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Detroit Lions Hoping Kyle O’Brien Is Wicked Smart

By Eli Kaplan

Dec 3, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; A general view outside Ford Field before the game between the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 3, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; A general view outside Ford Field before the game between the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
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Kyle O’Brien is wicked smart. At least Detroit Lions fans better hope so. New GM Bob Quinn hired O’Brien Friday to be the director of player personnel.

Bob Quinn is familiar with Kyle O’Brien, from their time together with the Patriots. During his time in New England, O’Brien served in many different scouting roles, including pro personnel scout, area scout and national scout.

Most recently, O’Brien has spent the past three seasons as director of college scouting for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Being a Harvard graduate is great and all, but O’Brien will be judged by the type of talent he brings to the Detroit Lions in the coming years.

What can we expect from O’Brien? Well, let’s take a look at what he’s been up to in Jacksonville, and the players he’s had a hand in bringing to the Jaguars.

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In his three years in Jacksonville, O’Brien has done a great job at helping to upgrade the talent and depth of the team through the draft.

He hit the mark and found budding stars in first round draft picks Luke Joeckel (second overall pick in 2013) and Blake Bortles (third overall in 2014). Joeckel is helping to protect Bortles, while anchoring the Jaguars offensive line at left tackle.

Bortles, meanwhile, had a breakout season this past year, throwing for 35 touchdown passes and over 4,400 yards.

O’Brien also hit the mark with wide receiver Allen Robinson (selected with the 61st pick in the 2014 draft). Robinson has quickly emerged as one of the best receiving threats in the NFL. He finished this past season with 80 receptions, 1,400 receiving yards, 14 touchdown catches and trip to the pro bowl.

O’Brien has also found immediate, complementary contributors through the draft in T.J. Yeldon, Marqise Lee, Jonathan Cyprien and Denard Robinson.

O’Brien evaluations skills also helped the Jaguars draft some diamonds in the rough, such as 2015 fifth round pick linebacker Telvin Smith.

In just two seasons in the NFL, Smith already has over 230 career tackles, and has proven to be a big playmaker as well, with four and a half career sacks, three forced fumbles, two interceptions, and one touchdown.

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As the man who headed the draft evaluation process for the Jaguars, you also have to give O’Brien some credit for finding an almost completely hidden gem in wide receiver Allen Hurns.

While technically Hurns wasn’t drafted by Jacksonville (he was signed as undrafted free agent in 2014), he did end up in a Jaguars uniform, and it’s likely O’Brien had a hand in that. This past year Hurns had 64 receptions, 1,031 yards receiving and 10 touchdown catches.

The Jaguars are not yet a playoff team. But they have shown in recent years, that they know what they’re doing when it comes to the draft, and much of that success can be attributed to Kevin O’Brien’s keen eye for talent.

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Let’s hope O’Brien brings his Harvard brain, and both of his keen eyes to Detroit, so that the Lions draft board can reap the benefits for years to come.

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