Detroit Lions 2019 draft: A guy with steal written all over him

Very unknown but underrated, the Detroit Lions have an opportunity to draft a solid defender in the later rounds. This guy has steal written all over him.

There’s a general consensus the Detroit Lions need improvement out of their defensive backfield. Outside of a high draft pick or big free agent, there’s other options. One player I’ve scouted and taken a liking to is Kareem Orr.

Good luck finding a lot of info on this guy. Not found on many ranking boards, this defensive back at one point was a more well-known commodity.

Orr spent 2017-2018 at Tennessee-Chattanooga, but it was at Arizona State, from 2015-2016, where he made his more noticeable mark. He transferred for personal reasons and to move closer to home.

In his freshman All-American season, he finished with a Sun Devils rookie record six interceptions playing free safety. The next year, he returned to his original position at cornerback, and was fifth in tackles with 53, and tied for second in interceptions (1) and passes defended (5).

Returning home, this time with the Mocs, Orr played deep safety, box safety, dime linebacker, nickel corner and outside corner. He recorded five interceptions, four coming this past season, during his career in Chattanooga. His versatility is truly astonishing.

Combining his picks from Arizona State, that’s 12 all together. That’s a ton of production. Based on the film, Orr has a lot of positives. He checks a lot of boxes.

Good size, not great for a cornerback/safety at 5-foot-11, 195 pounds. Length, speed and strength are solid too. So why is he so disregarded among his peers? It’s really nothing to do with Kareem. Lots of players fall through the cracks, almost unnoticed or underappreciated.

Based on the film I’ve watched, my biggest concern is hand usage. I don’t see him fighting off blocks as effectively as he should. On blitzes, he doesn’t get home and the lack of combative trench warfare skills shows there. Although Orr’s a strong tackler, his talents are better suited in space making plays on the ball. Besides that, the holes in his game are few and far between.

Honestly, the Detroit Lions don’t have enough draft capital to address all of their needs early. Sometime finding diamonds in the rough are necessary. Kareem Orr is one of those guys to watch out for.

College stats: 172 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 12 interceptions (1 touchdown), 2 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, 20 passes defended