2017 Draft, Round 2, Pick 53 and Round 3, Pick 85

At overall pick 53, the 21st pick of round 2 of the 2017 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions select CB Jalen (Teez) Tabor from Florida.

At just over 6' tall and 199 pounds, Teez Tabor ran a 40 yard dash in 4.62 seconds. Which is horribly slow for a CB in the NFL. Apparently he ran it with ham string issues, so apparently it doesn't count. Teez also has small hands, measuring in at 8 5/8". To compare, I am 6' tall and weigh in at 200 pounds and my hand size is 10 1/4". I might make the 40 in 5 seconds if a very large bear is chasing me and I have a slight head start. Otherwise, Teez wins, easily.

Problem is, Teez won't be defending me in the NFL. The good news is, his film shows he can defend. Some guys practice well and play poorly, others practice (or test) poorly and play well. Playing well is definitely more important. It just makes one nervous if the player can't do both (play and practice/test well).

Teez has a horrible (due in part to the hamstring) RAS score of 2.59, normally I would yell and scream and complain about this draft pick. Nothing looks great about it other then his, hopefully deserved, self confidence, which is sky high. I'll check out some of my draft guides and post a few tidbits here:

Joe Marino's NDT Scouting Draft Guide says: Summary: Teez Tabor is a reliable cover corner with the ability to mirror down the field. His footwork is smooth, fluid, and patient. His hips are fluid and he remains balanced when he transitions. His best traits are his ball skills, as he displays an advanced skill set in terms of locating the football, driving on it, and disrupting passes at the catch point, often resulting in turnovers. Tabor can break on the ball forward, from the trail, and in zone coverage when reading the quarterback's eyes and attacking the catch radius. Tabor needs to improve his tackling technique and be more assertive pursuing the football, but otherwise is an excellent player that's proven to be difficult to throw against.

Optimum Scouting Guide has him ranked 23rd overall. His profile of Tabor is rather glowing, the main issue is concern about staying with a WR on deep routes. A safety over the top will prevent this from being a major issue, but in a division with Rodgers in Green Bay, you have to be a little concerned at the prospect. Still, he's quick, effective, fluid, all the words you want to hear about a CB in the NFL. I'm paraphrasing here, a lot. But that's what I get from reading the guide.

Tabor is a bit of an off field enigma who has supposedly matured a little recently, but he is still a player who entered the draft early and is likely going to be schooled in the NFL, how he handles that will be telling. How he accepts coaching will determine if he can succeed in the NFL. He is a boom or bust type in my opinion, and there's nothing wrong with that, expecially if he booms.

My biggest issue with the Lions selecting my 51st ranked player at 53 is that my 24th ranked player, CB Chidobe Awuzie, was still available (and eventually selected by the Dallas Cowboys with pick 60). It's assumed that Quinn's ranking is better then mine, but it still makes me nervous, at least a little.



At overall pick 85, the 21st pick in the 3rd round in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Lions had their short list emptied just prior to their pick (my assumption, not inside info). They traded down with the Patriots, obtaining a 4th round pick and moving down 11 picks to the final regular pick in the 3rd round for the Patriots, aka, pick 32 in round 3 (just before the comp picks start). The Lions then selected WR Kenneth (Kenny) Golladay from Northern Illinois. Kenny is 6' 4" tall, weighs in at 218 pounds, and runs the 40 in 4.5 seconds. His RAS score is 8.22 (elite) and his measureables remind me of Calvin Johnson. In fact, I once read that a WR who is that size and that fast has a 30% chance of being highly successful in the NFL, and there is no other combination of any measurables that gets a higher percentage. Other combinations are lower odds. Now Kenny is not NFL ready out of the box, his small school status means he needs a year (maybe less) of coaching and practice and film to bring him along, but as long as he puts in the work there is no reason at all he can't excel in the NFL. He fits the suit.

Due to being small school, Kenny wasn't in the draft guides, therefor I won't be pasting any synapses from those sources. In fact, I hope to find and post more on this pick later. Despite that, it is entirely possible in the years to come that this pick might end up my most favorite pick of the NFL 2017 Draft.

Look for the Lions to address DE, TE and some other positions tomorrow in day 3 of the draft. I'm looking forward to it myself, obviously.