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Outstanding Character Makes Laken Tomlinson Perfect Fit For Detroit Lions

By Max DeMara

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Every year, one of the riskiest and toughest questions in sports is raised at some point during the NFL Draft in every team’s war room.

How big of an importance is character in the grand scheme? Should a team ignore personality concerns and obvious red flags to draft someone who they perceive is a good football player overall?

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Sometimes it works, but other times, it can blow up in the face of a franchise.

For every one good story in the NFL, there are a handful of bad ones. Unfortunately, those stories are the ones that have been gaining the most traction lately, helping to overshadow the legions of good, hard working people that do occupy teams in the league.

Thursday night, though, Laken Tomlinson, the Detroit Lions’ first round pick, saved us from another story about a character and introduced us to some true character. In a perfect juxtaposition, the Lions traded down with the Denver Broncos, who gave up two fifth round picks and lineman Manny Ramirez to deal up to select the risky Shane Ray.

Five picks later, Detroit ended up with Tomlinson, a soft-spoken, hard working road grading guard from Duke. Many wondered if the Lions had reached for Tomlinson, given he was casually thought to be more of a second round pick during the process.

Then, Tomlinson hugged his mother Audrey Wilson, and took the microphone in his home city of Chicago, explaining what the entire process meant to him. After football, Tomlinson revealed he wants to be a neurosurgeon because he wants to save lives in his native Jamaica. He revealed he graduated with two degrees. He shared a love of his grandparents. He was humble, intelligent, well-spoken and confident.

In an instant, it was clear that the Lions didn’t reach for Tomlinson. They could have stayed at pick 23 and drafted him and it would have been worth it. They could have traded up a few spots to nab him if they were concerned he might get scooped up, whatever it took. The young man is that impressive to behold. It’s clear he will be a cornerstone of Detroit’s offensive line for years to come.

More than that, he will likely evolve into a confident team leader as a veteran, and the type of player other youngsters can count on through the years. That’s the mortar Jim Caldwell is using to build his foundation.

Not only is Tomlinson excellent off the field and in the locker room, but he is dominant on the field, as well. For the last two years, he hasn’t allowed a sack of his quarterback, and is one of the best pass blockers of the entire draft. He also gets nasty in the running game, and should be a perfect bookend with Larry Warford, a player he models his game after.

Not only is Tomlinson excellent off the field and in the locker room, but he is dominant on the field, as well. For the last two years, he hasn’t allowed a sack of his quarterback, and is one of the best pass blockers of the entire draft.

Detroit will never have to worry about Tomlinson the worker and person off the field, which is much more than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Jameis Winston), Kansas City Chiefs (Marcus Peters) and Broncos (Ray) can say about their various first-round picks.

Reach? Tomlinson wasn’t a reach. In fact, he’s just the type of man that might eventually help save football, if only you’re able to remember him above all the other noise.

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