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The Detroit Lions announced on Thursday morning just before practice that they have signed former Eagles defensive tackle Kevin Wilkins. The 6-foot-2, 304-pound lineman was an undrafted rookie last season, spending time on both the Eagles and Giants practice squads.
Wilkins was among the five defensive linemen the Lions tried out last week. Wilkins was cut by the Giants shortly after the 2020 NFL draft despite earning a futures deal at the conclusion of the 2019 season.
Kevin Wilkins went undrafted in the 2019 draft class.
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 30, 2019
Kevin Wilkins posted a Poor #RAS with Okay size, Poor speed, Okay explosiveness, Great agility at the DT position.#Eagles pic.twitter.com/xFJmYPjK49
To make room for Wilkins, the Lions announced they have waived defensive tackle Olive Sagapolu, who was far down the depth chart as Lions’ third-string nose tackle.
Wilkins will enter the fray late and try to compete with Detroit’s interior defender depth. Last week, the Lions placed rookie defensive lineman Jashon Cornell on injured reserve following an Achilles injury early in camp. Wilkins will likely compete with Kevin Strong, Frank Herron and rookie John Penisini for playing time.
In four seasons at Rutgers, Wilkins managed 122 tackles, 20.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 snacks.