Notes: Top DT prospect Derrick Brown has ‘good relationship’ with Lions DL coach

When it comes to the NFL Draft, every little piece of information is important. Anything you can learn about the players or the other NFL teams’ intentions can give you a leg up on draft day.

And when you have the third overall pick in the NFL Draft, you can’t afford to screw that up.

For the Detroit Lions, that means getting to know every potential pick in the top 10 in the draft, and when it comes to Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown, they may already have a leg up.

This week at the NFL Combine, Brown admitted he already knows Lions defensive line coach Bo Davis quite well.

“I got a good relationship with Coach Davis,” Brown said per MLive’s Kyle Meinke. “He recruited me out of high school, so I’ve known Coach Davis for a long time.”

Brown said he met with the Lions and Davis and had a “some good talk” this week at the Combine.

The Detroit Lions have an immense need at defensive tackle with A’Shawn Robinson and Mike Daniels facing free agency and Damon Harrison Sr. officially being released earlier this week.

Of course, just because the two sides know each other doesn’t guarantee the Lions will draft him. Just ask Marcus Davenport.

• Devon Kennard will be voting yes on the new collective bargaining proposal. He explains why here:

• Don’t look now, but Lions general manager Bob Quinn appears to be a big fan of Clemson’s Isaiah Simmons.

• The Lions currently rank fourth in dead money for 2020, and Michael Rothstein has a nice breakdown of where the money is going. Of course, once teams start making their cap casualties this offseason, the Lions’ ranking could shift dramatically.

• Chris Burke of The Athletic had a nice conversation with Lions director of player personnel Lance Newmark (subscription required) about this week’s Combine and the team’s overall draft process.

• Congratulations to former Lions Robert Porcher, who was inducted into the South Carolina Football Hall of Fame!