Detroit Lions appear to sign fifth-round pick Quintez Cephus

According to his agency, Quintez Cephus has become the latest Detroit Lions draft pick to sign with the team. Cephus, a fifth-round pick, is now the sixth of nine Lions draft picks to get under contract before training camp. He joins D’Andre Swift, Julian Okwara, Jonah Jackson, Logan Stenberg, and John Penisini under contract. That leaves just first-round pick Jeff Okudah, fifth-round pick Jason Huntley and seventh-round pick Jashon Cornell as the three remaining draft picks unsigned by the Lions.

Cephus should enter training camp with a fairly safe spot on the roster. Though he isn’t likely to crack the top three receivers on the depth chart, he has an inside edge as a strong-handed, young receiver that could get some moderate playing time in his rookie season. At Wisconsin, Cephus pulled in 901 yard and seven touchdowns his final year, and earned the respect of fellow Big 10 player—and now teammate—Jeff Okudah.

“I think he’s the best receiver I went against,” Okudah said at the NFL Combine, according to The Athletic. “It doesn’t matter what his 40 time was. Football is played in between the lines and he’s a technician, someone that I changed my plan up for every single week.”

Now the two may line up against each other again when training camp begins at the end of the month, assuming Okudah gets under contract before then.