Detroit Lions sign two rookies; What does Quintez Cephus bring?

Quintez Cephus should be a solid building block for the future of the Detroit Lions.

The Detroit Lions and wide receiver Quintez Cephus agreed on a rookie scale contract although the financial terms and length of the deal have yet to be disclosed. The deal was announced through his agency, SportsTrust Advisors via Twitter.

Cephus was the Lions’ first of two selections in the fifth round of this year’s draft, as Detroit took him with the 166th overall pick. This selection was acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles in the trade for cornerback Darius Slay. The Lions second selection in the fifth round, 172nd overall, was used to take running back Jason Huntley who also agreed to a contract with the team on Wednesday.

Looking at the roster, wide receiver isn’t a need as it’s one of the strengths of the team. The Lions have a star-caliber wideout in Kenny Golladay, a reliable second option in Marvin Jones Jr., and Danny Amendola who gets occasional targets.

Even though the primary receivers on the team are set in stone, taking a wide receiver at some point in the draft was the right call. All three of the primary receivers are set to become unrestricted free agents after the completion of the upcoming season. While the front office will most likely do whatever it takes to keep Golladay and Jones Jr. in a Lions’ uniform, Cephus brings depth in case one or all depart.

Cephus attended Wisconsin University but played on the football team in 2016, 2017 and 2019. For the 2018 season, he was ineligible to play as he had a serious legal case that put him as the perpetrator although he was eventually cleared of any charges.

In three seasons with the Badgers, Cephus appeared in 30 games where he caught 93 passes for a total of 1,496 yards, averaging 16.1 yards a catch. He was also found in the endzone 13 times.

At the NFL Scouting Combine, Cephus didn’t wow anyone as he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.73 seconds which was the slowest among his position. He did have the most consecutive reps for the 225 bench press at the receiver position with 23. While Cephus lacks speed and explosiveness, he’s been lauded for his strength and hands.

His soon to be teammate, Jeff Okudah, stated that in college, Cephus was the hardest receiver he had to face according to the Detroit Free Press.

"“I think [Cephus is} the best receiver I went against. Doesn’t matter what his 40 time was, football’s played in between the lines and he’s a technician. Someone that I changed my plan up for every single week. I think he might have been the only receiver to have 100 yards against us and we knew that going against him we’d have to earn our keep.”"

Cephus should be a solid building block for the future of the Lions. While you may not see him much on the field in the 2020 season, he could very well be a key player in the Lions offense for years to come.