Every year, there's always at least one feel good story to arise from roster decision time for the Detroit Lions. This season, the defense has a couple to choose from.
Not only has late-round pick Skyler Gill-Howard been a revelation in the middle of the defensive line, undrafted free agent Eric O'Neill has opened eyes on the edge. After joining the Lions out of Rutgers after the draft, few people would have assumed that O'Neill would crack the roster ahead of other veteran options.
Except, nobody told O'Neill about the odds. He came into camp and impressed with the Lions, and was a monster during the preseason. He made a huge statement, and ended up as PFF's highest-graded Lions player from the three game period with an 85.2 mark. Gordon McGuiness noted his abilities as both a pass rusher and a run stuffer during game action.
"Undrafted out of Rutgers, O’Neill produced some impressive work both as a pass-rusher and as a run defender. He posted three tackles resulting in a defensive stop as well as six total pressures, garnering PFF run-defense and pass-rush grades above 74.0."
As a result of this work, O'Neill made the team and is looking like one of the next success stories the Lions have found for their defensive front. In the last handful of seasons, the Lions have gotten good results out of players who are grinders as depth linemen and pass rushers. To this end, O'Neill landed in a good place to prove himself and be given a fair chance to make an impact.
Obviously, there's a big difference schematically between the regular season and the preseason, so O'Neill has a long way to go in order to prove his worth to the roster. This is a fantastic start, though. For him to be on Detroit's radar in the first place after the offseason is a huge accomplishment.
O'Neill believes situation he landed in with Lions helped propel him
Why has O'Neill been able to hit the ground running in Detroit? He has been able to join a place that he believes has a great coaching staff to lead him as well as players who complement him and have been supportive all along.
As he explained to the media during training camp, O'Neill believes he fell into a good situation and even the biggest star on the defense in Aidan Hutchinson has played a supporting role in boosting his confidence on the field.
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"I'm being coached by great guys, around such great talent and guys who have proven themselves in the league. (That) makes me a better player every day. It's not hard to go out there and have fun and showcase yourself and enjoy doing it. It's easier for guys to feel worried than not nervous every day, but it's not like that here. I got guys like (Aidan) Hutchinson that help me every day and support me. For me to go out there and play is most important and get a little bit better every day. Doesn't have to be perfect, (just) a little better."
In addition to his strong game, O'Neill seem to have the right mindset to be a success in Detroit. He is focused on improving constantly, and isn't likely to feel as if he has arrived just because he had a limited run of success. It sounds as if he is prepared to make the most of his opportunity, matching his talent with an impressive work ethic.
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