The Detroit Lions have been building the trenches this offseason but they finally made an addition to their secondary during the NFL Draft. Arizona State cornerback Keith Abney II was selected by Detroit in the fifth round (117th overall) on Saturday afternoon and it adds another player to a cornerback room that needed some help.
While the uncertainty surrounding Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw are good reasons to add a corner, there’s also a case that Abney shouldn’t have been around when the Lions were on the clock. Projected to go in the second or third round by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, Abney has plenty of upside and could be a player that has a bigger return than the round he was drafted in.
Keith Abney II Could Become Draft Day Bargain for Lions
Abney was projected as a Day 2 pick by Brugler and was the 61st overall player on Wide Left’s consensus board, which takes into account the date from 134 draft analysts. He was also sticky in coverage, allowing 32 catches for 321 yards with no touchdowns, two interceptions and nine pass breakups on 72 targets in his final year with the Sun Devils.
Brugler added that Abney “is an undersized, feisty cover corner with athletic balance, core strength and endurance” and “his on-ball production reflects his talent.” But he may have slid due to his 5-foot-9, 187-pound frame and undisciplined tendencies that led to 13 penalties during his two seasons as a starter at Arizona State.
“Abney has wild tendencies and can put himself in tough situations, but athletic instincts and competitive fire (in all areas) are exciting trademarks of his game,” Brugler wrote in his scouting guide, The Beast. “He has the making of an NFL starter with inside-outside upside.”
The versatility that Abney brings is an added bonus to a discounted talent in the fifth round and could bring even more benefits depending on what the Lions need.
The outside corner spots are fluid outside of DJ Reed as Arnold must improve from his performance over his first two seasons in the NFL and Rakestraw needs to avoid the injuries that have plagued him in his first two seasons in the league. If both young corners bounce back, Abney could shift to the nickel corner to replace Amik Robertson, even though the Lions signed Roger McCreary to fill that role during free agency.
In a worst case scenario, Abney becomes reliable depth for a team that has struggled to find it over the years. But the pre-draft evaluation suggests he’s capable of much more and could be a draft day steal for the Lions as he fell to them in the draft.
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