2018 marked the first year of the PATRIOTS connection in DETROIT. Former PATS exec BOB QUINN, now DETROIT’s GM decided that he needed to move his franchise on from two straight years of 9-7 under HC JIM CALDWELL. In came MATT PATRICIA, another ex-PATRIOTS Coach, to move the team onto higher ground. The resultant 6-10 season was wrought with turmoil and more roster shuffling. The hope going into the 2019 Draft was that bumps in the road from PATRICIA’s first year as a head man were identified and would be smoothed out. Let’s take a look at the LIONS Draft, to see if they have upgraded the talent level of the roster.
Round 1, Pick 8
T.J. HOCKENSON TE IOWA
6’5/250 4.73/40 PP#8
Of course, I always luv it when a prospect gets taken in the Draft at the exact number at which I have them ranked, but this young man deserves it. This maybe the best young TE to come into the NFL in this decade. He is a throwback to the inline TE’s of yore. He should be a big help to the LIONS running game as a blocker, while being a legit downfield receiving threat, and the new BFF for one MATTHEW STAFFORD. He is fundamentally sound already, but still has room to grow and improve. He has a great positive mental attitude that should uplift those around him. Great selection all the way around. Congrats to the LIONS for not falling into the trap of worrying that this Pick is too high for a TE selection.
Round 2, Pick 43
JAHLANI TAVAI IB HAWAII
6’2/250 4.80/40 PP#136
I about fell off my chair when they made this Pick on Draft Friday night. As you can see, I had this guy well outside my Top 100. There is no doubt that he was a tackling machine at HAWAII. He averaged 8.3 tackles per game during his career in college, but I think he is more of ball chaser than anything else, and will need lots of work to discipline his playing style. MY gut says PATRICIA wanted the next version of DANTE HIGHTOWER, who at 6’3/260, has been a wrecking ball in the PATS D scheme, most of it under PATRICIA. He has a history of missing games with injury in college. Surprisingly, he has shown good natural ability dropping into coverage. He’s not a bad player, but I felt Day 3 was his spot. He should be a big help to them on Special Teams. In 2 LB formations, he and JARRAD DAVIS may the tandem.
Round 3, Pick 81
WILL HARRIS DB BOSTON COLLEGE
6’1/207 4.39/40 PP#150
This pick, I truly do not get at all. His athleticism is elite, but his actual playing skills leave a lot to be desired. I watched 5 BC games last season, and this guy just flat-out disappeared way too often. His best work may come on Special Teams, but that doesn’t make him a 3rd Round Pick. Stats don’t completely lie. His 2018 numbers were; 75 T’s, 1 TFL, 1 QBH, and 1 INT. Notice, not a single PBU to his credit. I do not see him ever being a secondary starter in the NFL. In Round 3, that should be a potential starter. I don’t like this Pick at all.
Round 4, Pick 117
AUSTIN BRYANT DE/OB CLEMSON
6’4/271 4.75/40 PP#82
In this case, I think they made an honest evaluation on a player who was overshadowed by his teammates in the DL group in college. BRYANT is a versatile guy who shows good patience and some athletic versatility. He shows a high motor and good effort in pursuit of the ball. He might benefit from being moved around, to confuse blocking assignments from defenders. His 34 5/8″ long arms could reap better results if he improved his hand work on blockers. He is a bit light in the pants to hold down a DE slot on a full-time basis. Of his 45 tackles in 2018, 14.5 were TFL, and 8 of them sacks. He could make a very nice chess piece with defensive versatility.
Round 5, Pick 146
AMANI ORUWARIYE DC PENN STATE
6’2/205 4.47/40 PP#84
He still has a lot to learn about the subtleties of DC play, but is a good athlete with excellent size. Last season, his first as a full-time starter, he was credited with 51 T’s, 12 PBU’s, and 3 INT’s. He has very good ball skills and should fit nicely into some of their sub-packages immediately, as well as Special Teams work. With his good ball skills, he could develop into a starter with Secondary Coach BRIAN STEWART working with him. Some of the League’s smaller wideouts will struggle against his size advantage. I had heard talk about him being a Top 100 prospect at times leading up to the Draft. I had doubts, with some of those doubts coming from a very lackluster week on his part at the Senior Bowl. This is a good value for Round 5.
Round 6, PICK 184
TRAVIS FULGHAM WR OLD DOMINION
6’2/211 4.53/40 PP#233
He was a highly productive smaller school walk-on. In 2018, he caught 63 balls for 1,083 yards, and 3 TD’s. He has a nice frame, which looks even longer than he is tall. No doubt that 33 3/4″ long arms can frustrate defenders and provides the team’s QB with a large target area. This is essential, since he lacks the speed to gain serious separation just running his patterns. He tracks the ball fairly well, and should make a solid red zone target as he refines his game. He has some potential, but he is unlikely to contribute much any time soon. He had his moments at the Senior Bowl, but did not do much to stand out. It kind of makes me wonder, with a fairly pedestrian WR group, why they waited until Round 6 to grab their one and only wideout.
Round 6, Pick 186
TY JOHNSON RB MARYLAND
5’11/210 4.32/40 PP#237
JOHNSON is a much better athlete than many realize. He had the misfortune to struggle through a calf injury for more than half the 2018 season. He had a very productive week at the Shrine venue in January, and then blew it up with Pro Day 40-numbers ranging from 4.26 to 4.32. His speed had a lot to do with his 7.6 ypc rushing for his career. TY also developed into a prolific Kick Returner during his college career. JOHNSON additionally showed good coverage skills on Special Teams. He also has reliable blocking skills and willingness. He is a very solid hands catcher, who can outrun most DB’s down the sideline. This guy has multiple skills to help his team, especially his speed, when fully healthy.
Round 7, Pick 224
ISAAC NAUTA TE GEORGIA
6’3/245 4.95/40 PP#232
After being demoted on the UGA depth chart after pretty much starting for two seasons, NAUTA saw the handwriting on the wall with the SMART coaching staff, and decided to declare for the 2019 Draft. He will likely be at the top of the LIONS depth chart when it comes to being a blocking TE, and perhaps at FB, if they do not keep BAWDEN as a full-time FB on their roster. He is not bad as a receiver, but will have to develop his catching skills to extend his playing time. Also, expect him to find several roles on Special Teams that suit him. Anything he gets as a pro will be due to hard work and concentration. OURLADS ranked him 23 out of 23 as an athlete in the TE group at the Combine. But he is fundamentally sound and a hard worker. My gut tells me he will be a valuable addition to the depth on this team.
Round 7, Pick 229
P.J. JOHNSON DT ARIZONA
6’3/321 5.35/40 PP#NR
He is a big body plugger that I did not expect to have a shot at being drafted. He will be quite the coaching challenge for BO DAVIS. I think he’ll be in Training Camp just to see if he can show enough potential to earn a year on their Practice Squad to work on his skills. I’d rather have seen them grab another WR, such as DAVID SILLS, JAMAL CUSTIS, or JAKOBI MEYERS, who all signed as URFA’s with other teams.
There is some talent in this group, and much of it is at positions of need on their roster. However, I just can’t get past some of their selections on Draft Friday. Many of these draftees should fit into slots where help is needed, but the only guy that I see representing immediate big help in an area of need is HOCKENSON. I am also puzzled that the head honchos waited until Round 6 to draft a WR, who will likely need time to earn playing time in the NFL, and their only VFA receiver addition was 33-year old DANNY AMENDOLA, who looked out of gas last season in MIAMI. Unless several of these players get seriously coached up and develop quickly this season, QUINN/PATRICIA could be on their way out of DETROIT. I would rank this as one of the weakest overall draft efforts in the League this year.
Pigskin
