Detroit Lions: Which Rookies Will Have The Biggest Impact This Season?

The NFL Draft days were always a special day of the year for me growing up a Detroit Lions fan. There’s a sad joke, the draft is ‘our Super Bowl’… Hard to argue when you never made it to one and draft day is not only your best opportunity to but also the most exciting Detroit Lions event most years.

A day for us to forget however the Detroit Lions mucked up the previous season to get them such an exciting pick and to hope for the kid who will hopefully lead this team to the promised land.

Nothing will turn around a historically bad NFL franchise like the Detroit Lions faster than excellent drafting, and nothing will send a lighting jolt down the spine of an NFL franchise like a breakout rookie. With Bob Quinn’s job on the line going into his fourth season and a lot hanging on the success of 2019, he needs his newest class of rookies to hit more than ever.

Today I’ll rank all nine of those rookies that I expect to have the most noticeable impact, not necessarily the best, but the most significant impact on the Detroit Lions 2019 season. Going from smallest to biggest;

9th) P.J. Johnson [Round 7; 229th overall];

As P.J. failed to make the initial 53-man roster or practice squad as of Sunday night, this was super easy. His impact stops at a practice body in training camp.

8th) Isaac Nauta [Round 7; 224th] overall;

Isaac Nauta was cut from the 53-man roster on Saturday, then signed to the practice squad on Sunday according to Justin Rodgers of the Detroit News. Helping the team practice every week and the possibility of getting ‘called up’ is better than P.J at least.

7th) Travis Fulgham [Round 6; 184th overall];

Fulgham was the only other cut candidate from the rookie class as he kind of faded away in the past month. Without injuries I don’t see Travis getting many snaps, presumably being the 5th WR option to start the season.

6th) Austin Bryant: [Round 4; 117th overall];

Bryant has been out with undisclosed right arm/shoulder injury since the first week of training camp. Bryant also played last season at Clemson with a torn right pectoral injury. But if he ever does get on the field this season, I expect him to be in the rotation. Especially with Bryant playing a lot of JACK LB before getting hurt, a position where the Lions are not deep.

5th) Will Harris [Round 3; 81st overall];

Will Harris has gotten a lot of reps with the ones the last three preseasons games. Which is great because before that he seemed to be having a hard being in the right spot on the field. While his play has been good lately, he has some of the stiffest competition for playing time on the team as a safety.

4th) Amani Oruwariye [Round 5th, 146th overall];

Oruwariye has had an up and down training camp, but that is to be expected with any rookie cornerback. I think he has some of the best upside in this draft and looked pretty good so far, but corners take time and ‘pretty good’ for a rookie cornerback will not be good enough for how much the Detroit Lions might have to depend on him. If either Slay or Melvin goes down, Oruwariye looks to be a starter, that’s a whole lot of impact.

3rd) Ty Johnson [Round 6, 186th overall];

I went back and forth between Amani and Ty here, the difference between the two is… when the Detroit Lions are 100% healthy, Ty has the more significant role.

I’ve preached from the top of the RenCen that Ty Johnson is a legit offensive threat in the NFL. I think the Lions will game plan and use him right away Week 1 vs. Arizona. And by seasons end I expect Ty Johnson’s production to force him into getting the second-most snaps in the RB room.

2nd) T.J. Hockenson [Round 1, 8th overall];

T.J. Hockenson has been the most impressive rookie so far in training camp and preseason. He’s been, dare I say, almost un-guardable able at times. He’s held up well in the blocking department and has seemingly understood responsibilities, which is often the hardest transition for rookie tight ends.

The fact that I have Hockenson at number two even though I think he will have a major positive impact on every facet of the Lions offense, more so than any other player at his position. Says a lot about who I have at number one.

1st) Jahlani Tavai [Round 2, 43rd overall];

Jahlani Tavai has a good chance of proving the Quinn critics wrong when it comes to his biggest ‘reach’ on draft day. Bobby Q sent One Pride nation into a frenzy when he selected Tavai in the second round, not because that was the pick they were dreading to hear, but because they’ve never heard of Jahlani Tavai.

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Well, we’ve all been hearing the name since thankfully it’s been almost all positive. He looks like one of the best LB prospects to come out of the draft, and that’s precisely what Patricia needed. He fits a role on this defense that no other Lions LB does with his size. Though he’s been playing in all four LB spots, I would not be surprised to see him at the MIKE calling plays eventually this season, even after incumbent starter Jarrad Davis returns from injury.

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