Bob Quinn focuses on versatility with Detroit Lions' roster – Detroit Free Press
New general managers wants players who can play multiple positions effectively, if need be
Reasonable people can debate whether the Detroit Lions’ roster is better today under Bob Quinn than it was a year ago under Martin Mayhew, but one product of the team’s off-season personnel makeover has been adding more versatility to the locker room.
Whereas last year, the Lions relied heavily on middle linebackers (Stephen Tulloch), strong safeties (James Ihedigbo) and interior linemen (Larry Warford, Laken Tomlinson, Travis Swanson) who lacked the versatility to play a second position, Quinn said he targeted players with the ability to play multiple roles both in the draft and free agency.
“When we do the evaluation process it’s important to not only look at the player and what position they play in college, but have they played a position previously in their sophomore year, their freshman year?” Quinn said. “And when you’re projecting to the NFL, can they play a different position? ’Cause as we know, we can only dress 46 players, so every roster spot that we bring to the game is vitally important. So if a guy can play more than one spot it adds to his value.”
While the Lions ultimately would like first-round pick Taylor Decker to settle in as a left tackle and have second-rounder A’Shawn Robinson slotted as a run-stuffing interior defender, most of their other high draft picks played multiple roles in college.
On defense, Miles Killebrew is widely considered a strong safety, but he’s learning both safety positions plus nickel cornerback with the Lions, and his old position coach at Southern Utah said they sometimes used Killebrew as a cornerback to cover bigger receivers in college.
Fifth-round pick Antwione Williams played every linebacker position at Georgia Southern, and sixth-round defensive end Anthony Zettel can play either left end or defensive tackle.
On offense, all three linemen the Lions drafted, including Decker, played multiple positions in college.
Third-round pick Graham Glasgow is a center first, but the team doesn’t have the same reservations about him playing guard as they do with Swanson. And fifth-rounder Joe Dahl played both tackle and guard in college and his ultimate position in the NFL is to-be-determined.
“We didn’t draft him as one or the other,” Quinn said after the draft. “We drafted him as a versatile offensive lineman that’s going to come in and compete at both spots. He’s not going to play center, so you guys can write that down. But I think we have guys on our roster that are really one-position players as I came in here and now adding guys like Graham and Joe, and Taylor can play both sides, I think we have guys that can play multiple spots.
“And like I said at the beginning, when we have to dress 46 players, the more versatile the guys are, the better chance they’re going to be on the team.”
Contact Dave Birkett: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
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