Detroit Lions Draft 2017: Players Who May Fall to the Lions Third Round Pick
By Ash Thompson
Pat Elflein, C, Ohio State
The immediate reaction to this pick from most Lions fans would likely be to ask why the Lions would need a center with Travis Swanson and Graham Glasgow on the team. Well, Swanson missed significant time with a concussion last season. That is rapidly becoming the most common reason that players retire early in the NFL. Armed with credible medical evidence that getting your “bell rung” is actually a cause for various neurological issues later in life, players are walking away. From the team’s perspective, the question needs to be asked if they want to invest in a player that has had a very serious concussion.
Graham Glasgow is perfectly healthy, but is awful at snapping the ball. Someone told me once that centers need to be able to do that consistently. Joe Dahl improved a great deal over the course of last season, but can not play center. Laken Tomlinson, at this point, appears to be possible trade bait, as his play has not improved between his first game and the end of his second season. He is just a bad fit for the Lions blocking scheme.
As for why Elflien could be the right choice to replace Swanson, there are quite a few reasons. He has experience at all three interior line positions, impressive play strength, and a wrestling background. His feet never stop moving during a block, he doesn’t just stalemate players with his run blocks. If he gets in to a DT’s side when he’s down blocking, that DT usually ends up on the ground. He gets low in blocks, popping other players up with his punch, and he’s got the strength to stalemate a bull rush.
His feet are not the lightest you’ll ever see, and his lateral motion to get to blitzers is not spectacular. He is by no means a fast switch athlete, but makes up for it with the ability to quickly recognize stunts. That was another issue Glasgow had when pressed in to action at the center spot last season.
Interior offensive line is by no means a huge need for the Lions, but Pat Elflein may be the best player drafted in the third round. He would likely start at center immediately for 1/3 of the teams in the NFL. Elflein could very well beat out Graham Glasgow and Laken Tomlinson for the left guard spot as a rookie. He would be a long term, rather than immediate need, Lions draft pick.