What switching to a 4-3 could mean for the current Lions players
By Jon Poole
Jalen Reeves-Maybin (6-1, 233lb)
Like Jarrad Davis, Reeves-Maybin was originally drafted in Teryl Austin’s 4-3 base defense. While he doesn’t offer much beyond speed, he’s turned himself into a nice special teams player for the Lions. On defense, however, he suits best to play a 4-3 OLB where he can utilize his speed and knack in coverage and keep out of traffic where he is easily blocked.
In the 3-4, especially the gap-control emphasized one Patricia ran, Reeves-Maybin was too small to hold his own. While there are still roles for speed-coverage LBs in a lot of 3-4 defenses, Jalen would be helped most by a switch to a 4-3.
Transition Grade: A- (switch would help, a lot)
Jahlani Tavai (6-2, 250lb)
Unfortunately, an odd-front base defense that loves big, strong, inside linebackers in their gap-control principled scheme is probably the best as it gets situationally for Jahlani Tavai. That’s the bad news. The worse, he still looks like he doesn’t belong.
Tavai being such a fit for this defense on paper is why former general manager Bob Quinn reached for him in the second round. He excels in the downhill filling gap role but would have trouble with the range generally needed to be in most 4-3 linebacker roles in today’s NFL.
Like Davis, but on the other end of the spectrum, Tavai is a sub-package player where the base defense won’t matter as much. But a switch might be the end of Tavai in Detroit, at least when his rookie contract is up after 2022.
Transition Grade: D- (switch would hurt, a lot)