Wednesday marked the final day of top-30 visits for NFL teams prior to the NFL Draft on April 24.
Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions decided to spend the day by using their final pre-draft visit on Ben Yurosek, a tight end from Georgia. This was the only tight end that Detroit used a pre-draft visit on. Outside of the lone tight end, the Lions used their visits on one running back, two wide receivers, three offensive linemen, five defensive linemen, three linebackers, and two defensive backs.
As we know, Holmes and Campbell are not afraid to draft a "low value" position early in the draft, as they have done successfully many times before. Guys like Jahmyr Gibbs, Sam LaPorta, and Jack Campbell were all considered low-value picks, but all turned out to be great players.
Fortunately for Lions fans who care about positional value, it looks like Yurosek will not be picked in the first few rounds, so this may be a final-day insurance plan for Dan and Brad. With the Lions drafting six SEC players in just the past two seasons, I would not be shocked to see them pick Yurosek later in the draft.
Detroit Lions express interest in former Georgia TE Ben Yurosek before 2025 NFL Draft
Yurosek spent his first three seasons at Stanford, where he recorded 91 receptions and 1,098 yards in his first two seasons before injuring his shoulder in 2023 and playing just six games in his junior year.
After 2023, Yurosek entered the transfer portal and was the sixth-ranked tight end in the portal at the time, before he committed to play for Kirby Smart and Georgia. At Georgia, Yurosek, yet again, dealt with injuries, played just seven games, and recorded just 15 receptions for 185 yards.
The injuries late in his career have really hurt the draft stock of the Stanford graduate, but he did show some extremely notable things at his pro day during the draft process.
At his pro day, Yurosek ran a 4.64 40-yard dash time, which, according to NFLDraftBuzz.com, is in the 82nd percentile among tight ends. He also measured an 80 7/8 inch wingspan, which, according to NFLDraftBuzz, is in the 80th percentile among tight ends.
Overall, I have to admit this seems to be a pretty strange choice for the final Lions pre-draft visit, as Yurosek is projected to go much later in the draft than every other player the Lions brought in for a visit.
On the other hand, this is a very interesting time for the Lions, as a dozen players are going to want extensions in the coming years, and you can already see Holmes trying to prepare for that. Maybe Holmes sees Sam LaPorta as a guy they may have to let go, so why not interview an athletic tight end who's going late in the draft, because maybe you strike gold and save money going forward.