Detroit Lions land Chase Young in 2020 7-round mock draft

Here’s another under the radar name. While he may be under the radar, he is still someone to watch.

Gay Jr. has the body type and size that the Lions seem to covet from their linebackers. Gay Jr. also brings great speed with his ideal size as well.

Gay Jr. is the missing piece to the Lions’ linebacking problems. He is a very good cover linebacker, while just an adequate run defender. Considering the linebackers already on the roster Gay Jr. would likely have a sizable role to play from day one.

He would likely be on the field as the coverage linebacker in most pass-defense sets. With his ability to cover all over the field and stay with both tight ends and running backs he would likely see a lot of play-time as a rookie for the Lions.

Gay Jr. only played in five games this past season, missing the rest to injury. However, in just five games he was able to make 28 tackles, intercept a pass and return it for a touchdown, and forced one fumble.

Gay Jr. earned coverage grades of 87.1 and 90.6 his first two seasons in college according to PFF, who also noted that he is terrific in zone coverage. He is more than just a coverage backer though. He can bring the pop when he needs to.

An excellent coverage backer who brings the thunder in spades too? It wouldn’t be a surprise at all to see him in a Honolulu Blue uniform and, quite honestly, it would be fun to watch as well.