Lions trade up to take fifth-round flyer on sneaky Kentucky wide receiver Kendrick Law -Breaking down the risks, rewards, and scouting report
The Lions get a receiver they can do a lot of stuff with on both special teams and gadget plays
The Detroit Lions surprised with this one. They traded up from 181 to 168 and gave away one of their two sixth-round picks to go get Kentucky wide receiver Kendrick Law. A position that nobody really expected they would take.
The rewards for the Lions with Kendrick Law
This might be the Lions’ new Kalif Raymond. Or maybe their future Kalif Raymond, assuming Greg Dortch doesn’t stick around.
You see it in the film. At Kentucky, he showed his 4.45 speed on a lot of the same plays you’re used to seeing from Raymond all these years. A lot of screen plays and gadget-type stuff.
He brings a lot to the table in terms of special teams. He had 537 gunner snaps in college. He had 174 kick return stats. His return ability really showed in 2023 when he was with Alabama. He had 405 return yards. The Lions don’t necessarily have a guy at that spot right now.
The risk for the Lions with Kendrick Law
Like Jameson Williams in his early years in Detroit, he had trouble tracking the ball in the air. That might be ok since the Lions probably aren’t going to be throwing deep shots his way too often.
While he has the kick return experience, he has basically no punt return experience, and that is precisely the spot the Lions really have nobody after losing Raymond. So if he does do some punt returns, it’ll be the first time he’s done it.
Scouting Report on Kendrick Law from The Beast
“A one-year starter at Kentucky, Law lined up primarily in the slot (77.3 percent of his snaps in 2025) in former offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan’s scheme (Hamdan is now quarterbacks coach for the Miami Dolphins). After serving primarily as a gadget guy (jet sweeps, screens) at Alabama, Law saw his target share and usage expand with the Wildcats in 2025, although he was still predominantly an underneath receiver (3.4-yard average depth of target; one of just four FBS receivers under 3.5).
Law is unimpressive on paper because of his college usage and underwhelming production. But the tape and testing have NFL evaluators believing there is more to his game. He is lightning quick in short areas and can destroy the balance of open-field defenders with speed to stretch. He is dynamic on slants and stick-and-nods, although his routes show more freelancing than nuance and he is unproven as a downfield target.”
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