Detroit Lions Draft: 10 Potential Lions from Senior Bowl

The Senior Bowl in Mobile annually attracts most of the top seniors in the nation to showcase their skills for NFL scouts and media. I spent the past week as part of that media, my ninth straight year covering the event.

The Lions had a presence in Mobile, as I saw every scout and most of the coaching staff at various points. They got to interview and see several prospects who fit the bill as players who could Defend the Den.

Here are ten players I watched who the Lions should consider drafting, in alphabetical order:

Vernon Butler, DT, Louisiana Tech – Almost universally cited as one of the week’s big winners, Butler moves unusually well for a 320-pound inside player.

He did it in the actual Senior Bowl game too…

The Nick Fairley–when Fairley was in shape and trying–comparisons come quite easily. With so much uncertainty on the defensive interior, Butler just might have earned his way up high enough for serious consideration at the No. 16 overall pick.

Maurice Canady, CB, Virginia – The Lions don’t really need a cornerback, not with Darius Slay about to be re-signed and the promising performances by Nevin Lawson and Quandre Diggs, plus Alex Carter coming off an injury redshirt rookie year. But you can never have too much depth or versatility at the position.

That versatility is where Canady shines. He’s a long corner at 6’1” but did most of his best work for the Cavaliers in the slot. In Mobile, he thrived in the red zone drills. He bears some physical and stylistic similarities with Eric Rowe from a year ago, a player who had a rocky start in Philly before it started to click late in the year. Darius Slay was the same way. I think that’s going to be Canady in the NFL too, and that pick in the middle of the second round might be a smart investment at a position where the Lions already have enviable depth and talent (seriously).

Jake Coker, QB, Alabama – Stop laughing. Look, I get it; much of his senior season was not pretty, notably the games against Middle Tennessee and Ole Miss. But look at how he finished his one year as a starter, blistering Michigan State and lighting up Clemson to win the national title.

Coker continued the improvement in his hometown of Mobile. He was the most consistent thrower on the South roster all week. With his size, arm strength and solid athleticism, he can make things happen when the protection breaks down. There is enough developmental upside that Coker would make a solid option in the fifth or sixth round for Detroit.

Jay Lee, WR, Baylor – Often overshadowed by more flashy teammate Corey Coleman, Jay Lee proved all week that Baylor had more than one legit NFL wideout on the roster last fall.

Lee offers length at 6’3” and plus-rated speed down the field. That was obvious in watching any Bears games. What he proved in Mobile was he can catch the ball quite naturally and is strong at the catch point. He also earned praise for his blocking in both team drills and the game itself.

Lee is likely a fourth or fifth-round talent, though if he runs a 4.38 at the Combine it will take a pick at least a round earlier to secure his services. Lee can fill the role that Corey Fuller just hasn’t seized as the outside deep threat.

Carl Nassib, DE, Penn State – The Lions already have outstanding length at defensive end with Ziggy Ansah and Devin Taylor. What they don’t have is anyone behind those two, as every other DE is an impending free agent.

At just under 6’7”, 273 pounds and with a nearly 83” wingspan, Nassib has the length to do the same things as the starters. Despite being so tall, during practices he demonstrated the ability to get leverage and sink his weight well.

Because he had just one real year of production for Penn State, scouts are still hesitant to fall in love. His strong week helped, but I still think the Lions could snag Nassib with their third-round compensatory pick, which will be announced at the Combine in late February.

Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State – Searching for the backup quarterback with developmental upside leads to the Senior Bowl offensive MVP, Dak Prescott.

An intriguing senior season where he developed as a pocket passer instead of being more of a run-option, dual-threat role made famous by Tim Tebow in the same Dan Mullen/Urban Meyer offense. He still has the wheels, but the steps he made as a thrower and field general merit a longer NFL look.

He’s not near ready to take over a team, and that’s fine for Detroit; Stafford will be the starter for at least the next two years, hopefully a lot longer. Prescott can sit and learn as a developmental project, a worthwhile investment in the fifth or sixth round. Just ask former NFL defensive tackle Booger McFarland…

Reggie Ragland, ILB, Alabama – We learned this week that Ragland is not a great fit as an outside backer and that he needs to drop a few pounds, too. We also learned he’s a leader amongst peers, a menace to tight ends and RBs coming across the middle, and self-aware enough to know what he needs to do better.

Lance Zierlein of the NFL Network quoted a former scouting director on Ragland’s old-school game,

"“He’s a throwback linebacker, but he’s going to get drafted in the first (round) because he has rush ability, too.”"

The Patriots love the intelligent, thick inside backers in their system. Detroit has a crying need at inside backer with Stephen Tulloch a likely ex-Lion and Tahir Whitehead a better fit at SAM. Put those hands together, Bob Quinn…

Sheldon Rankins, DT, Louisville – See everything I wrote above about Vernon Butler and how he fits the Lions? Insert Rankins, except he’s a little divergent skill-wise.

Rankins has more immediate burst off the line and more speed to close to the ball when it’s not right in front of him. He also has a better sense of what to do when he’s initially stymied by the blocking as a pass rusher. The anchor strength isn’t as great; I think Rankins can only play at the 3-tech spot. That’s just fine for Detroit at No. 16.

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With the First Pick

Nick Vannett, TE, Ohio State – Detroit is set at the flex TE spot with Eric Ebron, but there is a crying need for an in-line, No. 2 tight end who can both block but also reliably catch the shorter routes. In other words, a younger, cheaper, more consistent and reliable Brandon Pettigrew.

Vannett flashed the sticky hands all week in Mobile, including one leaping grab where he broke free of a hold and still caught the poorly-timed throw. It’s that sort of ability to catch a bad throw which makes him appealing. His run blocking was above-average at Ohio State and his fundamentals are strong.

He’s another candidate for the compensatory pick at the end of the third round or perhaps even the fourth round pick. There looks to be a giant cluster of this sort of tight end in the third through fifth rounds, and I like Vannett the most of all of them.

Christian Westerman, OG, Arizona State – The Lions aren’t really in the market for a guard, not with a 2015 first-rounder and a 2013 third-rounder already on the roster to varying degrees of success.

Still, quality depth and insurance against Larry Warford getting hurt again/leaving in free agency and Laken Tomlinson just not being very good would be nice. That’s where the technically sound, scrappy Westerman would come in. He’s got outstanding blocking fundamentals, from his balance to his hand placement to his weight exchange and off-arm usage. For a fourth or fifth-round pick, the Lions would pick up a ready-made, high floor player with better athleticism and upside than most anyone expected.

And because some will ask, here are three to absolutely avoid:

• Jacoby Brissett, QB, North Carolina State. Everything he does except running is too slow for the NFL.
• Shawn Oakman, DE, Baylor. I don’t care that he got a sack in the game.
• John Theus, OT, Georgia. #Dadbod who just doesn’t have the athletic prowess for the next level.