Lions Day 3/Final Draft Thoughts

If Logan Stenberg keeps penalties to a minimum, he's a great addition to the offense [Sean Rayford/AP]

I was in a really strange state of mind yesterday so I never got to writing this up. On days one and two of the draft, the Lions picked up their star cornerback of the future in Jeff Okudah, a shiny new weapon for the run game in D'Andre Swift, an extremely talented edge rusher and one of the biggest steals of the draft in Julian Okwara, and a competitor for one of the interior offensive line spots in Jonah Jackson.

The team ended up having a pretty productive third day of the draft as well. Let's get into it.

I said that I wouldn't be upset with the Lions doubling up at one of their positions of need on the third day of the draft, and the Lions did that right away in the fourth round. Well, not quite right away because they traded down to pick up another fifth round pick before taking Kentucky OG Logan Stenberg. Stenberg is a nasty lineman that opposing defenses hated playing across from. Like Jackson, he gave up very few pressures in college. His meanness does have some negatives as he racked up penalties in college. If the Lions can develop him to keep his aggressive approach while nipping the penalty issue in the bud, he could be in the running for one of those starting guard spots. Even if he just ends up as depth/rotational for the time being, I really like the pick and trade down. B+.

I've banged the drum about the Lions needing a depth receiver because the Lions don't have any receivers on the roster for next year. Assuming Kenny Golladay gets a nice contract extension this summer, the position group still needs bodies for next year. They didn't need somebody who needs to develop into a top tier receiver, but I wanted somebody who can develop with the team, build rapport with Stafford and become a WR2/WR3 type in 2021. That's where Wisconsin WR Quintez Cephus comes into play. I wasn't the biggest Cephus fan going into this draft. He's pretty slow (he ran an abysmal 40 at the Combine, but improved his time to simply "bad" on his pro day) and relatively unathletic. If they Lions were to go for a more unathletic receiver, I liked Ohio State's K.J. Hill and SMU's James Proche. But Cephus did put up solid numbers at Wisconsin despite Jonathan Taylor being the focus of the offense and the quarterback play being... let's go with "uneven." He's not fast or agile, but he is explosive. He won a lot of jump balls and can beat defenders off the line. Time will tell if he will be able to keep up at NFL speed, but there's promise of him at least being a good blocking receiver. Plus, Matthew Stafford throwing to guys who are good at grabbing jump balls is a nice pairing. Not my favorite, but not dreadful. C.

The Lions surprisingly used their extra fifth-round pick on New Mexico State RB Jason Huntley. It's very clear that the Lions plan to drastically change their running approach with two new running backs and the added linemen. Huntley is small, but he's extremely fast. He has a lot of value as a receiving back and returner on special teams. He's immediately putting Ty Johnson on notice as the Lions' speed back option. Jamal Agnew might also need to watch his back, since returning is his main value to the team and the cornerback room is getting crowded. The Huntley pick took me aback for a second, but I liked it the more I thought about it. B.

A lot of people, myself included, had Utah defensive linemen Bradlee Anae and Leki Fotu as potential fits for the Lions. Detroit ended up passing on both, but they did go with a more underlooked prospect from that line in the sixth round with Utah DT John Penisini. He's a big lane-clogging tackle that's a killer against the run, but not so much as a pass-rusher. He'll have the opportunity to learn under a great nose tackle like Danny Shelton, and compete for rotational snaps with John Atkins. He's the kind of tackle Detroit's staff likes a lot, and depth/rotational snaps are exactly what you want from a sixth-rounder. A-.

The final pick of the draft went to a more developmental player in Ohio State DL Jashon Cornell. The third Buckeye picked by Detroit probably doesn't have a role in 2021, but he has the ability to play both inside and outside and plenty of athleticism. He was overshadowed on a great Ohio State defense, but he was still an All-Big Ten honorable mention and was very valuable for the Buckeyes. I still think he's probably due for a bit of a redshirt year on the practice squad for the time being. That's alright for a seventh-rounder. B-.

UDFAs: Most UDFAs won't make the team, but there are a few pickups worth looking out for. The Lions notably didn't draft a punter, so they're still looking for their guy. They picked up Auburn P Arryn Siposs as a camp leg with potential to make the team. He's an Australian punter, so he's got good control. I don't know if there's any favorite right now between him and Jack Fox, but it'll be an interesting battle. The Lions could still go for a punter that isn't currently on the roster as well.

Washington TE Hunter Bryant is the other player most likely to make the team. He was notably Pro Football Focus' top tight end prospect in this draft, but the fact that he still went undrafted probably should tell you about how good this tight end class was. Still, Bryant was a reliable receiver in college, and the team needs tight end depth. He should be in competition with Isaac Nauta for the TE3/HB role. South Dakota State FB Luke Sellers could also compete for a more traditional fullback role, but he's probably on the outside looking in right now.

The Lions grabbed a few defensive backs with Norfolk State S Bobby Price, Notre Dame S Jalen Elliott and Auburn S Jeremiah Dinson. They're probably competing for practice squad spots as well considering the Lions already have their best depth at safety and a lot of experienced special teamers at those positions. They'll have to really prove they can outshine the competition if they even want a special teams role.

Then there's Iowa State LS Steven Wirtel, who is certainly a longsnapper. Don Muhlbach is still on the roster, but he's not getting any younger. I'd say Trusty Ol' Muhlbach

Overall, the I thought the Lions had a very good, bordering on great draft. I still don't love the D'Andre Swift pick, but Detroit was still able to pick up players at positions of need later on the draft with some very high-value picks, so it largely off-sets. Plus, Swift will still be fun to watch. If my only other real complaint with the draft is that they didn't pick the guy I wanted for the WR4 spot, it's a pretty good draft. I'm very happy with this. It seems like it's easily Bob Quinn's best draft. I can't wait to find out how I'm wrong about that.