Lions head out to watch a college player who has a notable tie to Brad Holmes and is in a position of need
The Detroit Lions have been all over their 2025 NFL Draft preparation so far this year. They've been out to the normal Senior Bowl and Shrine Bowl games like everyone else, but they also went to the Hula Bowl and Tropical Bowl and then this week they were at the HBCU Combine. There are not […]
The Detroit Lions have been all over their 2025 NFL Draft preparation so far this year. They've been out to the normal Senior Bowl and Shrine Bowl games like everyone else, but they also went to the Hula Bowl and Tropical Bowl and then this week they were at the HBCU Combine.
There are not a lot of players from historically black colleges and universities in the NFL right now. Just 22 players made initial 53-man rosters last August.
Brad Holmes, who attended North Carolina A&T, an HBCU, has been at the forefront of finding players in different places. The Lions have been one of those teams that has had HBCU players on their roster recently.
In 2022 Holmes and the Lions drafted James Houston from Jackson State. They also had KhaDarel Hodge from Prarie View A&M on the roster at that time.
This year's HBCU combine presents a player who has a bit of a tie to Holmes and plays at a position of need for the Lions. We're talking about North Carolina A&T offensive lineman Jason Ivey.
There have not been a lot of players from North Carolina A&T in the NFL. There's just one player at this time: Atlanta Falcons tackle Brandon Parker.
As far as Ivey goes, the Lions need offensive line depth and could be on the lookout for tackles. At this time Dan Skipper is a beloved player, but the Lions may be looking to upgrade at the swing tackle spot and we know they have bigger plans for Giovanni Manu in the future. They see him as a potential starter someday soon.
Ivey had a pretty strong combine performance on Monday. He ran a 5.16 40-yard dash. For comparison's sake, Christian Mahogany ran a 5.14 in last year's NFL Combine. He put up 19 reps on the bench and had a solid 1.70 10-yard spilt.
Ivey is pretty unlikely to get drafted in April's draft. Anything can happen, but a lot of the HBCU guys tend to not get drafted when they're not invited to the NFL Combine. There is one HBCU player at this year's NFL Combine and it's Alabama A&M's Carson Vinson.
That doesn't mean the Lions won't be interested in drafting him or won't be interested in signing him as an undrafted free agent. The Lions have been a team that frequently will have UDFA's make their 53-man roster or be on the practice squad. Ivey could be that next guy.
The Lions have a chance to solidify their offense even more by signing a player Dan Campbell seems to compliment a lot, Keenan Allen
Look, I know that Detroit Lions fans are going to be all about the defense this offseason, and Brad Holmes and company are likely to be very defense-heavy in their acquisitions as well. But that does not mean they aren't going to be on the lookout for receivers. Last summer the Lions had a real […]
