Experts React To Detroit Lions Selecting Teez Tabor

The experts were divided on the Detroit Lions’ selection of Florida cornerback Teez Tabor in the second round of the NFL Draft on Friday.

The Detroit Lions drafted cornerback Teez Tabor in the second round of the NFL Draft on Friday, and analysts are divided on their opinions of the selection.

WalterFootball awarded the pick a “B+” grade, saying he fell in the draft due to a poor Combine and off-field concerns.

"Remember when Jalen Tabor was a first-round pick? I certainly remember, but he killed his once-fantastic draft stock with off-the-field issues and a horribly slow 40 time in the pre-draft process. It’s not a surprise he dropped this far, and I thought he could fall even further. I think there’s some value with Tabor, but I’m not crazy about this pick. It makes sense, though."

Connor Howe of SB Nation praises Tabor’s style of play but also expresses concern about his tackling and poor 40 times.

"Tabor’s 28 passes defensed, eight interceptions and three defensive touchdowns are impressive, but what’s even more so is the fact that Tabor manages to play such an aggressive style while maintaining discipline. Tabor wasn’t penalized often — he was only flagged six times over the past three seasons, with three of those coming in a single game — and, per Pro Football Focus, only allowed two touchdowns in his three seasons."

"Tabor’s performance at the NFL Combine was bad, but his pro day might have been worse. At the Combine, Tabor ran the 40-yard dash in 4.62 seconds, managed just nine reps on the bench press and wasn’t all too impressive in either the vertical or broad jump — all after insisting he was “the best player in the draft, not just the best cornerback.” Then he was even slower at Florida’s pro day, running an unofficial 4.75 40.Tabor isn’t a great tackler — per PFF, he missed 16 tackles on 110 attempts throughout the past three seasons."

Sports Illustrated referenced Tabor’s slow 40 times as the reason for his stock dropping out of the first round and compared him to Jerod Mayo.

"Once a first-round contender, Tabor’s stock tumbled quite a bit after he topped 4.6 seconds in his combine 40. So, the straight-line speed may not be there, but Tabor is quick enough to succeed as an NFL cornerback and he has the alpha-dog mentality required for such a task. We had him ranked No. 52; he went No. 53, so that’s pretty spot on."

Kent Lee Platte of Pride of Detroit was unimpressed, citing Tabor’s poor measurables:

Ian Rapaport of NFL Network reported that Tabor injured his hamstring during a workout with the Lions, his only team pre-draft workout.

Despite the poor measurables, his production at Florida ranks among the best in FBS.

There are character concerns with Tabor as well, as Jeremy Reisman of Pride of Detroit pointed out:

"There are also some minor character concerns with Tabor. To start the 2016 season, Tabor was suspended for both a failed drug test and what was called a “serious altercation” with a teammate."

Next: Detroit Lions Pick Teez Tabor In Second Round of NFL Draft

South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp has said that “(Tabor) would certainly be in the starting five if we were going to have a basketball team of trash-talkers.”