Lions fans who put the wretched first half of Saturday night’s preseason game in Pittsburgh behind them and intently watched the second half probably know Tavante Beckett’s name. The speedy undrafted rookie linebacker was all over the Heinz Field turf, showing range, closing burst and positional awareness.
No. 59 only made one tackle, but the UDFA from Marshall was always around the ball or where he needed to be in coverage. That stood out after the first half of doom and LB gloom. It also stood out to Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, who hyped up the speedy, undersized backer after Tuesday’s practice session.
“It’s hard not to notice him,” Glenn stated. “Fast, quick, aggressive. The plays that he came in the (Steelers preseason) game and made, man, he showed out.”
Paired with Glenn’s earlier statement (regarding fellow UDFA A.J. Parker) that “you can’t be afraid of young players”, it seems like Beckett might have better chances to stick around Detroit than originally expected. At 5-foot-10 and 215 pounds, Beckett is smaller than some NFL safeties, but he’s proven he knows how to use his size, or lack thereof, as an asset. He’s difficult to block and accelerates laterally a lot quicker than most LBs can in coverage.
Beckett earned a handful of first-team defensive reps in Tuesday’s practice. He figures to play significant snaps in Friday night’s preseason finale, too.
The reality is that Beckett is playing more for a practice squad spot in 2021, but if Friday night’s game plays out similar to how the Steelers game flowed, Beckett will have a chance for something bigger and better than that as a rookie. With top coverage backer Shaun Dion Hamilton lost for the season already, there’s a role for Beckett to seize.