Report: Detroit Lions to sign UDFA S Nick Pickett from Oregon

The Detroit Lions are signing another undrafted strong safety Nick Pickett, according to the University of Oregon’s football social media account. The post was confirmed by Pickett on his social media but has not been confirmed by the Lions at this time.

Pickett was a three-year starter at Oregon and is the fifth member of the Ducks secondary to land with an NFL team this draft cycle. He’s not as flashy as the other teammates in the secondary, big plays were few and far between, but he is highly consistent with above-average intelligence for the position.

A safety only, Pickett is rarely out of position and is smooth flowing to the ball. He’s better in zone than man coverage, as he only has average speed, but this is another situation where his intelligence plays a big factor and he knows where he needs to be on the football field. He’ll be at his best when the Lions are in cover-2 and cover-4, where he can split the deep field with another safety.

As a tackler, Pickett shows solid technique against lighter opponents, but when taking on bigger bodies, he will often lose his form as he tries to make the big hit. He will have to make an impact on special teams if he wants to make the Lions roster and that likely means getting functionally stronger and maintaining proper technique against all sizes of opponents.

The signing of Pickett takes the Lions roster up to 87 players, leaving them with three open spots to sign any additional free agents on the market.