Breaking down the Lions’ Ohio State draft picks with Eleven Warriors’ Dan Hope
Breaking down the Lions’ Ohio State draft picks with Eleven Warriors’ Dan Hope
Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Breaking down the Lions’ Ohio State draft picks with Eleven Warriors’ Dan Hope
Most analysts seemed to like what the Detroit Lions did on draft day, but how would grade their draft class?
Now that we’ve had time to catch our breath and maybe some sleep, we were able to fully take in the Lions’ 2020 draft.
For all accounts and purposes, most analysts liked what general manager Bob Quinn might’ve had one of his more successful drafts filling in the major holes that were sinking this team. Some may believe he might’ve reached a few picks, but all in all, he was able to land great value with a majority of the selections.
He drafted Jeff Okudah, Julian Okwara, John Penisini, and Jashon Cornell to shore the weakness on defense. For the offense, he got D’Andre Swift, Jonah Jackson, Logan Stenberg, Quintez Cephus, and Jason Huntley.
On the surface, it looks like the Lions are putting a premium on improving the run game with the selection of two running backs and two guards. Even though the picks were later, they got a few players that should help the defensive line and pass rush.
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The Detroit Lions 2020 draft class have some elite athletes, but overall they measured as an average athletic class
Now that the 2020 NFL draft has concluded, we all can take a breath and reflect on the draft class. This is the time where we can further analyze each prospect and see what they can bring to the table. One particular method that is used to assess the athletic potential of prospects, and there is no better place to start than Kent Lee Platte’s Relative Athletic Score (RAS) measurements.
Taking a look at the #RAS of the #Lions 2020 draft class.
Their class averaged a RAS of 6.96.
They had 2 players score in elite range, over 8.00.
They had 1 players score below 5.00.
The rest fell inbetween. pic.twitter.com/4boeq8uY5x— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 25, 2020
The draft class measured out as an overall good athletic class highlighted by first-round selection Jeff Okudah and fifth-round selection Jason Huntley, who measured as great athletes in their corresponding position.
Okudah’s speed didn’t measure well, but he makes up for it in size and explosion, giving him the tools to be an elite shutdown corner. Where Okudah missed on speed, Huntley has it for days. Even though he is tiny for a running back, his speed and explosion make him a hard target to tackle.
D’Andre Swift, Jonah Jackson, and Logan Stenberg measured out as good athletes in their respective positions. Swift size is in question, but he measured overall as a good athlete with no notable standouts outside of his 40 time.
The sore thumb on Jackson’s record his atrocious shuttle time, but his broad jump helped raise is explosion score, but overall he measures out as a good athlete. Stenberg has excellent size for a guard, and his speed and explosion doesn’t move the needle towards his athleticism, but coupled with his nasty streak could make a fine guard.
The lone draft pick that measured out as a mediocre athlete was wide receiver, Quitez Cephus. Cephus’ size and explosion athletics can help him win contested catch, but his speed is a significant concern. If it wasn’t for improvement with his 40 time at his pro day, he might not have been drafted.
With no pro day or combine numbers to measure, Julian Okwara, John Penisini, and Jashon Cornell did factor into the Lions’ overall athletic score.
The Lions might not have had the most athletic draft class out of the bunch, but they have intelligent players who will fit the scheme and look to make an impact where they are needed.
Identifying five things fans need to know about Detroit Lions defensive lineman Jashon Cornell.
The Detroit Lions ended their draft by picking defensive tackle Jashon Cornell from Ohio State. He seems like he could be a pretty decent guy.
Here’s what I found out about him.
Dang sup @JayRock_9
— Frank Ragnow (@KNARFWONGAR) April 25, 2020
Welcome to Detroit Jashon! If you like to get after quarterbacks, we love to see it!
Assigning a grade to the Detroit Lions’ selection of Ohio State defensive lineman Jashon Cornell in the 7th round.
In their final pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions selected Jashon Cornell, a defensive tackle out of Ohio State.
Cornell is a seventh-round pick, meaning he’s not expected to be a key contributor for the team in this upcoming season. Instead, he will try and prove he can be a capable backup for the Lions.
He’s a versatile defensive lineman who could play on the inside as a 3-technique or on the edge as a 5-technique. It’s likely that he serves as a backup to Da’Shawn Hand.
He wasn’t a star for the Buckeyes, but he shows promise as a pass rusher from the interior of the defensive line. Cornell is an undersized lineman and hasn’t shown the functional strength needed for the position, but he has a lot of developmental promise. That may not sound ideal, but it’s exactly what you want in a seventh-round pick.
This is a player with plenty of upside and raw talent. Hopefully, the Lions can help him develop into a trustworthy backup or rotational piece of the defensive line.
Ohio State defensive tackle Jashon Cornell has been selected by the Detroit Lions in the 7th round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
The 2020 NFL Draft is almost over, but there’s still Ohio State players getting drafted — ten total in fact with the selection by the Detroit Lions of defensive tackle Jashon Cornell. The pick came as the No. 235 overall pick in the seventh and final round.
He’ll be joining teammate Jeff Okudah in the state up north.
Many had Cornell going undrafted and having to find his way onto a team in free agency, but not the Lions. They pulled the trigger on one of the unsung heroes of one of the best defenses in the country last season.
The 6-foot, 3-inch, 285-pounder manned both the defensive tackle and end positions during his career at Ohio State but became a solid part of the interior eventually.
He started all 14 games in 2019 for the Big Ten Conference champions and had an outstanding senior season that included 30 tackles, 6.5 TFLs and 4.0 sacks.
➕Plus one more to Detroit!@JayRock_9 joins Jonah + Jeff in the Motor City!#GoBucks | #NFLDraft2020 pic.twitter.com/hakAFnSz7L
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) April 25, 2020
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With pick No. 235 of the 2020 NFL Draft, the 21st pick in the seventh round, the Lions select defensive lineman Jashon Cornell, Ohio State.
With pick No. 235 of the 2020 NFL Draft, the 21st pick in the seventh round, the Lions select defensive lineman Jashon Cornell, Ohio State. This is the third Ohio State player the Lions have selected in this draft class — Jeff Okudah and Jonah Jackson being the other two.
After taking a run-stuffing interior defender in John Penisini in the sixth round, the Lions landed a Big DE (think Da’Shawn Hand’s role) in Cornell.
At 6-3, 287 pounds, Cornell tried to break in the defensive end rotation at Ohio State, and spend a few years rotating between defensive end and defensive tackle, but last season he shifted inside on a regular basis and found more success — 6.5 tackles for loss and four sacks in 2019.
OhioSt DL Jashon Cornell is making his presence felt as a senior. While not the largest lineman, at 3T or 5T he can use his quickness to win up front. #SnapScout pic.twitter.com/xdEv8dDeFZ
— Chad Reuter (@chad_reuter) November 13, 2019
Jashon Cornell (@JayRock_9) with the hesi/club/arm over sack. Big play by the fifth-year senior #Buckeyes pic.twitter.com/2Ps6zoq2g4
— DLineVids (@dlinevids1) December 8, 2019
Cornell won’t be able to touch Hands snaps, but last year’s undrafted free agent darling Kevin Strong should feel a bit of pressure. While Cornell can’t match Strong’s first step, he does possess an arsenal of pass-rushing moves which will allow him to win in a variety of ways.
Cornell was the Lions final selection in the 2020 NFL Draft.