Six Detroit Lions players the national media are sleeping on
By Ash Thompson
The slow corner
There is a simple narrative nationally regarding Teez Tabor. He is a great college player who ran a slow forty time, fell in the draft, struggled to get on the field as a rookie. None of that is incorrect. Facts rarely tell the story without context, however.
I would posit that only two or three players drafted in 2017 could have cracked the Lions corner group as a rookie. Nevin Lawson and Quandre Diggs were not pro bowlers, but each is a legitimate NFL starter, not some also-ran needing to be replaced by literally anyone.
Beyond just the starters, D.J. Hayden, the backup to both men, played well enough to earn a three year, $19 million contract in Jacksonville. By the end of the season, however, Tabor had started taking Hayden’s snaps. In three of the final four games, Tabor played more than Hayden.
There were significant hurdles between Tabor and the field. He started jumping over them at the end of his rookie season. During OTAs, he has been running with the first team defense across from Darius Slay.
If Teez Tabor is legitimately outplaying Lawson that is nothing but great news for Lions fans. Hopefully opposing quarterbacks sleep on Tabor the way that the national media are.