Tag: Obinna Eze

Lions stock report after the first preseason game

Breaking down Detroit Lions players who raised their stock in the preseason game against the Falcons and those whose stocks fell

We got our first look at the 2022 Detroit Lions against another opponent in the preseason opener against the Atlanta Falcons. The Lions dropped an action-packed game, 27-23, when the deep reserves on both sides of the ball couldn’t come through late in the game.

Over 75 Lions saw action in the game, including most projected starters. It was a great chance to gauge where players are at in positional battles and overall roster chances.

Here are the Lions who saw their stock rise in Friday night’s game at Ford Field, and those whose stock fell in the loss to the Falcons too.

 

Lions stock report after the 1st week of training camp

 

Lions UDFA watch: Assessing the undrafted rookies entering the 1st preseason game

Detroit Lions UDFA watch: Assessing the undrafted rookies entering the 1st preseason game

One of the more interesting facets of the first preseason game is seeing the rookies in action against another team for the first time. For the undrafted rookies in Detroit, most fans have no real exposure to what they’re doing in camp or what skills they might offer.

Here’s a primer on the Lions undrafted rookie class and how they’re faring entering Friday night’s preseason opener against the Atlanta Falcons.

Note that the list here has been pared down with the recent retirements of WR Corey Sutton and OL Zein Obeid.

Detroit Lions UDFAs that could crack the 53-man roster

The Lions hit it big last year with several good UDFAs. Who could join them in 2022?

Undrafted free agents, or UDFAs, make rosters all across the league, and the Lions are no stranger to this. In 2021, the Lions saw contributions from undrafted rookies CBs Jerry Jacobs and AJ Parker, OL Ryan McConnell, TE Brock Wright and OG Tommy Kraemer.

The Lions signed 12 undrafted rookies and sent 4 additional free agents invites to camp for 2022, and although it is highly unlikely all 12 make the final 53-man roster, there are a few UDFAs that I think have a shot to not just make the roster, but contribute early on.

Lions announce 12 UDFA signings for rookie minicamp

4 of the UDFAs were previously known to have signed and the Lions added 8 more including CMU WR/RS Kalil Pimpleton

When the Detroit Lions started waiving players left and right during the week, it wasn’t just to show some players the door. They needed to open up some roster spaces to sign more undrafted rookies for this weekend’s rookie minicamp.

The Lions dumped eight players this week and used all of those roster spots to add to the UDFA class. Previously limited to just four signings due to a lack of room on the 90-man roster, Detroit added eight more players under contract.

The new additions:

  • Cedric Boswell, CB, Miami OH
  • Nolan Givan, TE, SE Louisiana
  • Josh Johnson, WR, Tulsa
  • Zein Obeid, OL, Ferris State
  • Kalil Pimpleton, WR/RS, Central Michigan
  • Corey Sutton, WR, Appalachian State
  • Demetrius Taylor, DT, Appalachian State
  • Jermaine Waller, CB, Georgia Tech

They join the four prior UDFAs who all received at least $100,000 to sign with the Lions: TCU OT Obinna Eze, Michigan State OL Kevin Jarvis, San Deigo State RB Greg Bell and San Jose State TE Derrick Deese Jr.

 

Predicting the UDFA most likely to make the Lions 53-man roster

Predicting the UDFA most likely to make the Lions 53-man roster of the initial group signed after the 2022 NFL draft

In 2021, the Detroit Lions struck paydirt with a handful of undrafted free agent rookies. Given opportunities on a low-end roster, several UDFAs made major contributions and proved they are part of the long-term rebuild, notably CB Jerry Jacobs and OG Tommy Kraemer. Jacobs proved to be one of the top rookie CBs in the NFL, outperforming many players drafted in the first two days.

Who is this year’s UDFA most likely to impact the Lions roster in 2022 and beyond?

Detroit’s options in 2022 are far more limited. After the 8-man draft class, the Lions technically only had four remaining roster spots available to sign undrafted rookies. There is some clutter on the roster of holdovers that will get whittled down soon, but for now, there are four candidates.

All four received at least $100,000 to join the Lions:

  • San Diego State RB Greg Bell
  • San Jose State TE Derrick Deese Jr.
  • TCU OT Obinna Eze
  • Michigan State OL Kevin Jarvis

Of that group, Eze has the clearest path to making the team. The 6-6, 321-pound Eze has freakish length as a pass protector on the edge. His arms are over 36 inches long and he has a good understanding of how to use his length to force pass rushers traipse a very wide circle to get around him to the outside.

That’s the precise type the Lions have looked for as a reserve offensive tackle. Eze is competing for a spot with Matt Nelson and Dan Skipper. Nelson is 6-7, Skipper is almost 6-10. Like Eze, both are limited movers who win with length and a powerful initial punch but struggle facing quickness and inside moves.

The Lions coaches still seem enamored with Nelson’s development as he continues to transition from college DE to NFL offensive tackle. But Skipper is definitely vulnerable. Now entering his sixth NFL season, Skipper has played in 10 games in his career across six teams. It’s now his third stint with the Lions. In short, the upside appears nil.

Eze should be able to beat out Skipper. The Lions likely had that in mind when inking the Horned Frogs alum to a contract with more guaranteed money than they gave free agent safety DeShon Elliott–who could start for the team.

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Lions gave big bonuses to a few UDFA signings

Detroit filled the 4 vacant roster spots with UDFA signings with guaranteed monies

The aftermath of the 2022 NFL draft is finally settling down, and one of the developments many might have missed in the onslaught of information over draft weekend is the undrafted free agent signings. The Lions targeted a few UDFAs with some significant bonuses to sign with the team.

Four players received bonuses of at least $100,000 to join the Lions. Those are significant numbers because the Lions had just four open spots on the 90-man roster after the draft.

The biggest bonus goes to offensive tackle Obinna Eze. The TCU tackle got a $20,000 signing bonus and a base salary guarantee of $150,00, per Doug Kyed of PFF.

To put that in perspective, the Lions have more guaranteed money invested in Eze than they do in free agent LB Jarrad Davis.

The other three who got big bonuses:

San Diego State RB Greg Bell – $100,000 total; $85,000 in guaranteed salary and a $15,000 signing bonus.

San Jose State TE Derrick Deese Jr. – $100,000 including a $5,000 signing bonus.

Michigan State OL Kevin Jarvis – $155,000 total; $140,000 in guaranteed salary and a $15,000 signing bonus.

Using that kind of financial commitment is a pretty strong message that those four vacant spots are all but secured entering the rookie minicamp. Everyone else invited to the camp is starting out behind this quarter, barring some trimming of the current roster.

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Rams 7-round mock draft: Final edition

With the draft coming up in just 2 days, here’s our final mock draft for the Rams, going all 7 rounds to project what Les Snead will do

It’s officially the week of the 2022 NFL draft (*proceeds to rub hands together*) and it’s always exciting to see where certain prospects land as they hope to live out their dream of playing in the NFL. Los Angeles Rams fans will have to wait a while until their team makes a selection, with their first pick not coming until No. 104 in the third round.

With it being days before the draft begins, I’ll be conducting my final mock draft for the Rams. Los Angeles currently owns eight total picks, though we all know that Les Snead loves to make trades during the draft to either move up or compile more draft capital.

Amidst all of the chaos and uncertainty before the draft, here is my final seven-round mock draft for the Rams. Just note that this is how I envision Los Angeles drafting and does not entirely reflect what I would do with each pick.

Rams 2022 Draft Prospect Profile: Obinna Eze (T, TCU)

The Rams could target an OT in the later rounds and Obinna Eze is a name to watch in the 2022 NFL draft.

The offensive line of the Los Angeles Rams was simply masterful in 2021, leading to Matthew Stafford being sacked only 30 times (third-fewest of his career when he’s started in 16-plus games). But after having Andrew Whitworth, David Edwards, Brian Allen, Austin Corbett, and Rob Havenstein serving as the starters in 2021, only Edwards, Allen, and Havenstein are returning in 2022.

Joseph Noteboom is slated to replace Whitworth at left tackle after inking a new deal and it remains to be seen if the Rams view Coleman Shelton (who also signed a new contract) as a starter at guard. With Los Angeles needing to improve their depth on the offensive line, they could choose to address the trenches in the 2022 NFL draft.

There are only a couple of weeks until the draft gets underway and I’ve been —and will be — taking a look at a handful of prospects at positions of need for the Rams. The next offensive tackle that I’ll be highlighting is Obinna Eze out of TCU.

Cleveland Browns seven round mock draft simulation reviewed 2.0

Our guy @JoshKeatley16 did two simulations, allowing the computer to pick for the Browns, and reviewed the selections. Here is the second:

It may be the end of the Cleveland Browns football season, but it is just the beginning of draft season and I love me some draft hype. We here at Browns Wire are trying to do our best to provide out reactions to the most popular mock drafts being published by some of our favorite pundits, but most of them just supply the first round or if we are lucky the first three rounds, but if you are like me, you need more.

Our friends at The Draft Network have a wonderful mock draft simulator tool and I was curious to see what they had the Browns select. This will be the second time we have run this exercise and it has surprisingly turned out some different results. Just like last time, the first slide will be The Draft Network (TDN) selection and the second will be my preference.

Lions 7-round mock draft for the bye week

It’s time for the first full Detroit Lions 2022 NFL mock draft!

The Lions are off on Sunday, giving us a little break from the excitement of the game and the unfortunate losing streak that dates back almost a full calendar year. That can only mean one thing…

It’s time for the first full Detroit Lions 2022 NFL mock draft!

Here’s the first projection for each Lions pick in the next draft. The draft order is the current order as of November 6th.

The first few picks are taken from the 2-round mock draft I composed for RealGM this week. Use that as a reference for what players were available for each of the Lions picks, too.