Lions sign 12 undrafted free agents, five draft picks

The Detroit Lions have announced their group of 2015 undrafted free agents, which includes 12 players this year:

• QB Anthony Boone (Duke)
• RB Rasheed Williams (Alfred State)
• RB Zach Zenner (South Dakota State)
• WR Vernon Johnson (Texas A&M University-Commerce)
• WR Desmond Lawrence (North Carolina A&T)
• TE Casey Pierce (Kent State)
• OG Al Bond (Memphis)
• OG Torrian Wilson (UCF)
• LB Kevin Snyder (Rutgers)
• S Isaiah Johnson (Georgia Tech)
• S Brian Suite (Utah State)
• K Kyle Brindza (Notre Dame)

Of this group, running back Zach Zenner, offensive guard Al Bond and safety Isaiah Johnson stand out as particularly intriguing players. Zenner, for example, rushed for 6,548 yards and 61 touchdowns at South Dakota State, and he also caught 95 passes for 909 yards and eight touchdowns. I could see him potentially making the team over George Winn.

As for Bond and Johnson, they mainly stand out because of the signing bonuses they received. According to Dave Birkett, Johnson got a $10,000 signing bonus, while Bond received a $6,000 signing bonus. Clearly the Lions like both of these players, and Bond in particular seems like he has a good chance of sticking around given that there is still a backup spot up for grabs on the interior offensive line.

In other news, the Lions also announced the signing of five draft picks: cornerback Alex Carter, defensive tackle Gabe Wright, fullback Michael Burton, cornerback Quandre Diggs and offensive tackle Corey Robinson. These are all picks from the final five rounds, leaving offensive guard Laken Tomlinson (first round) and running back Ameer Abdullah (second round) as the only two unsigned draft picks from the Lions' 2015 class.