The Detroit Lions have been a hot topic throughout the world of sports media this week after Bob Quinn’s somewhat controversial comments at the NFL scouting combine. There is an update on Eric Ebron’s future and Detroit continues to be interested in drafting offensive linemen, as we look at the week that was in Lions news.
Bob Quinn Makes Headlines: Quinn spoke out against the NFL’s policy of prohibiting certain prospects with questionable backgrounds from attending the scouting combine. Quinn specifically referenced Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon’s absence being unfair to both the teams, and to Mixon himself. This has drawn mixed responses from the local and national media.
Some have agreed with Quinn’s assessment, while others were highly critical. Most noticeably, ESPN’s Mike Golic yesterday, when he called out Quinn and accused him of only pretending to care about the player’s interest. It’s fair to criticize Quinn here, although, the NFL cannot pretend to take some moral high ground when these players are still draft eligible.
Eric Ebron Update: MLive’s Kyle Meinke reported this afternoon that the Lions are open to extending Eric Ebron in the coming months. Bob Quinn had been fairly quiet regarding the third-year tight end, however, it now sounds like Detroit may have a long-term interest in Ebron. He is under contract for next year but has an $8 million option for 2018.
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While he certainly hasn’t been as successful as other 1st-round picks from 2014 — including Aaron Donald, Zach Martin, and Odell Beckham Jr. — Ebron was top-ten in receiving yards by a tight end in 2016, with 711 yards. He will have to improve on drops, an area where he was criticized coming out of North Carolina. His eight dropped passes led all tight ends. The Lions also re-signed Don Muhlbach to a 1-year-deal.
More Offensive Linemen?: The Lions made it a priority to upgrade their offensive line through the draft in 2016. They may not be done quite yet, as Justin Rogers reports that Detroit could be tempted to select another offensive tackle in the first-round. In what is considered a somewhat weak draft class for offensive tackles, there is no clear front-runner, as Rogers explains.
Without a consensus top-10 pick at the position, one of the top prospects could fall into Detroit’s lap, including recent SideLion Report prospect profile, Cam Robinson of Alabama. With uncertainty surrounding both Riley Reiff and Larry Warford, this theory makes a good deal of sense.
Around SideLion Report: Here at SLR, we are asking plenty of questions, including what happened to Marvin Jones? The combine has arrived, and we’ve started looking at possible Lions Draft prospects. We break down Michigan State’s Malik McDowell, and Derek Barnett out of Tennessee. Will Detroit keep their own free agents? And can DeAndre Levy get back to his old self? Stay tuned to SideLion Report for more Lions news!
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