Tag: Detroit Lions

Detroit Lions GM Bob Quinn follows draft board not the advice of fans, media

Quinn wants what the fans want

Bob Quinn doesn’t let fan expectations or sentiment drive his draft decisions.

That shouldn’t even be questioned. He has worked all his professional life to learn the draft process.

The Lions general manager just completed his fourth draft weekend in Detroit.

On Day 3 of the draft Saturday he added three players on defense and three on offense. He was all smiles taking the podium afterward.

“Good mix of skill guys and big guys – felt like good value. Kind of made that one trade with Atlanta, moved back a couple spots, thought that was good business to acquire that other pick for really just moving down six spots, I think. I thought it was a good day,’’ Quinn said.

And it wasn’t just a good day.

“Thought it was a really good weekend for us overall as a team, got the team better,’’ Quinn added.

T.J. Hockenson, his first-round pick, filled a need at tight end and seemed to go over well.

It was the second-round pick, linebacker Jahlani Tavai, who raised a few eyebrows.

Why? Because he was not deemed second-round worthy by many NFL draft analysts and fans. That led to hand-wringing and deep sighs from many fans and short-sighted media members who thought they knew better. Ask them, they’d give you a list of players they preferred with that pick.

Tavai wasn’t as well known, in part because he played at Hawaii.

Will he be a Pro Bowl player? Maybe. It’s too early to know. No guarantees on his future.

None of this matters to Quinn. He took Tavai because he followed the Lions’ draft board which was created over the past 12 months.

With all due respect to fans, media, Mel Kiper, Todd McShay and other NFL draft analysts, Quinn knows the Lions’ needs and wants better than any one.

His first three drafts yielded good results. A year ago he made six picks and the five that stayed healthy made significant contributions to the season. His top six selections in 2017 are starters or regular players and in 2016 he drafted Taylor Decker, A’Shawn Robinson and Graham Glasgow with his first three picks. All are starters.

Quinn has proven that he can draft. With each draft he gets closer to the roster that he desires.

Still his pick of Tavai was roundly criticized.

The GM, who learned his craft while with the Patriots, won’t lose sleep over the criticism.

‘If I worry about what other people think, I’ll be up all night. Trust me. I respect the question. I really do and I understand it. But if we go into this process being scared about what other people think about our team and our evaluations, then we’ve got a long way to go,’’ Quinn said.

“We’re convicted on the guys we take. Are we going to be right 100 percent of the time? No, no team is. But I think we do a tremendous amount of work. And this is a 12-month process for us and this is something that is the lifeline of this organization in terms of players. So, I feel very confident about the evaluations and the guys we took this weekend, and also some of the rookie free agents we’re working on now,’’ he added.

Quinn wants exactly what the fans want — a team that can win in the playoffs.

Is that so hard to understand?

Let’s watch Tavai and the other picks on game days. That’s the only way to judge the draft.

UPDATED: Detroit Lions draft WR Travis Fulgham, RB Ty Johnson in 6th round

Lions turn to offense after 4 defensive picks

ALLEN PARK — The Lions drafted wide receiver Travis Fulgham (Old Dominion) with the 184th pick in the sixth round, then took a breath and selected running back Ty Johnson (Maryland) with the 186th pick.

Fulgham, who is 6-2 and 215 pounds, walked on to Old Dominion with only two years’ playing experience in high school and worked his way into a scholarship quickly. Fulgham contributed as a redshirt freshman (6-89-8.9) and then started all 13 games in 2016 (29-478-16.5, eight TD). His game took a step back in 2017 (30-394-13.1, one TD) with only seven starts in 12 appearances.

Fulgham formed a strong duo with Jonathan Duhart in 2018, joining his teammate on the second-team All-Conference USA squad and leading the conference with 1,083 receiving yards (63 receptions, 17.2 average) and scoring nine times in 12 games (eight starts) for the Monarchs.

Growing up his favorite wide receiver was Randy Moss.

“But over the past few years, Larry Fitzgerald, ‘Megatron’ (Calvin Johnson Jr.) of course, Detroit Lion, you know. I definitely watched a lot of his film throughout my career and I’ve tried to pick out little things from numerous amounts of receivers,’’ the wide receiver said.

“Fulgham is a big, competitive target with above-average ball skills, but a lack of separation traits could limit his ability to uncover against NFL press corner,’’ per NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein.

Johnson, who is 5-foot-10 and 208 pounds, had success returning kickoffs for touchdowns both at Michigan Stadium and at Ohio State. He became just the fourth Terrapin to surpass 4,000 all-purpose yards last October.

He’s not sure what his role will be with the Lions.

“It could be anything. I just want to come in and if it’s at kick return, that’s fine. If it’s at running back, it’s fine. I just want to come in and be one of the biggest contributors on the team and just play and win,’’ Johnson said in a conference call.

He’s already familiar with Ford Field where he played with the Terrapins in the 2016 Quick Lane Bowl. He scored on runs of 62 and 30 yards.

“It was a great experience. I’m just really excited to be a part of that and be a part of that field as a Lion. Just keep the games going, keep that performances going. I’m just ready to get there and learn and do what I can,’’ Johnson said.

He is one of four players in Maryland history to record at least 10 100-yard rushing games. He rushed for 1,004 yards as a sophomore in 2016 setting the Maryland record for yards per carry (minimum 100 attempts) at 9.1.

As a senior started in nine games, missing the final two due to a calf injury.

In earlier rounds the Lions drafted tight end T.J. Hockenson in the first round (eighth overall), linebacker Jahlani Tavai in the second (43rd overall), safety Will Harris in the third round (81st overall), defensive end Austin Bryant in the fourth round (117th overall) and cornerback Amani Oruwariye in the firth round (146th overall).

Detroit Lions draft Amani Oruwariye in the fifth round

Penn State cornerback earned first team all-Big Ten honors

ALLEN PARK — The LIons drafted their fourth straight defensive player when they selected cornerback Amani Oruwariye (Penn State) in the fifth round (146th overall).

He’s a bigger, taller corner at 6-foot-1 and 203 pounds.

“(My size) allows me to use my body to my ability, really dominate at the line of scrimmage and go up with receivers and make plays on the ball,’’ Oruwariye said on a conference call.

Oruwariye was a starter in 2018, earning first-team all-Big Ten nod by leading the Nittany Lions with 12 pass breakups and tying for the team lead with three interceptions, to go along with 51 tackles (two for loss) in 13 starts.

He ranked No. 5 in the Big 10 and No. 30 in the nation with 1.2 passes defended per game. He was No. 8 in the Big Te in the FBS with three interceptions.

He’s familiar with Lions Pro-Bowl corner Darius Slay. Says he’s watched a good amount of film of him. “Darius Slay plays the deep ball really well, it’s just great technique,’’ Oruwariye said.

Oruwariye, who attended Tampa’s Gaither High School, began to show his potential as a lockdown corner his junior season in 2017, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors despite not starting in 11 games played. He intercepted four passes and broke up eight others as a reserve, making 28 tackles.

He was a reserve as a freshman (five tackles, one PBU in 13 games) and sophomore, as well, though his playing time was more significant in 2016 (23 tackles, one INT, one PBU).

Oruwariye is pronounced OH-rue-war-ee-AY.

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote: “He can be an effective press-man defender, but must win at the line of scrimmage or he could become an early target for quarterbacks as he lacks makeup speed once he’s beaten. Oruwariye is a proven disruptor at the catch point and is willing to step up and take on run support duties. When all factors are considered, he’ll be considered a scheme fit for zone-heavy teams who covet physicality in press.”

Other defensive players drafted by the Lions include linebacker Jahlani Tavai (second round), safety Will Harris (third round) and defensive end Austin Bryant (fourth round).

The Lions opened the draft by selecting tight end T.J. Hockenson in the first round (eighth overall).