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Lions fans said goodbye to one of the classiest acts of recent years in Glover Quin this week, but the official team site has been spending time to get us acquainted with the new crop of players on the squad to love. On Monday, their featured rookie was third-round selection Will Harris, who once said in an interview that if he had to choose between being a dog or a cat, he’d be “a dog all the way, 100 percent.”
- @jwillofficial_
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) July 8, 2019
Get to know rookie safety Will Harris: https://t.co/7R2utwm0U0 pic.twitter.com/vMhZxZ9zID
The most recent selection in the series from two days ago was the astonishing second-round pick for the Lions, linebacker Jahlani Tavai from the University of Hawaii. As an alum of that state school, I have great memories of linebackers like Jeff Ulbrich, Pisa Tinoisamoa, and the Noga brothers, and hope Tavai can deliver some hard-hitting play for this defense. The guy is a sharp cookie, based on the answers he gave:
If you could play any other NFL position, what would you play?
Tavai: Long snapper. Less collisions, easier on the body. Don’t get me wrong, Don’s doing great.
Anybody who has that discriminating eye and keen appreciation for the Muhldozer is okay in my book.
.@tavai31's nicknames:
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) July 10, 2019
• Bones
• Tarzan
• JT
• Lani
Get to know linebacker Jahlani Tavai: https://t.co/Jmi17WGPMj pic.twitter.com/egzFEodJZx
We’ve hit the slow part of the offseason, but there are still a few noteworthy items today:
- NFL Network’s Camp Countdown series covered the NFC North yesterday. Their writer Grant Gordon gave his top camp battle (cornerbacks not named Darius Slay), most important newcomer (Trey Flowers), and looming question (something about a quarterback) for each team in the division.
- Your weekly reminder that Calvin Johnson was pretty damn good, courtesy of Pro Football Focus (PFF also posted a State of the Franchise video yesterday analyzing Detroit’s offseason moves):
In fact, in the PFF era for the Lions, Calvin Johnson holds the top 5 single-season marks in yards per route run, and it’s not even close:
— PFF (@PFF) July 11, 2019
-C. Johnson: 2.74 (2013) -C. Johnson: 2.55 (2012) -C. Johnson: 2.46 (2008) -C. Johnson: 2.44 (2011) -C. Johnson: 2.30 (2014)
- While a bit on the baller side for most of our staff to partake in, official team travel partner Detroit Lions Experiences announced their packages this year will feature fan events with Herman Moore, Bennie Blades, and Joique Bell.
- A few days ago, a young Detroit Lions cornerback showed up for Lions Football Education’s defensive back drills:
One of the Detroit Lions players snuck into some of our DB drills today, guess he thought training camp started early... We let him do his thing though, hope you got some good work in today @jamalagnew! pic.twitter.com/dkPJvvMhCs
— Lions Football Edu. (@LionsYouthFB) July 9, 2019
- Damon Harrison Sr. gives an insider’s perspective on playing the inner-most part of the interior defensive line:
Ever wondered how it feels to play nose tackle? Let me show you.. pic.twitter.com/2WgqOYy7xf
— Damon Harrison Sr. (@snacks) July 12, 2019
- Fearless leader Jeremy Reisman joined the “Lions on the Prowl” podcast late last week to give his thoughts on the Ford family, Matt Patricia and the Lions’ upcoming season.