Lions to work out DT John Drew

The Detroit Lions are planning to host quite the workout on Wednesday. They still have an open roster spot, and they are planning to bring in at least four players for a look. We already knew that wide receivers Laurent Robinson, Steve Breaston and Chaz Schilens were scheduled to take part in the workout, and Jason La Canfora reported on Tuesday night that defensive tackle John Drew will be in attendance as well.

Drew is an undrafted free agent out of North Carolina Central who nearly signed with the New England Patriots this week. Actually, he reportedly had a contract in hand before the Patriots changed their mind at the last second. Instead, they signed former Michigan State defensive tackle Anthony Rashad White. Perhaps this is what caused them to pass on adding Drew:

Drew played his freshman season at Duke before he and two teammates were arrested and kicked out of school for firing a gun into the air on campus. The three pleaded guilty to avoid jail time, and Drew finished his college career at North Carolina Central.

Given the whole Aaron Hernandez situation, I can't blame the Patriots for going in a different direction. Chances are they won't be taking any real character risks for the time being. Simply from a PR standpoint, the possible reward isn't worth the risk that comes along with someone who was in an incident involving a gun.

For the Lions, they may decide that the risk is worth it given that they could use additional depth at defensive tackle. Justin Bannan visited on Tuesday, and there was some thought that he would sign. He left without a deal, though, so the need to add a defensive tackle still exists. Considering Drew is 6-2 and 330 pounds, perhaps he could be the next Sammie Hill for the Lions.

Regardless of whether it's Drew or one of the wide receivers, it does seem like the Lions are planning to fill the opening on their roster on Wednesday. It may simply come down to who has the best workout with one spot up for grabs on the 90-man roster.