The reasons Matthew Stafford is a gifted quarterback are as evident during a practice as a game.
He brings to life the term “spin the football.” What a terrific arm, and it was very much on display during the Lions’ mini-camp workout Wednesday.
Also, Stafford was moving fluidly. He has obviously worked on conditioning down through the years. He appears poised for a big season as his ideal combination of experience (10th season) crosses the prime age for a QB (30).
On the other side of the ball, cornerback Darius Slay has emerged as a veteran leader and genuine playmaker. Ask the question: Who is the Lions’ best defensive player? The response is rapid and precise. It’s Big Play Slay, who lived up to his nickname the last two seasons.
He held court with the media following drills, expressing his desire to become a Hall of Famer. Seems like a reach, but it would be unwise to dismiss it totally. He’s that talented.
The NFL Network is in the midst of revealing its Top 100 players as voted by their peers. Slay was No.49 and Stafford 31st.
The list isn’t complete (they roll it out in increments of 10), but Stafford and Slay are expected to be the only two Detroit players making the grade.
Both were acquired, via the NFL Draft, before Bob Quinn was named Lions’ general manager.
The key for the Lions moving forward will be having multiple players from Quinn’s drafts emerge as Top 100 players.
Quinn has had three drafts. More and more, based on attrition, which can be rapid in the NFL, this is his team.
While Quinn’s drafts have presented promise, they have yet to produce stars.
The upside is there are possibilities. Like Stafford and Slay, left tackle Taylor Decker stands out. He is huge and moves exceptionally well. Were it not for a shoulder injury that required surgery, knocking him out for half of last season - and he essentially played one-armed upon return - Decker would already likely be a Top 100 player.
Defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson is similarly-gifted. While he has had some good moments, Robinson took a step back the second half of last season, but is capable of much more.
Frank Ragnow is a rookie and interior offensive linemen, but his potential impact is clear. The Lions have been using him at guard. If Ragnow’s impact is immediate, it will catch wide-spread attention. Think Zack Martin with the Cowboys. He has been in the Top 100 the last two years (No.58 in ’17 and No.71 this year). He arguably played at that level his first two NFL seasons, as well.
It will be interesting if the hybrid 3-4 defense the Lions now run under first-year head coach Matt Patricia will result in Jarrad Davis, their first-round linebacker in ’17, being freed to tackle more effectively. Davis is a good tackler, but had difficulty shedding blocks as a mike ‘backer in a 4-3 scheme.
Kenny Golladay wasn’t the smoothest route-runner as a rookie, but he has the size, speed and catch radius to do serious damage. He has good hands. Golladay figures to be single-covered because of the presence of Golden Tate and Marvin Jones. Stafford will find him. It’s not out of the realm of possibility Golladay could become an impact player.
There are others. Certainly rookie running back Kerryon Johnson presented much sizzle at Auburn.
Common sense dictates, the more Top 100 players the Lions have individually, the better they will be collectively.
We’ll see if any of Bob Quinn’s draft picks will join Stafford and Slay on next year’s list.
If it happens, chances are the Lions will be very good in 2018.