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Detroit Lions: Rookie Contributions a Bright Spot in 2016 Season

By Zac Snyder

Apr 28, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Taylor Decker (Ohio State) with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected by the Detroit Lions as the number sixteen overall pick in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at Auditorium Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 28, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Taylor Decker (Ohio State) with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected by the Detroit Lions as the number sixteen overall pick in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at Auditorium Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 24, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Baylor long snapper Jimmy Landes speaks to the media during the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 24, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Baylor long snapper Jimmy Landes speaks to the media during the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /

Jimmy Landes

Ah, Jimmy Landes. Using a draft pick on a long snapper, especially given the presence of cult hero Don Muhlbach, wasn’t popular with fans as soon as the pick was made and Bob Quinn doesn’t have an “I told you so” to point to with the 2016 season now over.

The selection of Landes certainly didn’t lead to a best-case outcome, but it also comes in ahead of the worst-case scenario I laid out after the draft, at least for now.

"Best-case scenario: Beats out Don Muhlbach for the long snapper job by the time first cuts arrive and that’s the last time we hear his name because he does his job without incident. Worst-case scenario: Doesn’t make the team and ends up as nothing more than an answer to an obscure Lions trivia question. However, it could be argued an even worse case is he does beat out Don Muhlbach but turns out to be the long snapper version of Nate Freese."

Landes couldn’t beat out Muhlbach, but he’s not a lost cause just yet. By stashing him on injured reserve, the Lions kept he status quo for another year while delaying the final verdict on Landes by a year.

He may yet end up just the answer to an obscure trivia question but by retaining him on injured reserve, Landes isn’t a wasted draft pick yet.

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