Deeper look: 3 Senior Bowl prospects to help the Detroit Lions defense

Detroit Lions secondary

Darnay Holmes, CB, UCLA, 5-10, 192, 4.54

Lastly, the Detroit Lions could still use help in the back end. With losing several players at corner and safety, the need for secondary depth is critical. Senior Bowl experts have cited Holmes as a fiery competitor who is doing well against bigger receivers.

The former UCLA Bruin is not the biggest player at 5-10 but has good musculature for his height. He reminds us of former Michigan cornerback and his personal friend, David Long, a Los Angeles Rams cornerback, and a third-round selection.

The positives are extensive, Holmes has good speed and good technique, usually. Everyone who has been around him has spoken of his high football IQ and ability to read receivers. Holmes has started 35 games for the Bruins, you can see his stats here.

Holmes is a versatile athlete who is capable of being a productive punt and kick returner, which he did more extensively early in his collegiate career. Some question whether or not Holmes can function as an outside cornerback, where he played for his entire time as a college player. Holmes has fluid hips, great athleticism, but shorter arms, 30 5/8 inches, and lack of overall length may limit him to some degree.

At worst, Holmes is going to be a very good slot player. He is great in zone coverage, makes sure reads, and reacts very quickly to routes and quarterback throws. Holmes uses great man technique and keeps in phase with receivers while not losing position and then often ends plays with good ball skills when motivated.

Other than some size limitations, it’s hard to find significant bad parts to his game. On occasion, when he tackles bigger targets, he drops his head and doesn’t keep his eye on his target. This can cause a miss or duck from time-to-time.

Holmes has missed a few games in the last couple of years, too, and has had scouts complain about consistency in his play and effort in tackling. This is another player that could go in the middle rounds, sometime between the third-round and fifth-rounds.