Detroit Lions 2017 NFL Draft Watchlist: Washington at Oregon
By Erik Schlitt
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 Washington at Oregon, Saturday October 8th at 7:30 on FOX. This game will feature several players that will be in the NFL one day. But these players have skills that would fill a need for the Detroit Lions in 2017.
Washington
Sidney Jones, CB
Junior
#26
Cornerback
6’0″, 182
Early Draft Projection = Top 50
Sidney Jones earned a starting role as a true freshman, and is exploding up draft boards in his junior season. His current draft grade is in the top 50, but with the fluidity of the cornerback position in college football, his stock could easily rise into the first round.
Biggest Strengths:
- Competitive
- Smooth back pedal
- Aggressive in press coverage
Biggest Weaknesses:
- Body mass
- Technique is rapidly improving, but still needs polish
- Strength
You can never have enough cornerbacks. But, I’ve never been a fan of selecting them in the first round because the transition to the NFL is so challenging for the position. That being said, if Jones is there in the second round, the Lions should try to replicate their Darius Slay-type steal of 2013 draft.