Detroit Lions: Tua Tagovailoa presents interesting draft scenarios
By Robert Jones
The Detroit Lions have the third pick in this April’s draft and with Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa declaring himself eligible, things could get exciting.
Since the Detroit Lions did not come close to qualifying for the NFL playoffs, they are at work right now charting out their offseason strategy. A strategy they hope will put them right in the middle of the playoff hunt next season.
When we evaluate the 2019 season for the Detroit Lions it’s easy to see all the negatives, but there were a few positives as well. Not nearly as many as the negatives, but a few.
Matthew Stafford was outstanding and ran Darrell Bevell’s offense at a near MVP level. There was no one player that was more valuable to the Lions this season which was certainly highlighted by their collapse after Matthew was relegated to the sidelines with his back injury.
Despite Kerryon Johnson‘s injury which left Lions fans wondering if he will ever stay healthy, it did allow them to find Bo Scarbrough who performed admirably when given the opportunity. He may not be the next Derrick Henry, but he was solid and gave the Lions steady production.
When Kerryon returned for the last two games, it was easy to see how well they could complement each other next year, provided that Kerryon can stay in the lineup. The ‘other’ Johnson, Ty, was mostly unimpressive throughout the season, but in the last couple of games, he showed some very positive flashes.
It will be interesting to see if Ty can continue to increase his production next season. One way or another, if the Lions do add another back in free agency or the draft, this could be a strength for them.
The secondary was hurt from the trade of Quandre Diggs and the lack of a pass rush. However, two rookies, linebacker Jahlani Tavai and cornerback Amani Oruwariye, both showed promise and could become valuable pieces of the Lions defense.
Beyond that, well, the negatives are pretty much all that’s left. The defense overall was horrible, when Matthew Stafford went down to injury the passing game went into neutral and, well, they didn’t win another game for the rest of the season.
However, that awful season may just pay off in the draft. With former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa declaring himself eligible, it has created an opportunity for the Lions to make a big splash.