m slightly more content with the pick. It’s tough to
get an elite tight end in this league, as our own Jeremy Reisman and Mansur
Shaheen have pointed out. Hockenson was undoubtedly a top tight end in this
class and there wasn’t many to choose from. So you either take an elite tight
end or you wait another year to address the position. Bob Quinn decided to get
one now and the need for a TE is now gone. Plain and simple. Hockenson is likely
the Day 1 starter and will immediately help in both the passing game and the
running game. Whether you like the value of the pick or not, Hockenson is a
great talent and a perfect fit for this offense.Role: Starter (No. 1 tight
end)Grade: B-Second round (43): LB Jahlani Tavai (Hawaii)Who?Most Lions fans and
plenty of draft guys like myself knew very little of Tavai when the Lions made
this selection. I had watched just one game of his and wrote him off as a later
round guy due to questions about athleticism and limited tape out there.Tavai
did not test at the combine or at his pro day, but did put up the above numbers
a couple weeks after his pro day. The numbers certainly do not look good, but
you have to wonder what they would look like if Tavai were fully healthy. Would
the jump be significant? Who knows, but running a 40 and doing all of these
drills require you to use your entire body, and having a bum shoulder also
prevents you from training and practicing for these drills like every other
prospect.When you go to the tape, Tavai looks much better athletically than the
numbers indicate. He’s quick, explosive and his hips are extremely smooth. I
still have some questions about his long speed, but I think with his quickness
and instincts, you can live with that. I don’t love the pick, but I absolutely
feel much better after watching the kid play football and I think he fits well
in the Dont’a Hightower role for Patricia.Role: Starter (Dont’a Hightower role
at linebacker)Grade: C+Third round (81): S Will Harris (Boston College)I’m a
pretty big fan of this pick for a few reasons. 1) Harris tested extremely well
and I’m all about drafting athletic defenders, especially in the secondary. 2) I
don’t think there is anything Harris likes to do more on the football field than
hitting other players. It doesn’t always look pretty or efficient, but I love
his willingness to deliver big hits. 3) Versatility, versatility, versatility. I
love me some defensive backs that can play all over the secondary
Matthew Stafford Jersey , and Patricia loves them even more. In a perfect world, Harris would have some better tape to go along with his athletic profile,
but we’ve seen Patricia work wonders in a short amount of time already with raw
and athletic defenders. I’m excited to see what he can do with Harris.Role:
Developmental (another versatile safety that can play the “Devin McCourty” role
for Patricia’s defense)Grade: B+Fourth round (117): DE Austin Bryant
(Clemson)Bryant has pretty decent production over the years at Clemson, but the
tape leaves much to be desired for me. As a pass rusher, Bryant is prone to
sitting on blocks and didn’t generate much pressure according to Pro Football
Focus’ metrics (only a 6.1 Pass Rush Productivity, which is not very good). NFL
Draft Day 2 reactions! Jeremy, Jerry and John break down the Detroit Lions’
surprising and controversial picks of Jahlani Tavai and Will Harris in the
second and third round, respectively. To no one’s surprise, however, Bryant
shows up more on film in the run game and made some nice plays in that phase of
the game. He’s very disciplined and effective when moving laterally on wide
runs. Though I’m not a fan of this pick, we’ve seen what the coaching staff did
with Da’Shawn Hand last year, who was drafted just three spots higher last year.
I’ll put all my hope and optimism for this pick in my faith in Patricia and the
rest of his staff. Oh, and Bryant is apparently a tough SOB and I absolutely
recommend giving this article a read.Role: Developmental (rotational D-lineman
with mostly outside duties)Grade: C-Fifth round (146): CB Amani Oruwariye (Penn
State)After listing Oruwariye as my top remaining corner for two days straight,
I guess you could say that I’m pretty excited about this pick. I had Oruwariye
as my No. 1 corner in the class slightly above both Greedy Williams and Byron
Murphy, and as a top-20 player. Why did he slide so far? We may never know, but
the fact that he’s not a very good tackler could be a pretty good reason as to
why he wasn’t that high on the Lions’ board, specifically. Oruwariye offers
great size and elite athleticism at the CB position and has experience in both
man- and zone-coverage. He’s sticky in man-coverage with great click-and-close
ability in zone. You can check out my profile on Oruwariye back in late-January
to read a little more about him.With the addition of Justin Coleman and Rashaan
Melvin, Oruwariye might have to battle it out if he wants to play right
away
Womens Kerryon Johnson Jersey , but even if it takes him some time, the Lions have done a fantastic job of improving the CB unit, and at worst,
Oruwariye provides great depth as a rookie corner.Role: Role Player (Potential
No. 2 CB)Grade: ASixth round (184): WR Travis Fulgham (Old Dominion)Though I
would have preferred to take a slot receiver in this draft and earlier on,
Fulgham is a very good player and great value in the sixth round. When watching
Fulgham, you can see exactly why Bob Quinn and the coaching staff targeted him.
Quinn has expressed his desire to get bigger across the board, and Fulgham is a
big dude. He’s also very willing and tenacious as a blocker, and posted a
respectable run blocking grade in each of his last three years in college, via
PFF.Fulgham has the opportunity to make the starting roster right away and
compete for reps as an outside receiver. Multiple draft outlets had him as an
early Day 3 talent.Role: Developmental (depth at wide receiver)Grade: B+Sixth
round (186): RB Ty Johnson (Maryland)I’ve been asking for an offensive weapon
with elite speed for a long time now and the Lions finally add one. Johnson’s
production at Maryland is extremely intriguing, averaging over 7.0 yards per
carry in three of his four years in college. Johnson also adds value as a
kick-return specialist and had two kick-return touchdowns in college.Role: Role
player (special teams and possible Theo Riddick successor)Grade: B+Seventh round
(224): TE Isaac Nauta (Georgia)Though I’d like to have seen a more athletic
player with better upside in these later spots, I don’t think I could ever
realistically get actually mad or upset over a seventh-round pick. Nauta is a
player with pretty solid tape and I like the idea of doubling down and grabbing
another tight end here for extra competition.I believe that Nauta can
immediately step in and challenge Michael Roberts for the third tight end spot
and I do like that Nauta is very willing as a blocker and graded well as a run
blocker per PFF. Role: Role player (tight end that provides depth and will
likely serve as an inline TE)Grade: BSeventh round (229): DT P.J. Johnson
(Arizona)Again, can’t really hate that hard on a seventh round pick, but not
sure I like grabbing a player who tested as poorly as PJ Johnson. The good news
is Johnson was extremely productive as a run-stuffing nose tackle for Arizona
and the Lions must really like him as a potential backup to Snacks
Harrison.Role: Role player (run stuffing specialist; nose tackle)Grade:
B-Overall Grade: BWe may not agree on value, but the fact of the matter is the
Lions addressed some key needs and improved their roster from top to bottom. I
don’t see many glaring needs, other than some extra help on the interior
offensive line. The Lions were able to add a No. 1 tight end, starting middle
linebacker, a potential No. 2 cornerback and plenty of developmental prospects
and players that can fill immediate roles. Football has took a secondary role in
the life of Detroit Lions linebacker Eli Harold in recent weeks. On October 5,
his wife Kelsey gave birth to the couple’s first child. Their daughter Zuri
Harold was born early on a Friday morning. Harold would miss practice the week
leading up to the Lions’ Week 5 clash with the Green Bay Packers and was
inactive on gameday. Detroit was on a bye in Week 6
Michael Roberts Jersey , meaning that Wednesday was the first time he practiced with the team as a father. “A bye is always good. I’ve had 2 byes.”
Harold jokingly said of his long absence from the team. “I feel like I’ve been
away from ball too long.”The linebacker is experiencing fatherhood for the first
time. While it isn’t football, it’s still a challenge for the four-year NFL
veteran.“She’s running us, she’s doing what she wants to do,” Harold said of
Zuri.His sleep schedule still hasn’t been totally the same since the birth of
his daughter, and the linebackers said that he has changed around 20 diapers in
the past few weeks. Despite the challenges, Harold couldn’t be enjoying
fatherhood any more than he is.“I’m enjoying it though, it’s amazing.”Harold was
in the midst of his best season before his leave. The linebacker had 3.0 sacks
in the four games he played this season, including two in the Lions’ shocking
win over the New England Patriots. He’s recorded five tackles this season and
has been a valuable piece in both pass rushing and defending the run this
season. The linebacker was one of the later additions to Matt Patricia’s Lions
team. He came from San Francisco in a trade midway through preseason. The former
third-round pick struggled during his time with the 49ers, but he seems to have
found his footing in Detroit. While he is excited to return to the Lions, he is
aware of the challenges coming this week. The Miami Dolphins offense features
veteran running back Frank Gore, an all-time great back that Harold ran into
last season when Gore was on the Colts. “He’s tough. He’s gritty. He loves all
the dirty work,” Harold said, praising his opposition this week. “It’s
incredible.”These past few months have featured the beginning of many new
chapters for the young linebacker. Between the move to Detroit, playing for a
new team and now becoming a father, things are very different for Harold this
season than they have been in his previous ones.The one constant for him has
been football, though, and he says he’s just “ready to get back out there this
Sunday.”
