Jashon Cornell – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Lions re-sign Chris Lacy, Wes Hills, waive FB Luke Sellers, place DL Jashon Cornell on IR

At his morning press conference, Detroit Lions coach Matt Patricia announced a series of roster moves including re-signing wide receiver Chris Lacy and running back Wes Hills, waiving fullback Luke Sellers and placing Jashon Cornell on injured reserve.

Both Lacy and Hills split time between the Lions active roster and practice squad in 2019 and began training camp on the roster before being released over the last two weeks.

The resigning of Lacy was expected after last night’s report and he gives the Lions depth at outside receiver, while Hills gives the Lions more competition for the power running back role.

Sellers had a tough road to the roster with the Lions still rostering fullback Nick Bawden and the need to retain two players at the position more of a luxury than a necessity.

After Patricia twice referring to Cornell’s injury as “severe” and Birkett’s report of it being an Achillies injury, early indications are not optimistic that he will be able to return from injured reserve in 2020. If it is an Achillies tear, that will surely end his season, but Patricia elected not to comment on if Cornell will need surgery to not, so the longterm severity is not known at this time.

Quotes from the Lions’ beat: Praise for rookies during early days of training camp

During the first few days of Detroit Lions’ 2020 training camp, local beat writers have had lots of praise for the team’s rookies.

With no Spring camp, no preseason, and limited practices, rookies across the NFL were expected to be playing behind the eight-ball entering training camp.

“A lot of the rookies we’re trying to take it slow with,” Detroit Lions coach Matt Patricia said after Monday’s practice. “There’s a lot of information that they have to learn and certainly from a standpoint of being on the field for the first time in an NFL practice with pads on, there’s definitely just a lot coming at those guys from different directions.”

Despite the accelerated learning curve, and the Lions taking a slow approach, several Lions’ rookies have looked ahead of schedule during the early portions of training camp.

Lions Wire has yet to be out to Lions training camp this offseason — our turn in the rotation begins on Friday — but for now, let’s take a look at what the rest of the Lions beat writers have had to say through the first two practices.

Jonah Jackson starting at RG

Third-round pick Jonah Jackson was starting at right guard on Day 1 of padded practices and his consistent play earned positive remarks from all the Lions beat.

At his post-practice press conference, Patricia made sure to acknowledge that the guards have been rotating in training camp. “Really, Oday (Aboushi) and Kenny (Wiggins) and those guys have been working through there previous to getting out there today, so it’s kind of just a rotational thing that wound up being the first day of pads.”

But went he Lions took the field for the second day of practice, Jackson was once again holding down the starting position at right guard.

Quotes from the beat: “Rookie guard Jonah Jackson has gotten a lot of run with the first-team offense the first two days of padded practice at right guard. During an offense vs. defense run drill the rookie showed off his athleticism and power when he pulled left and pancaked Ragland right on his butt in one rep. It’s early, but Jackson has shown some good things through the first two days.” — Tim Twentyman, Detroit Lions senior writer’s Tuesday observations.

“The Lions didn’t trade up for Jackson in the third round for nothing.” — Kyle Meinke of MLive.

Jeff Okudah with the second team … for now

Expectations are that third overall pick Jeff Okudah will be one of the Lions starting cornerbacks when they open the regular season, but for now, he is having to earn that spot and is playing with the reserves.

Of note, Kenny Golladay mentioned that both he and Marvin Jones made a point of having Okudah skip the line in one-on-ones so they could match up against him because that’s the level “of competition (Okudah will) be seeing come Sunday.”

Quote from the beat: “As for Okudah, the expectation for most is he’ll be a Week 1 starter. But Patricia is going to make the rookie earn the job and he likes the way the competition is shaping up in the back end of the defense.” — Justin Rogers of the Detroit News.

D’Andre Swift catching on quickly

Second-round rookie running back D’Andre Swift is quickly living up to expectations — most notable because of his route running and pass-catching chops.

Swift mentioned that he feels really comfortable on the field already, and while he is still working to absorb the playbook as quickly as possible to earn the coaches’ trust, he has turned to veterans like Matthew Stafford, Kerryon Johnson, and Ty Johnson for advice.

Quote from the beat: “You’ve probably already seen every Lions beat guy Tweet about how rookie D’Andre Swift looked absolutely uncoverable as a receiver on Tuesday, and they’re all correct.” — Jeremy Reisman of pride of Detroit wrote after his Tuesday Observations.

Julian Okwara taking it slow

Julian Owara is a tremendous athlete and his attributes will likely be featured in situational pass-rushing roles early in the season. But, for Okwara to justify a spot on the roster he will need to expand his game more and that means contributing in other phases of the game.

Quote from the beat: “During individual drills, Okwara was mostly repping with special teams and not the linebackers. He got a fair amount of second and/or third-team jack linebacker reps, but it appears the Lions are trying to get him ready for a special teams role first and will rotate him into the regular defense later.” — Reisman’s observations from Tuesday.

Logan Stenberg competiting

For now, Logan Stenberg has been taking reps at third-string left guard behind starter Joe Dahl and veteran Oday Aboushi, as well as rotating through snaps at reserve center.

Quote from the beat: “Stenberg still has some bad habits to break. He’s still playing too tall out of his stance. He competes, but it’s not as clean (as Jackson) right now.” — Nick Baumgardner of the Athletic (subscription).

Quintez Cephus looks like he belongs

Fifth-round wide receiver has also gotten a handful of “he looks like he belongs” quotes from the beat and he is a player that appears on track for a contributing role early in the season.

Quote from the beat: “Back during the NFL Combine, Jeff Okudah said that the best receiver he went up against in college was Quintez Cephus. Well, Cephus proved him right on Tuesday, beating Okudah on back-to-back reps during one-on-ones.” Reisman’s observations.

Jashon Cornell suffers “pretty severe” injury

Seventh-round defensive lineman Jashon Cornell went down in practice on Tuesday and the early reports were bad. Things appeared worse when Patrica called his injury “pretty severe” in his post-practice presser, and took a final turn for worse when the Free Press’ Dave Birkett reported that it was an Achilles injury. If it’s a tear, he’s done for the season.

Quote from the beat: “Cornell, a seventh-round pick out of Ohio State, injured his left Achilles tendon during a one-on-one pass-rushing drill near the end of practice. He screamed in pain as he fell to the ground while making a move on guard Kenny Wiggins.” — Dave Birkett of the Free Press.

No quotes for these rookies yet

Jason Huntley, John Penisini, Hunter Bryant, Jalen Elliott, Bobby Price, Luke Sellers, Arryn Siposs, and Steve Wirtel have all flown a but under the radar early in camp but it’s still early.

Former Ohio State defensive lineman Jashon Cornell injured in Lions practice

Former Ohio State and current Lions defensive lineman Jashon Cornell was carted off the field with a leg injury in preseason camp Tuesday.

Former Ohio State defensive lineman Jashon Cornell was carted off the field during the Detroit Lions’ preseason camp on Tuesday. According to reports, it was an apparent lower leg injury.

According to mLive, The injury occurred as Cornell was going through one-on-one passing drills before getting twisted up and screaming, then crumbling in pain to the ground. He was assessed on the field by trainers for several minutes before being taken into inside the Lions’ training facility for further treatment.

Cornell was selected by the Lions in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft after a career at Ohio State that never fully met expectations. He began to put some appealing things on film late last season as the Lions were scouting Chase Young and Jeff Okdudah, and that was enough for the Lions to take a chance on the 6-foot, 3-inch, 285-pound pass rusher.

They were impressed with his versatility and athleticism.

#Lions rookie DE Jashon Cornell was carted off about midway through the practice with a leg injury. Didn’t look good.

— Jeremy Reisman (@DetroitOnLion) August 18, 2020

Cornell was in the running for one of the last jobs on the D-line behind Danny Shelton, Nick Williams and Da’Shawn Hand, but now we’ll have to wait and see just how much of a setback this becomes.

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Lions’ rookie DL Jashon Cornell injured at training camp

Multiple reports out of Allen Park is that Detroit Lions seventh-round rookie defensive lineman Jashon Cornell was injured at training camp.

Multiple media sources in Allen Park are reporting that Detroit Lions’ seventh-round rookie defensive lineman Jashon Cornell was injured at Tuesday’s training camp.

According to Lions senior writer Tim Twentyman on Twitter, Cornell “suffered what looked like a lower left leg injury in one-on-one pass rush drills at Lions practice Tuesday. Went down during his rush and was carted off.

Per NFL rules, the Lions won’t need to acknowledge the injury until Cornell is involved in a roster move (i.e. placing him on injured reserve or if he is released) and the media is restricted from speculating on what type of injury occurred, so there is unlikely to be an update at this time.

That being said, requiring the cart to exit the field isn’t encouraging, especially at a position that is already a bit thin.

Da’Shawn Hand and Nick Williams are likely to split the starting role at the Lions 3/5-technique, but coaches prefer to rotate three guys through that position on a given week. Add in the fact that last year’s third option at the position, Kevin Strong, has yet to take the field at camp this year and the Lions are down to their last option at the position in Frank Herron.

Lions claim DT Daylon Mack off waivers in series of Sunday roster moves

Mack was a 5th-round pick by the Ravens in 2019

The Detroit Lions were busy working on the first day of August. The team announced on Sunday evening a series of roster moves, including the addition of defensive tackle Daylon Mack off waivers.

Mack was claimed off waivers from Baltimore, where he was a fifth-round pick by the Ravens in the 2019 NFL Draft. He played only nine special teams snaps in one game as a rookie.

In addition to the Mack acquisition, the Lions made a couple of internal status updates.

Austin Bryant was placed on the active/PUP list. The second-year EDGE missed most of his rookie campaign with a torn pectoral muscle.

Defensive end Romeo Okwara is now on the active/non-football injury list.

Both Okwara and Bryant remain free to be activated at any point before the start of the season and do not count against the Lions’ roster cap.

The team also officially announced the signing of draft pick Jashon Cornell.

Report: Lions sign Jashon Cornell, entire rookie class under contract

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.

Jashon Cornell was one of PFF’s top-graded DTs in the draft class of 2020

Lions 7th-round pick Jashon Cornell was one of PFF’s top-graded DTs in the draft class of 2020

The Detroit Lions just might have found themselves a real value in the seventh round with rookie Jashon Cornell. The defensive lineman from Ohio State earned the 4th-highest grade from Pro Football Focus in 2019 among players who were in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Cornell finished just behind top-10 overall pick Derrick Brown from Auburn in PFF’s grading.

Context behind the grades certainly matters. Cornell didn’t play nearly as many snaps or as high of a percentage of reps as Brown or the others above him. And he did his damage often playing next to No. 2 overall pick Chase Young. But it’s still impressive that Cornell fared so well in PFF’s metrics while transitioning from playing primarily strong-side DE to DT in 2019.

Highest-graded rookie DTs:

1. Jordan Elliott, Missouri – 92.4
2. Garrett Marino, UAB – 91.1
3. Derrick Brown, Auburn – 90.4
4. Jashon Cornell, Ohio State – 90.2 pic.twitter.com/D8MHK8rS6W

— PFF College (@PFF_College) June 17, 2020

Establishing the 53: Wrapping up the mailbag, part 3

Answering the reader’s mailbag questions after Erik Schlitt’s Establishing the 53 series of articles at Lions Wire.

After the conclusion of my “Establishing the 53” series of articles, I posed a question to the #OnePride fan base on Twitter asking for any mailbag questions surrounding my conclusions.

I answered the three most asked questions in Part 1 of the Mailbag, focused on the linebackers in Part 2, but there are still a few more great questions to answer. So let’s wrap up the mailbag here with Part 3.

Note: questions may have been edited for clarity.

I suspect the Lions really want a fulltime FB, they would fear losing Blough off the PS, and they lust for safeties — which would mean 1 more making the team. — @jhsthethird

I agree with all three of these concerns and even addressed the need for an extra safety in part 1 of the mailbag when I added C.J. Moore back into my 53-man projection.

As far as a fullback, Nick Bawden is the obvious front runner and his contributions on special teams surely help his cause, but at the end of the day the Lions would likely have to go light at another position — keeping only five wide receivers or eight offensive linemen — to make room for him. It’s possible that happens, but it would go a bit against the grain of previous rosters constructions.

Unfortunately, the same issue with roster space applies to Blough as well. He has shown he has the mental makeup and potential to develop with time, but if the Lions were truly all in on him making the 53, they probably wouldn’t have given Chase Daniel the type of contract they did. If the Lions are truly worried they may lose him off the practice squad, don’t be surprised if they give him salary close to what he is making now ($675,000) to encourage him to stick around.

It seems that you have all but one draft pick sticking on the roster. Does that mean you think the Lions really did well in the late rounds of the draft? — @IgorPetrinovic

The one draft pick I didn’t have making my 53-man projection was seventh-round pick defensive lineman Jashon Cornell (Ohio State), as I had him being edged out by last year’s UDFA gem Kevin Strong. My exclusion is less a knock on Cornell and more of a compliment to Strong who flashed last season. If Cornell impresses in camp, he surely has a shot to make it into the rotation.

One of the reasons I typically include a lot of rookies from the Lions draft class is based on the methodical nature of general manager Bob Quinn. He rarely veers from his offseason game plan and when he identifies a player and uses draft capital on him, it’s generally for an immediate purpose.

For example, in the four previous seasons, Quinn has only cut the following drafted rookies in training camp:

2019: his final draft pick, PJ Johnson
2018: none
2017: final pick Pat O’Conner, and second to last pick Brad Kaaya
2016: second to last pick Jimmy Landes

Will the Lions add more depth to the DL/pass rush before the season? Looks to be a weak spot again this season. — @thespartyabides

The interior defensive line surely has the potential to be a weak spot with concerns surrounding Da’Shawn Hand and Kevin Strong’s health, Nick Williams’ lack of scheme familiarity, unproven rookies in Cornell and John Penisini, and the struggles to create pressure from this group last season.

[lawrence-related id=45886]

But if the Lions are going to add a player in free agency, the top name on the market is a familiar one: Mike Daniels.

Adding Daniels on an incentive-laden deal would be wise — if the Lions can get him on board with it — as he loves the Lions organization and coaches, and when healthy has the upside to fill an interior pass-rushing role the team desperately needs.

You have the Lions keeping 9 OL and 3 are tackles. With 3 IOL that are rookies or 2nd-year players. How likely is it that they stick with that much youth and clustered in the interior vs trying to add/keep a vet? Do you think they are satisfied with their tackle depth? — @KuehnObserve

I do think they are satisfied with their tackle depth, and while it’s not overly sexy having Kenny Wiggins as a fourth option, I believe they would rather lean on him in an emergency option rather than keep a roster spot for a player who can only play at tackle, like Dan Skipper or free agents like Demar Dotson and Andre Smith who are the top right tackles on the market.

As far as the interior, having three veterans and three rookie/sophomores is livable, especially if they keep a player like Oday Aboushi on speed dial.

QIB study of Lions draft class highlights athleticism on defense

When using Quinn Influenced Benchmarks (QIB) to examine the Detroit Lions 2020 draft class, the defense got noticeably more athletic.

Quinn Influenced Benchmarks (QIB) — the study of Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn’s draft tendencies — has been a staple of Lions Wire draft coverage for the last few seasons, but with the COVID pandemic canceling Pro Days, the process and available data took a massive hit.

In yesterday’s QIB study we took a look at how the Lions’ offense could be in for a potential scheme expansion and in today’s article, we shift to the other side fo the ball and examine the athletic markers of the defensive players acquired in the 2020 Draft/UDFA class.

The near-perfect addition

Jeff Okudah (1st)

After the NFL Combine, I examined Jeff Okudah’s measurables and identified, in detail, the numbers that matter to the Lions — spoiler: he checked every box he attempted.

Here are the highlights of his physical attributes:

Clear 6-0, 190-pounds? Yup, he checked in at 6-1, 205
How’s his arm length? 32.63″ longest among Lions’ CBs
Sub 4.5 40-yard-dash? Yup, 4.48 is plenty fast
Vertical jump over 36″? Yup, 41″, best in CB class
Broad jump over 10′? Yup, 11’3″, best in CB class
3-cone under 3.92? Short shuttle under 4.16? Didn’t attempt

And that last two “didn’t attempt’s” in the agility drills is why this section is titled “near-perfect” and not “perfect”. When you add in all of Okudah’s other attributes — intelligence, scheme fit, character, etc — it’s no wonder he was an easy selection at pick three overall. If he’s not the Lions top cornerback at the end of his rookie year, it’d be surprising.

No QIB, no problem

Julian Okwara (3rd), John Penisini (6th), and Jashon Cornell (7th)

A broken Fibula kept Julian Okwara from finishing his final season at Notre Dame and the NFL Combine, so there are no tested measurables to compare for the QIB system. In fact, the only thing we can examine is his physical makeup and game film.

The Lions target two things in the physical makeup of their EDGE rushers, weigh over 250 pounds, and have 34″ arm length. Okwara weighed 252 pounds at the Combine and like his brother Romeo, he has the frame to easily add more weight. Okwara was also one of only seven EDGE rushers in this draft class to check the arm length box, with him registering 34.38″ arms — second to only Austin Bryant (34.63″) on the Lions roster.

Here’s Julian Okwara bull-rushing two OTs that weigh 100+ pounds more than him (Mekhi Becton & Isaiah Wilson) in case you were wondering how explosive he is
pic.twitter.com/RoyVtqJLQG

— Mike Renner (@PFF_Mike) April 15, 2020

On film Okwara’s burst and power jump out and it’s easy to see why many are calling him a steal in the third round.

Expect the Lions to start Okwara out at JACK linebacker and ask him to burn up the edge as a pass rusher while he acclimates to the NFL. As he gets more comfortable, Okwara has the coverage skills and upside to expand his role in the Lions scheme and could have a Jamie Collins-like developmental ceiling ahead of him.

As a nose tackle, athletic expectations were low for John Penisini. He also only had a particle workout at the Combine leaving his QIB profile incomplete. Jashon Cornell wasn’t invited to the Combine and with no Ohio State Pro Day this year, his profile is also incomplete.

UDFA safeties

Jalen Elliott, Jeremiah Dinson, and Bobby Price

The Lions took three fliers on undrafted safeties and while Jalen Elliott was the only one of the three invited to the Combine, all three have measurables as both Auburn (Jeremiah Dinson) and Norfolk State (Bobby Price) managed to get in Pro Days before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Elliott ran a shockingly slow 40-yard dash at the Combine (4.8 seconds), but the Lions tend to focus on the explosion and agility score more for safeties, which is to his benefit. Elliot exceeded the benchmarks in the vertical jump, broad jump, and all-important 3-cone (6.87 seconds), while he only missed in the short shuttle but 0.02 seconds. He may not be an all-around athlete, but he’s athletic in the right ways.

Dinson only passed the vertical jump benchmark which puts him at an athletic disadvantage, but if he is going to make the 53-man roster, his elite tackling ability could be his ticket.

Price is the prototypical small school freak athlete who could turn heads when he gets into camp. At 6-3, 216 with 33.25″ arms Price has an impressive build, but also ran a 4.43 40-yard-dash and emphatically checks all four boxes the Lions look for — 43″ vertical jump, 11-foot broad jump, 6.85-second 3-cone, and 4.06-second short shuttle are all the top marks among Lions safeties. If you’re looking for an undrafted sleeper athlete in this draft class, Price is the guy to take note of.

Every Lions Wire article about the Lions’ 2020 draft class

A comprehensive collection of every Lions Wire article about the Detroit Lions’ 2020 draft class, including undrafted free agents.

During the 2020 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions drafted nine players and signed seven undrafted free agents. Articles were produced at a rapid pace and it’s possible some fans may have missed some of Lions Wire’s coverage.

So in order to make sure we’ve got you covered, here is every article we wrote about all 16 players acquired by the Lions both during and after the draft.