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Detroit Lions: Final first impressions from the 2020 NFL Draft

By Payne Schanski

UNSPECIFIED LOCATION - APRIL 23: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) In this still image from video provided by the Detroit Lions, cornerback Jeff Okudah speaks via teleconference after being drafted during the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft on April 23, 2020. (Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images)
UNSPECIFIED LOCATION - APRIL 23: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) In this still image from video provided by the Detroit Lions, cornerback Jeff Okudah speaks via teleconference after being drafted during the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft on April 23, 2020. (Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images) /
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Julian Okwara, Detroit Lions
Julian Okwara, Detroit Lions (Photo by NFL via Getty Images) /

Day Two – Second and Third rounds

Final first impression: Bob Quinn and company had a great day two. I loved the D’Andre Swift pick at No. 35–not as much as I would have loved getting J.K. Dobbins–but the correct spirit was there in bolstering the backfield. Although the Ravens are getting all sorts of props for snagging Dobbins twenty picks later, Swift did grade out a little higher on the pre-draft scouting report consensus.

For a little taste of how good this guy is, consider this stat from his freshman year at Georgia: Swift somehow got enough touches to rack up nearly 800 yards from scrimmage. Not a crazy number by itself, but this was while sharing the backfield with Sony Michel (starting RB on a Super Bowl champion one year later) and Nick Chubb (second in the NFL in rushing yards last year).

That’s a barely-believable level of talent at one position for a college team, and Swift was deemed good enough as a freshman to take a decent percentage of carries away from Michel and Chubb.

The Lions running back stable won’t be quite like the one enjoyed by the 2017 Georgia Bulldogs, but Swift can only enhance a position that is already pretty solid. He’ll be a great insurance policy for Kerryon Johnson, and his speed and elusiveness will make for a fresh complementary piece for the bruising style of Bo Scarbrough regardless.

The rest of the Friday picks were just icing on the cake, but Julian Okwara (Yes, Romeo’s little brother) and Jonah Jackson both grade out well and fill in at positions of need. I’m hoping Jackson can follow the Larry Warford route and start at guard from day one, but earn his Pro Bowl selections while still in Detroit.

Okwara didn’t have huge numbers as an edge rusher at Notre Dame and was injured at the end of last season, but his talent level made Steve Palazzolo of Pro Football Focus think he’d be a first round pick anyway.

Maybe A.J. Epenesa made a little more sense in the second round, or maybe J.K. Dobbins made a little more sense than D’Andre Swift. Still, the Lions brass can definitely pat themselves on the back for their day two selections.

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