Detroit Lions: Bob Quinn’s best draft picks by round

Bob Quinn’s Best Draft Picks – Sixth Round

Bob Quinn has drafted eight men in the sixth round of the drafts he has been in Detroit for. None of the five who were drafted before 2018 are on the roster any longer, the Detroit Lions had no sixth-round pick that year, and the three left are all still on the roster from the last two years. If this were a “worst pick” article, Jimmy Landes, a long-snapper, would take the prize.

This is also a round with not a lot of expectations attached to it and linemen or backups can be had in this round at a better rate than the seventh round. Famously, this was the round that New England Patriots’ (now Tampa Bay Buccaneers) Tom Brady was drafted in.

This will come down to just a few players, Anthony Zettel, Jake Rudock, or Ty Johnson.

2019 rookie Ty Johnson has filled in as a backup running back and amassed 273 yards rushing and a 4.3 yards-per-carry average.  He is back for year two but it’s hard to imagine him getting more carries after drafting D’Andre Swift to compete for the starting job. Johnson, Kerryon Johnson, Swift, and Bo Scarbrough should all help the Lions increase their overall rushing numbers.

We still think that Anthony Zettel is the winner here. He started 16 games and appeared in 29 before the Lions switched defenses to new head coach, Matt Patricia’s scheme. Zettel is a defensive end from Penn State that fits a traditional, 4-3 kind of defense. At 6-4, 277-pounds he has a decent ability to get to the passer and notched 6.5 sacks in his 2017 campaign.

Jake Rudock was a backup quarterback who was drafted in 2016 and wasn’t released until 2019. He gets a mention for sticking around longer than any of the others here. Zettel was gone after just two years.