Tag: North Carolina

Lions add WR Antoine Green with final draft pick

ALLEN PARK — Wide receiver Antoine Green, who played at North Carolina, was drafted in the seventh round by the Lions on Saturday. He was the eighth and final pick for Detroit and the first wide receiver drafted by the Lions.

He’s a vertical specialist averaging 18.6 yards per catch. He’s explosive with a background in sprinting and long-jump/triple-jump. 

“My strengths as a player I’m good at stretching the field, I can read a defense pretty well, find the zone, do whatever I have to do to get open, I’ve got a big body and good hands and my playmaking ability is what’s special about me,’’ Green said in a Zoom interview.

He will join the Lions’ wide receiver group which includes Amon-Ra St. Brown, veteran Marvin Jones Jr., Jameson Williams and Kalif Raymond.

“Joining an established offense with Jared Goff and the rest of the guys, it’s definitely exciting for me because I want to contribute to that and put on a show what I can do and ultimately win games,’’ Green said.

For the Tar Heels he played as a true freshman but didn’t take over a full-time role until 2021. Last season he was a third-team All-ACC selection (43 catches for 798 yards and seven TDs).

He was limited to nine games with a collarbone injury.

His NFL.com pre-draft notes included: “Green’s size and deep-ball success make him a more intriguing Day 3 prospect than the overall production and skill set might suggest. Like most vertical specialists, he’s not going to shake man coverage on intermediate routes, but he has decent hands and consistently finds himself overtaking deep coverage with his build-up speed. He might find himself fighting for a spot on a practice squad or the back end of a roster.’’

Green played at Florida’s Rockledge High School.

2023 Lions draft

RB Jahmyr Gibbs, Alabama, first round (12th overall)

LB Jack Campbell, Iowa, first round (18th overall)

TE Sam LaPorta, Iowa, second round (34th overall)

DB Brian Branch, Alabama, second round (45th overall)

QB Hendon Hooker, Tennessee, third round (68th overall)

DL Brodric Martin, Western Kentucky, third round (96th overall)

OL Colby Sorsdal, William & Mary, fifth round (152nd overall)

WR Antoine Green, North Carolina, seventh round (219th overall)

Lions cornerbacks coach Dre Bly a good fit for Dan Campbell’s staff

Five things to know as team prepares for offseason work

ALLEN PARK — When coach Dan Campbell added Dre Bly to the Detroit Lions coaching staff as cornerbacks coach, it seemed like a good fit. Almost natural. 

Bly, who played corner for the Lions in 2003-06, has connections with the coaching staff including defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. Like Bly, several Lions coaches are former NFL players, including Campbell. 

Bly made the move from coaching cornerbacks at North Carolina where he found success and learned as a coach.

During a press conference on Wednesday, his excitement about getting going was noticeable. 

“We want these guys to learn from us but also have a chance to do what we weren’t able to do. That’s the whole point of us coaching, passing the torch,’’ Bly said.

Five things to know about Bly:

1. From his time in Detroit to now he said the fiery fans are the same, but the leadership is a lot different. “I’m actually a little jealous, just looking at how they finished last year, looking at all the excitement on the field, looking at how much fun they were having with Dan and the rest of the coaching staff,’’ Bly said. “They were on ‘Hard Knocks’, there was a lot of excitement … across the football world, there’s a lot of excitement. Me as a former player that’s something that you could wish to be a part of, I didn’t get a chance to experience some of that as a player. It’s pretty cool to be back on the other side and to see the drive that the guys have, the coaches, the camaraderie we have on top, the group of men that Dan has put together. It’s pretty cool to see.’’

2. Bly checked many (if not all) of the boxes that Campbell sought in a cornerbacks coach. “Me being who I am, I wasn’t the tallest player, I wasn’t the fastest, I was able to do some things in this league because I was instinctive, I was smart and I was very confident and competitive. That was one of the first things that Dan said he was looking for out of his corners coach was a guy who was very compeittive, a guy who had a certain amount of confidence about himself,’’ Bly said. “A lot of times we are creatures of habit. If your leaders are a certain way then the guys that are around him will move the same way. That’s why you were able to see the Lions last year play the way they played because Dan moves a certain way, AG (Glenn) moves a certain way. That’s the way I move, we have a lot in common. I think I bring something unique to the position, to the room, instant credibility. A guy who’s very passionate, a guy who’s very relatable. I like to interact with players. I’m still in shape, I can move, I can get out and teach technique. I would agree we’re a group of guys who have a lot to give to the game.’’

3. Bly’s connection with Glenn goes back to when he was assigned No. 31 at North Carolina. He sought out someone in the NFL with the same number who maybe he could look up to. “AG at the time might have been the only guy who resonated with me and that number. Our games were very similar. He was a guy who was dynamic as a player, he was explosive, he was a kick returner, he made plays,’’ Bly said. In 2017 he was able to shadow Glenn, who was with the Saints, for the entire preseason. Campbell was also on the Saints’ staff at the time.  Bly and Glenn stayed in touch. “He knew I had a passion to get to the NFL. The league is about teaching. The men who are here I have a lot in common with. College was great, I loved it, did a lot of great things in Chapel Hill, had a chance to mentor some players and learned a lot from Mack Brown,’’ Bly said. “To have a chance to teach ball for 24/7 is something that I love to do. I’m excited to be here …’’

4. Bly, a two-time Pro Bowl player, is excited about the three veteran free agent defensive backs that the Lions have added — Cameron Sutton, C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Emmanuel Moseley. “We’ve been able to bring in three guys that have been highly productive, they’re around the football,’’ Bly said. “That’s one of the things we were looking for, along with the rest of the guys that we have to add to the fold. We’re excited. Three veteran players, guys who have been successful in this league, cerebral players, smart, good leaders in the meeting room and off the field.’’

5. Bly is still in shape and said he’ll be able to teach technique on the field. As a player, he won a Super Bowl ring as a rookie with the St. Louis Rams. In fact, two of his first three seasons he played in the Super Bowl. Then the following eight seasons — including the four with the Lions — he didn’t even make it back to the playoffs. Now he’s on a new mission — getting back to the postseason as a coach.

(UPCOMING: Players report for offseason workouts on Monday, April 17. The NFL draft takes place April 27-29.)