Lions' most underappreciated player could soon be a superstar
The Detroit Lions have a budding defensive superstar on their roster. NFL Network analytics expert Cynthia Frelund detailed each NFL franchise's most underappreciated player this week. Frelund used various metrics combined with players' salaries to come up with her choice for each team. Frelund went with second-year linebacker/pass rusher James Houston as her choice for […]
The Detroit Lions have a budding defensive superstar on their roster.
NFL Network analytics expert Cynthia Frelund detailed each NFL franchise's most underappreciated player this week.
Frelund used various metrics combined with players' salaries to come up with her choice for each team.
Frelund went with second-year linebacker/pass rusher James Houston as her choice for the Lions' most underappreciated player.
From NFL.com: Despite playing in just seven games as a rookie, Houston piled up eight sacks. Pretty darn impressive. Only one defender had a higher pressure rate than Houston's 20.7 from Week 12 through 18 — that was veteran Arden Key at 21.2, per NGS. And according to computer vision, Houston ranked top five on the season among pass rushers in burst rate (the time it takes to travel 3 yards). In other words, that sack total was not a fluke.
Eight sacks in just seven games (Houston wasn't promoted to the active roster until late November) would be impressive for a veteran pass rusher. It's completely insane for a rookie — especially a rookie that was selected in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Houston was on pace to finish with around 17 sacks last season as a rookie (if he would've played the entire season). If he picks up in 2023 where he left off in 2022, Houston will quickly develop into one of the league's biggest defensive stars.
A big part of finding success in the NFL is hitting on players late in the draft who can make a major impact. It certainly appears like the Lions hit on a potential star late in last year's draft. And that's one of the many reasons why the national media feels like Detroit could make some noise in 2023.
