Detroit Lions 2017 NFL Draft Watchlist: Western Michigan vs Central Michigan

Each week in college football there’s an opportunity to see plenty of future NFL talent. These players should be on the Detroit Lions radar for the 2017 NFL Draft.

It’s never too early to be looking ahead to next year’s NFL draft. In this weekly piece, I’ll examine players from a marquee game, who could be potential draft targets of the Detroit Lions.

This week’s feature game will be Western Michigan at Central Michigan, Saturday October 1st at 7:00 on CBS Sports Network. The “Battle for the Cannon” will feature several players that NFL teams will be keeping an eye on. These are some of the best players in the MAC conference and have skills that would fill a need for the Detroit Lions in 2017.

Western Michigan

Corey Davis
Senior
#84
Wide Receiver
6’3″, 213

Early draft projection = Top 50

Corey Davis is one of the top wide receivers in this class.  He has been highly productive in his time at Western Michigan, and has a realistic chance of breaking the FBS receiving record (825 yards away with eight games remaining). Many evaluators had Davis projected as a second round pick if he declared for last year’s draft. But, by returning to school, Davis has a chance to join Randy Moss as the only other MAC wide receiver to be selected in the first round.

Biggest Strengths:

• Big-play threat
• Smooth route runner
• Tracks the ball all over the field

Biggest Weaknesses:

• Physical play
• Needs to win contested balls more
• Run blocking

With Golden Tate and Marvin Jones under contract for the next several years, adding a wide receiver doesn’t appear to be an early need on the Lions radar. But, slot receiver Anquan Boldin (36 years old) is in a contract year, and no other receiver on the roster has proved to be effective.

When you consider that Corey Davis is best suited as a slot receiver in the NFL, he would be a perfect fit in Detroit. Davis’s skill set would add another dimension to the offense and help stabilize the position for the next several years. So, if Davis is there in the second round, don’t be surprised if the Lions look to add him to its wide receiver group.

Taylor Moton
Senior
#72
Offensive Lineman
6’5 1/4″, 328

Early draft projection = 5th-6th round

Entering his fourth year as a starter, Moton has experience playing both right tackle (current position) and right guard. Moton will make his 43rd start this Saturday and is hoping to follow former teammate Willie Beavers (fourth round pick of the Minnesota Vikings) path to the NFL.

Biggest Strengths:

• Dominant power run blocker
• knee bend
• intense competitor

Biggest Weaknesses:

• foot quickness
• limited lateral range
• pass blocking technique

Moton’s ability to play both right guard and right tackle will be very appealing to NFL teams. Currently, the entire right side of the Lions offensive line (Riley Reiff, Larry Warford, and Cornelius Lucas) are in contract years. With the prospect of having to replace up to three players on the right side, a player with Moton’s versatility will be someone Bob Quinn is watching.

Other Broncos to Know

Senior quarterback Zach Terrell (#11, 6’1″, 204) doesn’t currently have a draftable grade, but his experience and on-field performance should earn him a spot in a post-season All-star game. While he doesn’t possess NFL caliber arm strength, he has terrific accuracy. Through four games Terrell has nine touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Looking to the future

Junior Inside Linebacker Robert Spillane (#10, 6’2″, 220) has returned to form after a promising sophomore campaign was cut short due to a right knee injury. He has had a solid start to the 2016: in week one he was the MAC player of the week; and in week three Spillane made the “PFF team of the Week“. Spillane enters this game healthy and ready to make his 19th start.

Another name to keep an eye on is Darius Phillips (#14, 5’10”, 180), a redshirt junior cornerback/return specialist. Phillips is an undersized corner but an electric kick returner. He has two kick returns for touchdown on the season and four in his career. Phillips also had a 70-yard interception return for touchdown in last week’s game.

Asantay Brown (#6, 6’0″, 203) started 2015 at strong safety. He went on to lead the Broncos with 103 tackles and was a third team ALL-MAC selection. Now a junior, head coach P.J. Fleck asked Brown to transition to a “Money Linebacker” role. So far, it’s looking like a smart move as Brown has been an important player on the Broncos defense.

Keep this in mind for this week: the last time Brown played Central Michigan he had a career game, registering 13 tackles, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Central Michigan

Cooper Rush
Senior
#10
Quarterback
6’2 3/4″ 230

Early draft projection = Rounds 4-6

A four-year starter, Cooper Rush is considered one of the top five senior quarterbacks in this draft class. Rush’s experience in a Pro-style scheme will make his transition to the NFL easier than most college quarterbacks. His chance to separate himself from the pack will likely come in an offseason All-star game. Rush should be able to step into a situation (like the Senior Bowl) and shine, while most others will be trying to adjust to the NFL schemes.

Biggest Strengths:

• Accuracy
• Quick release
• Plays from the pocket

Biggest Weaknesses:

• Can lock onto receivers at times
• Footwork on drops is inconsistent
• Arm slot

Bob Quinn has previously stated his stance on acquiring quarterbacks:

"There’s such a value in the position and nowadays in college football there’s a lot of spread offenses, which means it’s a lot different than pro football. It takes these young quarterbacks time to develop. So if you can add a young quarterback every year or every other year to your roster, it’s good football business in my mind. So you have time to develop them, either on the practice squad or as a backup, before eventually them having to play in a game."

As a local prospect, who is smart, a leader, and Pro-style ready, Rush is surely on the Lions radar. With backup quarterback Dan Orlovsky in a contract year, and Jake Rudock waiting on the practice squad, Detroit will definitely be in the market for a late round quarterback with Rush’s skill set.

Other Chippewas to Know

Senior free safety Tony Annese (#18, 6’0″, 215) comes from a coaching family. His grandfather (Nick) was a highly respected high school coach and his father (Phil) and uncle (Tony Petritto) coached him in high school at Rochester Adams. Another uncle (Tony) is the head coach at Ferris State University, and is joined on staff by yet another uncle (Mike) and Tony’s brother (Phil).

This constant exposure to football has helped mold Annese into the player he is today. After winning a starting role late in his freshman season, it didn’t take long before Annese settled into a leadership role on defense.

CMU defensive coordinator Greg Colby, had this to say about Annese:

"Tony is a smart football player who can really analyze what he sees and react to it the right way. He’s like a coach out there, he sees stuff. I think that’s his strength as a player."

Annese was named to the preseason Thorpe Award watchlist each of the last two seasons and is hoping to follow his former teammate Kavon Frazier (sixth round, Dallas Cowboys) to the NFL. As of right now, he currently has a late round draft projection. But, if Annese continues to improve throughout his senior season, he could see his name rise up draft boards.

Last week, sixth-year senior wide receiver Jesse Kroll (#88, 6’2″, 210) suffered a season ending knee injury (his second in three years) ending his promising college career. While not current projected to be drafted, Kroll has NFL size and hands. How fast Kroll recovers from this injury could affect his NFL future.

If this is the end of Kroll’s football career, at least he can say he was involved in one of college football’s greatest plays:

Looking to the future

In the last three games, Junior tight end Tyler Conklin (#83, 6’4″, 240) has 16 receptions for 248 yards and two touchdowns. In week two, Conklin won the John Mackey tight end of the week award, and made the “PFF Team of the week“:

"Emerging out of nowhere to spark Central Michigan’s upset of Oklahoma State, Conklin caught seven passes for 96 yards and two touchdowns after catching only six passes his entire career before Saturday. The unlikely hero was the Chippewas leading receiving for the game."

Next: NFL Draft 2017 Top Prospects From Michigan

Bob Quinn has proved that when it comes to the draft process, he is extremely thorough. He spent last offseason installing his approach to the draft and has set his expectations high. Because this is such a high-profile game, you can bet he will be assigning scouts to watch these players closely.

Previous Watchlists:

Alabama vs USC
Tennessee vs Virginia Tech
Ohio State vs Oklahoma
Georgia vs Ole Miss