Monday open thread: Which Lions player would be a Hard Knocks star?

The NFL Films and HBO television series Hard Knocks has yet to announce which team will be covered. The Detroit Lions, along with the New York Giants, Oakland Raiders, and Washington, are the remaining candidates that could be forced to appear on the show covering an NFL team’s training camp and preseason.

The show primarily focuses on the roster battles between veterans and youngsters, and this is where most of the Lions’ drama would appear. With a cast of nine draft picks, as well as multiple undrafted rookies and second-year players fighting for a spot on the team, the Lions would likely have some entertaining battles. Positions like right guard and corner are up for grabs.

Hard Knocks also focuses on the off-field aspects of being a football player. A lot of these players are in a new town and on a new team, and their quest to become an NFL player can be quite gripping. Along with having an entertaining personality, emotional moments can turn players into Hard Knocks stars.

Today’s Question of the Day is:

Which Lions player would be a Hard Knocks star?

My answer: There are lot of candidates should the Lions be chosen for Hard Knocks. As mentioned, any starting position battles are likely to be focal points on the show, so players like Kenny Wiggins, Oday Aboushi, Tyrell Crosby, or Beau Benzschawel could be featured — Benzschawel is also an undrafted free agent, so that could be an underdog story as well.

The Lions don’t have that many outspoken personalities, such as Golden Tate. While I’m sure Darius Slay or Quandre Diggs would provide some good humour or soundbites, I don’t see them in the spotlight. Danny Amendola was featured on Hard Knocks back in 2008 with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted and undersized receiver, so it could be poetic to see him on the show as a seasoned veteran.

My pick for the Lions’ Hard Knocks star is an unknown, but would make for good TV: receiver Tom Kennedy.

I’ll be honest when I say I don’t know his personality, and I don’t believe he’ll make the final roster. However, Kennedy’s lacrosse background is quite unique, having only played two years of college football at Bryant, a small school in Rhode Island. People like to root for the underdog with an interesting story. The stars of Hard Knocks are often flawed in some way, such as being undersized, coming from a small school, or being new to football. Kennedy ticks each of those boxes.

Your turn.