You may be aware that the Detroit Lions didn’t have a great defense in 2020. And that’s being exceptionally kind. I don’t need to revisit all the “worst in franchise history” stats but let’s agree it needs an injection of life, and the Senior Bowl is a great place for that.
With Aaron Glenn joining the Lions as defensive coordinator, we still aren’t completely sure of the scheme he is planning on implementing this year in Detroit, so we will have to ignore scheme fits as some players may not match exactly what the Lions want to do, but there is plenty of talent in Mobile.
Whilst on offense you could argue there isn’t a quarterback we want, don’t draft a running back high, our offensive line is set … there are no arguments we need an influx of talent at every position on defense.
There aren’t any players likely in top 10 consideration for the Lions but there are a lot of day two impact players they can hopefully get a good look at.
Better still, every year we see players shoot up draft boards based on Senior Bowl practices. Three years ago, an undersized linebacker from South Carolina State turned from a day-three prospect to a second-round pick. Now, Darius Leonard is regarded as one of the best linebackers in the league.
So, will any of these players end up on the Lions? Maybe, who knows. But it’s the closest remaining look we might get to some of the 2021 prospects and a great way to get a better understanding of some of the top guys out there and how they’d fit the new-look Lions.
Let’s run through the defensive players to keep an eye on this week…