Tag: Arizona State

Fifth round: Lions draft CB Keith Abney II and WR Kendrick Law

ALLEN PARK — The Lions added depth at wide receiver and defensive back with a pair of fifth-round picks on Sautrday.

The Lions made their third straight defensive draft pick, selecting CB Keith Abney II in the fifth round (157th overall) on Saturday.

In 2025, Abney started 12 games at Arizona State and led the Sun Devils with 12 PBUs. He also notched 2 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, 44 tackles and a sack. In 2024 He started all 14 games and led the teams with 9 PBUs and 3 interceptions. 

He was projected by some to be a third-round pick but slid to fifth.

“The wait doesn’t even matter. I’m just glad to be a Lion. It means everything — a great program, great culture, cheat coaches, great people around. I’m blessed to be here,’’ Abney said on a Zoom call. “Feeling all the emotions, dropped a couple tears. It’s a dream come true and the Lions happen to be one of my favorite teams.’’

He said the Lions have been one of his favorites since 2021 or so mentioning Megatron, Calvin Johnson. 

Abney lists his football IQ as one of his strengths. “I pride myself on being a smart player, watch a lot of film and understand concepts and understand formations, pick up on tendencies. My feet and my toughness. That’s why I love this team – it’s a tough team I’m joining and I’ll fit right in,’’ Abney said.

Abney, 21, was a four-time national champion speed skater growing up. He gave it up in ninth grade but credits the roller sport for his endurance.

NFL analyst Lance Zierlein’s wrote about Abney: “Feisty boundary corner with the makeup to slide inside and become a problem for offenses as a pro nickelback.”

Then the Lions sent  fifth-and sixth-round picks to the Buffalo Bills to trade up 13 spots to 168 in the fifth round to draft to select WR Kendrick Law.

The 5-11 wide receiver played his first three seasons at Alabama before transferring to Kentucky for the 2025 season. He led the Wildcats with 53 receptions, 540 receiving yards (10.2 per), 3 receiving TDs. He played in 12 games with 8 starts (8-53-6.6 rushing; 9-174-19.3 KR; 3-8-2.7 PR). 

Zierlein’s report: “Alabama transfer with a compact build whose primary function at Kentucky was to add yards after the catch on quick throws near the line of scrimmage. Law ran a limited route tree, with most of his 2025 targets thrown behind the line. Tight hips dull downfield route breaks and he rarely runs routes at his true speed. He has strong hands to make contested grabs and breaks tackles on a regular basis with the ball in his hands. Law’s special-teams background at Alabama helps but might not be enough for him to stick on a roster.”

In the first four rounds the Lions drafted OT Blake Miller (17th overall), EDGE Derrick Moore (44th) and LB Jimmy Rolder (118th).

Lions draft cornerback Chase Lucas in the seventh round

Cornerback Chase Lucas was selected by the Detroit Lions with their seventh-round draft pick (234th overall) on Saturday.

Lucas, who was a team captain at Arizona State, received second-team all-conference honors in 2020 (15 tackles, five pass breakups in four starts) and then garnered honorable mention accolades in his final year (34 tackles, six pass breakups in 10 starts). 

“It’s been a rough couple months, but it was a rough three hours today. It was hard to be patient and trust the process. … I ended up getting that beautiful news that I’ve been waiting 25 years for. I’m very pumped up, very excited but I’m also ready to work,’’ Lucas said on a conference call.

The 25-year-old started at the college level for five years after playing running back in high school.

“ I feel my football IQ is a big reason why I was drafted. I feel like I do a lot of studying, a lot of film work. I feel like that’s going to translate to the nickel spot hopefully for the rest of my career,’’ Lucas saidl.

Lucas, who is 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, broke out in a big way his redshirt freshman season by earning second-team All-Pac-12 and Freshman All-American honors (59 tackles, two interceptions, eight pass breakups, 10 starts in 12 games played). Lucas started 12 of 13 games played in 2018 (62 tackles, six for loss, two sacks, three interceptions, five pass breakups) and then all 13 contests as a junior (50 tackles, four for loss, one interception, four pass breakups). 

His NFL.com draft profile reads: “Slender boundary corner with an enormous amount of football snaps in his background. Lucas plays in off coverages, which is likely for the best considering his lack of strength and long speed. He typically trusts his eyes and has the traits to make plays on the football. He plays with adequate footwork to pedal and match basic routes but struggles to stay connected to more complex routes, as his body control and change of direction let him down.’’