Which Detroit Lions UDFAs Could Make An Impact In 2016?

Chase Farris, offensive lineman, Ohio State
($10,000 signing bonus, plus $10,000 guaranteed 2016 salary)

Farris is the first Lions UDFA signing since Lucas in 2014 to be guaranteed $20,000 at signing, which is an obvious indication that the Lions think something of him. The large deal was also likely necessitated by the fact that Farris was reportedly being pursued by five other teams.

Farris began his career as a defensive lineman at Ohio State but made the transition to offensive line his freshman year. He played in 42 games as a Buckeye and started every game at right tackle in 2015. Despite that, he says that he sees himself more as an interior lineman. By signing with Detroit, Farris reunites with fellow Ohio State offensive lineman and 2016 first-round pick Taylor Decker, who has been getting most of the first-team work at left tackle this offseason.

Farris’ NFL.com draft profile lists him as 6’5″, 310. In that same profile, Lance Zierlein called him “extremely raw with his technique and instincts,” but also says that “many of his technical flaws will be correctable and he projects beyond his inconsistent tape.” Jeff Risdon of SideLionReport wrote about the difficulty of scouting Farris and says that he is “at least two years away from being NFL-ready as an offensive lineman.”

Whether or not he moves to guard, Farris’ depth chart position is complicated by the fact that the Lions’ offensive line room is quite crowded. The team brought in four other rookie linemen this offseason: Decker, Michigan center Graham Glasgow, Washington State guard/tackle Joe Dahl and another UDFA, Dominick Jackson from Alabama.

Not only that, but the Lions also have tackles Lucas, Michael Ola and Corey Robinson and centers Travis Swanson and Gabe Ikard on the roster, and seem to be pretty well set at guard with Laken Tomlinson, Larry Warford and newly-signed veteran Geoff Schwartz.

The Lions seem unlikely to keep more than nine or ten linemen, so if Farris is going to make the 53-man roster he’ll probably have to beat out a couple of the returnees. His best bet might be to use his ability to play multiple positions to beat out the other guys on the bubble who focus on one position.

Ideally, because the Lions have so many linemen in camp, Farris can spend 2016 developing his talent without having to see any game action, perhaps as a member of the practice squad. Risdon comments, “The Lions made a solid commitment to patiently developing Farris. I expect he winds up on the practice squad in 2016.”

Next: TE Cole Wick