Over the summer, Detroit Lions fans quickly learned the name Dylan Drummond. The undrafted rookie wide receiver from nearby Eastern Michigan was a training camp and preseason darling, a popular projection to stick on the initial 53-man roster.
Drummond did indeed parlay an impressive summer into a spot in Detroit, albeit on the Lions’ practice squad. And now he’s the latest in a line of recent preseason phenoms to fade away quickly after being replaced by one of his predecessors.
On Wednesday, the Lions signed veteran wideout Tom Kennedy to the practice squad and released Drummond to make room. Kennedy returned after being waived/injured over the summer, ironically a situation that presented Drummond with a bigger opportunity. A free agency visit early in the week convinced the Lions to sign Kennedy and let Drummond go.
The sticky-handed Drummond caught nine passes for 87 yards in the preseason. He showed the ability to get open quickly out of the slot, and Drummond also offered some return man potential — basically Kennedy’s role in Detroit for most of the last four seasons.
Alas, Drummond’s summer star lost some luster over the season. The Lions brought Kennedy back to effectively extinguish the once-bright light. Now Drummond goes the way of Kalil Pimpleton, Chris Lacy, Jace Billingsley, Travis Fulgham, Andrew Peacock and other wideouts who thrived in the summer but couldn’t make it in the autumn or winter, at least not with the Lions.
Kennedy remains one of the very few summer success stories who emerged as a viable NFL talent. Drummond could still find a path in the NFL, but it’s a big climb after being replaced by Kennedy. Drummond was buried as the No. 3 WR on the Detroit practice squad (behind Daurice Fountain and Maurice Alexander) as a smallish wideout with poor speed (4.62 40-yard dash) and lacking considerable collegiate accomplishment.