Detroit Lions: Jahlani Tavai makes jaw-dropping interception (video)

Many questioned the Detroit Lions choice to draft Jahlani Tavai in the second round. But the rookie linebacker is making big plays early in training camp.

The Detroit Lions sent shock waves throughout the NFL when they opted to use their first-round selection, the eighth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, on a tight end. It’s the third time in the past decade that the Lions opted to take a first-round flier on a tight end. The first two had underwhelming results. Iowa’s T.J. Hockenson hopes to break the mold.

But the Lions’ second-round selection likely garnered even more confusion. Detroit chose Hawaii linebacker Jahlani Tavai as the 43rd overall pick on Day Two. NFL.com draft expert Lance Zierlein projected Tavai to be a Day Three selection with a fourth-to-fifth round grade. The guys over at The Draft Network agreed.

But the selection of Tavai in Detroit was more about scheme fit than overall talent. Lions’ head coach Matt Patricia brought his two-time Super Bowl-winning defensive scheme from his time as defensive coordinator of the New England Patriots to the Motor City last year. And he seems to prefer linebackers with massive frames within his scheme.

During his final season in New England, Patricia’s linebacker corps included former Lion Kyle Van Noy (6-3, 250), Marquis Flowers (6-2, 245), and David Harris (6-2, 250). Measuring 6-foot-2, and weighing 250-pounds, Tavai is the prototypical linebacker for the defensive scheme in Detroit.

But more than that, both Lions’ general manager Bob Quinn and Patricia believe Tavai is a rare hybrid-player. A linebacker with a large frame who has the strength to handle blocks and the length to get to the outside. Quinn told ESPN that it’s having off-ball skills is what turns rare linebackers like Tavai into hybrids.

And it’s that exact ability that showed up at training camp on Tuesday, with Tavai batting a ball in the air thrown by quarterback Matt Patricia and coming down with the interception. You can watch that jaw-dropping play by clicking here or watching the below tweet from the Lions’ official Twitter account.

It’s just a week into Detroit Lions’ training camp, so it’s anyone’s guess what kind of impact Jahlani Tavai will have in his rookie season. And it will likely be years before we know if the Lions made the right choice or not in the second round. But Tavai is showing signs early. And that’s good news for fans of the Pride.