4 under the radar Lions that made sure you have to pay close attention to them from now on
The Detroit Lions' preseason opener against the New York Giants wasn't a huge night full of explosive plays or anything like that. It was, like most preseason games, pretty ugly. Still there were some guys that totally showed out on Thursday. Particularly some guys that you may not have even had on your radar previous […]
The Detroit Lions' preseason opener against the New York Giants wasn't a huge night full of explosive plays or anything like that. It was, like most preseason games, pretty ugly. Still there were some guys that totally showed out on Thursday. Particularly some guys that you may not have even had on your radar previous to the game.
After Thursday night, these guys are definitely on the radar now and they made sure that they'll stay there. Here's four guys to pay close attention to the rest of the preseason.
WR Isaiah Williams
The Lions have some receiver depth concerns these days and Thursday was supposed to be a big night for guys to go out there and start setting themselves apart. That didn't happen with the guys you expected it to. The one guy that really showed up and made plays was Williams.
Williams was considered one the bigger undrafted rookies the Lions had on the team when they signed him since he was coming off a season that saw him lead the Big Ten in receptions, but he's been a bit lost in the mix during camp.
He didn't look lost against the Giants. He was making plays and showing what he could do in the yards after the catch department. He has a chance to nail down one of the receiver spots.
Isaac Ukwu
What a Thursday night for Ukwu. The undrafted rookie out of Ole Miss turned in two pressures and a sack. He also did some impressive run stuffing.
The Lions showed some interest in Ukwu ahead of the draft. He was brought in for a local pro day visit. He's actually from Farmington Hills.
On Thursday night he looked like a complete player out there and he's going to make it really hard for the Lions to look past him when it comes time to make the 53-man roster.
C Duke Clemens
Clemens had himself a night for the Lions. He was teams highest graded player per Pro Football Focus. Clemons played 30 snaps and only allowed one pressure all night. Not bad for the former UCLA Bruin.
The Lions have the best center in the game in Frank Ragnow, but Clemens is someone that could potentially fill in if injuries continue to nag Ragnow. Clemens has some history playing guard as well, so Detroit could look to see if they can do multiple things with him in the future.
S Loren Strickland
This guy hasn't been under the radar for me. I've been talking about Strickland all offseason, but he was very impressive on Thursday night. If there was a stop on special teams, it was either Strickland or Strickland was around it.
It was hard to miss him, he was the guy launching himself at returners all night. Go back and watch the returns and you'll see what I mean. He also looked good on defense in the safety spot too. He'll be hard to say no to when it comes down to it.
Lions are now on the lookout for a quarterback, here’s one trade idea that sees the Lions get set at QB2 in exchange for an edge rusher
If there's one thing we've learned at Detroit Lions training camp this summer it's that the Lions have a backup quarterback problem. That was further cemented when we got to see guys in action this past Thursday night in the Lions first preseason game. Nate Sudfeld had been showing some improvement during camp, but ON […]
