Can Rookie LB Austin Bryant Spark the Lions' Pass Rush?

Rookie LB Austin Bryant is back on the Lions' 53-man roster, and could provide a much-needed spark to Detroit's anemic pass rush

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The Lions have 20 sacks so far this season -- tied for the fourth-lowest mark in the league. 

It's very apparent after watching just a few defensive series this year that the Lions are struggling to get to the quarterback.

This past offseason, Detroit general manager Bob Quinn added a couple pieces to help bring pressure off the edge. More specifically, he brought in free agent Trey Flowers and drafted Austin Bryant in the fourth round of the 2019 draft.

Both players had offseason procedures to fix injuries suffered a season ago.

Unfortunately, Bryant went down with another, yet reportedly different pectoral injury at the very beginning of training camp. 

The ailment ultimately landed the rookie on injured reserve. 

Now, with a few weeks of practicing with the team, Bryant has been activated off of IR, and is back on the 53-man roster.

So, what can we expect from the rookie pass rusher this season?

First off, despite the Clemson product playing a lot of down defensive end while in college, the Lions were playing Bryant more in the JACK linebacker role during training camp. 

Currently, Devon Kennard is the incumbent at the JACK position, and has rushed the passer more than any other Lions defender in 2019.

Kennard's sack production has largely been due to volume, and overall, he's not necessarily known as a threat to get to the quarterback.

Double team rate as an edge rusher (x) by pass rush win rate as an edge rusher (y).

PRWR = rate at which pass rusher beats his blocker within 2.5 seconds.

(ESPN metric, Next Gen Stats data) pic.twitter.com/7TrubcE0t3

— Seth Walder (@SethWalder) November 18, 2019

Although Bryant was the fourth wheel on the dominant Clemson D-line, he still pulled in third-team Associated Press All-American and second-team All-ACC honors in 2017. 

And while playing through that pectoral injury in 2018, he was still able to rack up eight sacks.

That's not to say Bryant is some sort of pass-rushing specialist. 

Of all the draft eligible EDGE defenders in the 2019 draft class, Bryant ranked 71st in pass-rushing productivity. 

During his injury-riddled senior campaign, he generated just 17 total pressures.

Officially listed at 6-foot-6 -- 6-foot-4 at the combine -- and 261 pounds, there is some raw ability, size and versatility present for the rookie.

Lions head man Matt Patricia has liked what he has seen from him so far.

“I think he’s doing a really good job of -- especially for as much time he’s missed -- I thought his pad level is really good (in practice),” Patricia said. “I think his hand placement is pretty good. He’s incredibly long. He’s just kind of a different body type out there. You can see where he’s starting to get comfortable, using his leverage and being a little bit more confident in kind of the injury situation.”

It's probably not wise to expect a rookie to be the panacea for an anemic pass rush. 

However, at least he brings a pair of fresh legs to rotate with Kennard. 

It's time to see what the rookie has to offer.

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