Dave Birkett of the Free Press is reporting that the Detroit Lions have signed seventh-round defensive lineman Jashon Cornell and now their entire rookie class is under contract.
As a prized defensive end in high school, Cornell was once considered the top player in his recruiting class. He opted for Ohio State, where a loaded position group — featuring the Bosa brothers and Chase Young — kept him off the field early in his college career.
In an effort to find more playing time, Cornell expanded his role and began taking reps inside at the 3-technique. He shifted inside full time in 2019 and was Pro Football Focus’ third highest-graded defensive tackle in this draft class.
Cornell’s hybrid skill set makes him an ideal fit for the Lions 3/5-technique, where Da’Shawn Hand and Nick Williams are expected to rotate through starting duties. Because of the schematic demand for this style of position player, and the expectation that they are able to play multiple spots, the Lions have kept at least three players at this position in previous seasons.
Last year Kevin Strong manned the third spot on the depth chart here, but with the arrival of Cornell, this figures to be one of the more intriguing training camp battles this fall.
Terms of the deal are not immediately available, but according to OverTheCap.com’s 2020 draft pick estimates, as the 235th pick in the draft, Cornell’s contract would be in the ballpark of 4-years totaling close to $3.4 million, with a cap hit this season of $631,133 and a little under $85,000 in guaranteed money.