Over the weekend the Detroit Lions got better in many different spots. They spread out their picks in the 2015 NFL Draft between the offense and defense, mostly choosing to upgrade the lines and backfield.
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While Detroit wasted no time upgrading the guard spot in the first round, they took a bit longer to make an addition at offensive tackle. In draft-speak, they waited until the last minute, selecting South Carolina’s Corey Robinson in the seventh round.
And it was a great pick, one that could quietly evolve into one of Detroit’s best of the entire weekend. It’s not every day a team is able to find a quality 6-7, 324 pound mountain of a man in the seventh round, but in Corey Robinson, they did.
Coming into the draft process, many saw Robinson as a middle round pick, and that was especially the case after he posted a solid 28 repetitions of a 225 pound bench press during the NFL Combine. However critical questions have arisen about Robinson’s foot speed, technique and motivation which caused him to tumble down draft boards on Sunday afternoon.
But Robinson clearly has all the elements that a team and its position coaches can’t teach: size, strength and some impressive durability. At South Carolina, Robinson started 35 of 36 games at left tackle after winning the job in 2012. Proff that he has the consistency ingrained within him the Lions like and are building along their offensive line.
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Last season the Detroit Lions found a similar value with Cornelius Lucas, who made the team as an undrafted free agent and played a significant role down the stretch after injuries intervened.
Many of the same concerns Robinson is hearing were raised about Lucas. But Lucas was coachable and honed his game with hard work. As a result, he was able to make a major impact. Had the Lions not selected Robinson, he was set to be a highly sought-after undrafted free agent just as Lucas was the year before.
Last season, the Lions found a similar value with Corneilus Lucas, who made the team as an undrafted free agent and played a significant role down the stretch after injuries intervened.
Considering Robinson has the same type of attitude as Lucas, it’s not a stretch to think that he could be a tackle of the future in Detroit. In a draft headlined by bigger, more unique names, it’s worth watching Robinson to see what he can do.
The Lions seem to have caught up to the NFL blueprint of how to build an offensive line. Maintain a roster with versatile veterans, a few higher draft picks and enough big, physical, hungry youngsters to round things out.
Robinson continues in that trend, which means he’ll always fly under the radar until he’s on the field. Then it could become obvious that the Detroit Lions found another major value during the draft’s final day.