Five reasons DE Marcus Davenport makes sense for Lions in NFL draft

Has similarities to Ziggy Ansah

Marcus Davenport makes sense for the Lions to draft with the 20th overall pick on April 26, the first night of the three-day NFL draft event.

The defensive end, who played at the University of Texas at San Antonio, is routinely described as “raw.” He’s 6-5 and 259 pounds — or as the scouts say — long, strong and physical at the point of attack.

In Gil Brandt’s top 150 draft prospects that was posted on NFL.com today, Davenport is ranked 12th with this comment: “Davenport will get better every year and has a chance to become a good pass rusher in the NFL. He’s very athletic and has good character and excellent work habits.”

Detroit’s defensive line is one area that needs help in the draft and, if there’s a good option, it would not be surprising to see GM Bob Quinn select a defensive lineman in the first round. Davenport could be the guy.

Here are five reasons why:

1. If anybody knows Davenport well it’s his defensive line coach from UTSA last season. That would be Bo Davis. Coincidentally, Davis is the new Lions’ defensive line coach under head coach Matt Patricia. Hmmm. So if the Lions like Davenport — and most scouts do — it seems this would be a perfect match if he is still available.

2. Davenport is known as an excellent run defender. That was an area of concern last season for the Lions who were 15th in the NFL last season, allowing 112.5 rushing yards per game.

3. He wouldn’t be the first “raw” defensive end the Lions have drafted in the first round. Indeed, Ziggy Ansah probably had more work to do just to learn the game he had only played for three years. And we know, that worked out just fine. Last season he had 55 tackles with 17.5 tackles for a loss, 8.5 sacks, four passes batted and three forced fumbles.

4. Mock drafts vary widely when it comes to the Lions’ 20th pick. Two of the three NFL.com mock drafts have Davenport going to the Lions.

5. From Charlie Campbell at WalterFootball.com: “Edge defenders with length are always in demand, so even though Davenport needs development, he could be a mid- to late first-rounder. Scouts from over a handful of teams have told me that Davenport is a good player and impressed them in 2017, but they thought a top-16 pick is too high for him. They think the back half of the first round is possible.” If true, this means he could be available when the Lions pick at No. 20.

#Lions Bob Quinn said no desperation mode when it comes to the draft

In fine-tuning mode for draft prep

With the NFL draft about three weeks away, Lions general manager Bob Quinn said the team is in the fine-tuning stage at this point.
Quinn, new coach Matt Patricia and team president Rod Wood answered questions at a season tickets holders summit on Monday night at Ford Field attended by 3,811 fans.
The NFL draft is set for April 26, 27 and 28. The Lions have six picks starting with the 20th overall pick in the first round.
“Most of the heavy lifting has been done,’’ Quinn said.
Due to their free agency signings, Quinn said they will not be in desperation mode during the draft.
“I think as free agency wore on, we kind of got out of the gate, signed a few players, took a step back, re-evaluated the market and kind of added some guys in the last week or 10 days,’’ Quinn said. “So I’d say best player available is what we’re looking at. I don’t think we have to reach for anybody or are dying to have one position or another.
“Do we have wants or needs? Absolutely. I don’ think it’s a desperation situation that we’re going to have to move up in the draft to get a certain guy or certain player. That opens up the draft board for you,’’ said Quinn who will be running his third Lions draft.
The GM said they have brought in eight of the 30 allowed draft prospects to the facility.
Quinn
Patricia is still in an excited-to-be-here mode. It was clear from his answers.
“The draft is a great night for football, a great night for our organization,’’ Patricia said.
He was questioned about specifics in the defense and offense, but mostly gave generalized answers.
“I’m just trying to win every day right now,’’ Patricia said.
Other highlights:

— Wood said he doesn’t know the exact date that the 2018 NFL schedule will be released but expects it to happen in the next few weeks.

— One of the first questions from the fans was if the concession prices will be cut. Wood said it is definitely something they are evaluating. It has been done at the new Atlanta Falcons stadium and Ford Field shares the same concession company. “More to come on that,’’ Wood said.

— The team president also said the Lions were the No. 1 team in the NFL in increased attendance last year.

— Half-time entertainment is just one area they are looking to improve in terms of the fan experience on game day.

Five things to know about newest Lions RB LeGarrette Blount

Familiarity with Matt Patricia was one reason he signed

A year ago running back LeGarrette Blount signed a one-year free agent deal with Philadelphia, then he helped lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl win.

In 2016, Blount agreed to a one-year deal with New England and ended the season with a Super Bowl title for the Patriots.

Coincidence?

Blount agreed to a one-year $2 million deal (with $2.5 million in incentives) with the Lions. What’s next?

“I don’t believe it’s luck. I just believe it’s hard work,’’ Blount said during a Monday conference call. “You’ve got to grind for everything you get in this league — scratch, claw for everything you get. There’s no luck involved. All 32 teams are going out there with one common goal.

“Everybody works their tails to get to that last game — you fight, you scratch, you claw, you bleed with your brothers. It’s the mentality that you refuse to be denied and that’s just something that I want to bring to Detroit. You just got to have to refuse to be denied what you think you’ve earned throughout the whole process.”

Five things to know about Blount:

1. His familiarity with new Lions coach Matt Patricia, the former New England Patriots’ defensive coordinator, helped get him to Detroit.  “My relationship with Matt has always been a great one. Even though he was on the defensive side of the ball, anytime I ever saw him in any part of the building, whether it was just walking by in the hall or in the cafeteria or practice or whatever the circumstance may be, anytime he walked past or anytime we were around each other, it was always laughs and jokes,’’ Blount said. “Obviously, we get serious when it’s time to do the job, but for the most part we laughed and joked and clowned around and we enjoyed each other, and it got to a point where we had gotten really close.’’

Of course he also knows general manager Bob Quinn, chief of staff Kevin Anderson and strength and conditioning coach Harold Nash who were with the Patriots during Blount’s two stints there — 2013 and then 2014-16.

2. Blount finished last season averaging 4.4 yards per carry, his highest average since 2013 when he was good for 5.0 yards per carry. In the Eagles’ Super Bowl win over the Patriots, he had 14 carries for 90 yards and a touchdown. The Lions owned the NFL’s worst rushing offense in 2017 averaging 3.4 yards per carry. Third-and-1s were a nightmare which is one area the 245-pound Blount should be able to help.

3. He uses word “grittiness” to describe new running back teammates Theo Riddick and Ameer Abdullah. “I like how hard they play. You can tell they play with a lot of passion,’’ Blount said. “”My job is to help add value and our goal is to just do our jobs together and get all the wins we can get.”

4. Blount is blunt about his status. “They are going to get a good veteran running back that has a lot of years and a lot of miles left on him that’s going to play as hard as he possibly can for the organization and for Matty P.,” the 31-year-old Blount said.

5. This is the third one-year deal he’s signed in three years and he’s good with that. “That’s not the part of the business I handle. That’s the part of the business my agent, the head coach and whoever else handles that part,’’ Blount said. “Me, personally, I just want to make a decision where I can put myself in the right situation to be successful and help another team be successful. That’s what my ultimate goal is, to make sure I’m in the right situation, that I’m what the team needs.’’