Lions notes: Only 1 quarterback threw the deep ball better than Matthew Stafford in 2017

• NFL.com put together some NextGenStats that looked at every 2017 quarterback’s efficiency when throwing the deep ball. The methods combined four different key stats: completion percentage, passer rating, touchdown percentage and percentage of passing yards that came from deep throws.

Matthew Stafford came in second according to this study, just behind former Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith. Pro Football Focus did a similar study in January and agreed with Smith being No. 1, but did not have Stafford in their Top 4.

• The Detroit Lions are using one of their official visits on LSU pass rusher Arden Key:

• Remember way back a couple weeks ago when the Detroit Lions were, according to reports, aggressively pursuing Richard Sherman? Well, Sherman shared his free agency experience with The Players’ Tribune on Tuesday and didn’t even mention the Lions. That doesn’t mean the interest wasn’t there, but it apparently wasn’t significant enough to make his story.

• The Taste of the Lions event in May has already sold all of its VIP tickets. But general admission is still available:

• There’s a new professional football league coming next year, and it’s going to feature some interesting new rules like no kickoffs, no extra points, and no TV timeouts.

• Last week the Lions met with veteran guard/center Matt Slauson. On Tuesday, he signed with the Colts:

• For whatever reason, NFL.com released offseason power rankings on Tuesday. The Lions were 17th. Have at them.