Georgia reporter: Isaac Nauta could have a ‘long, prosperous career in the NFL’

The Lions draft haul was perplexing to some Lions fans, especially when it comes to the tight end position. The Lions were so bad at this position last year that you could tell Bob Quinn was going to aggressively work to fix it this offseason.

Bob and company first went to work in free agency picking up former Steelers tight end Jesse James. They then used their first-round pick on Iowa’s T.J. Hockenson. With Michael Roberts on the roster already, I think most assumed the Lions were done at tight end. Then they swooped in and grabbed Georgia’s Isaac Nauta with their seventh-round pick.

This oddly upset Lions fans for some reason. The idea of completely revamping a position that desperately needed to be revamped boggled a lot of minds and gave us tweets like this one:

So what are the Lions doing? If you ask some, they wasted a draft pick on another tight end. If you ask others, they’ll tell you the Lions got a steal, and Nauta will someday be a starting tight end. Which one of these things do the guys that covered Nauta at Georgia think it will be? We got in touch with Mike Griffith of Dawg Nation. Here’s what he had to say.

POD: What are your overall thoughts on Nuada’s time at Georgia?

DN: “Isaac came in as the nation’s No. 1-ranked tight end, a 5-star ,and he got better every year, and lived up to the billing. Isaac caught 30 of 31 balls thrown to him this season and was at his best in clutch moments and big games, Alabama and Florida, notably. He was also the highest rated blocker among SEC tight ends, per Pro Football Focus. “

POD: What are his strengths?

DN: “Clutch performer, handles himself professionally and is mature beyond his years. Great route runner and super glue hands.”

POD: What are his weaknesses?

DN: “Probably not as big and physical as some other tight ends, and while technique for blocking is good, I think he’s more the sort to get split out.”

POD: With Jesse James and first-round pick T.J. Hockenson in front of Nauta, where do you see him making an impact in Detroit?

DN: “I see Isaac making the team and working his way into the starting lineup and having a long, prosperous career in the NFL.”