Detroit Lions: Jay Lee UDFA Hype Train Gaining Steam

Detroit Lions wide receiver Jay Lee is getting national attention for his chances to make the team as an undrafted free agent.

Everyone loves an underdog story and in NFL training camps, that takes the form of undrafted players fighting for a chance to make the regular season roster. Overlooked by 32 teams for seven rounds with something to prove, these players often become fan favorites during training camp.

The Detroit Lions saw that last year with Zach Zenner, who was able to win a spot on the 53-man roster, and the early hype is building for Jay Lee to be that guy this season.

A recent poll on Pride of Detroit asking fans which undrafted free agent has the best chance of making the team had results overwhelmingly supporting Lee.

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It seems that optimism is not without merit as the Lee hype is not just a local phenomenon but is gaining steam nationally as well. Lee was named as one of five undrafted free agents in favorable situations by Lance Zierlein on NFL.com.

Zierlein offers the following commentary along with listing Lee:

"The Lee fit in Detroit is partially about the talent and partially about the situation. Lee has NFL size for the outside, and is able to hit the accelerator to challenge cornerbacks over the top. He’s not going to post eye-popping numbers in a 40-yard dash, but he’s plenty fast when the film is on. His hand mechanics are shaky and have led to drops in the past. Lee has to learn to run a proper NFL route. While Lee will have to prove he’s not just a “system wideout”, he has the smooth feet, catch radius and ability to compete in camp as a vertical threat, which could earn him a spot as the Lions’ fifth wide receiver."

While there is a lot to like about Lee, enthusiasm has to be tempered by the fact that he did go undrafted. All undrafted players have their warts that caused them to not be picked but there is hope that those warts can be turned to beauty marks in time. The fit between player and team is essential to that process and there is reason to believe Lee and the Lions can be a good fit.

Lee may be one of the more intriguing undrafted free agents but if he makes the team, he may find he wasn’t the only undrafted player to do so. Cole Wick, a tight end from Incarnate Word, is another player who finds himself in a good situation with the Lions. Lee will have to beat out some veteran options and other young players the Lions have on their offseason roster but Wick’s path looks clearer.

Tim Wright is even less of an in-line tight end option than Eric Ebron and Brandon Pettigrew‘s injury history and cap number that far exceeds his role in the offense gives Wick as good of a shot as any Lions undrafted free agent to stick on the active roster beyond training camp. If Wick can prove to be even close to the equal of Wright or Pettigrew, it would make sense to go with the younger player.

Next: Ranking Lions Draft Class by Rookie-Year Impact

Regardless of which undrafted player is most likely to make the team or in the best situation overall, the Lions have some interesting guys who will make training camp interesting to watch. Bob Quinn has talked a lot about having competition throughout the roster so we can expect some of the best training camp position battles in recent memory.

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