Lions 2020 Draft Class Ranked 11th in NFL

Lions draft class is ranked in top half of NFL by Dane Brugler of The Athletic

A few NFL Draft power rankings lists have been released, and the Lions haul has been reviewed quite favorably both locally and nationally. 

NFL writer Dane Brugler ranked his favorite draft classes and although the Lions draft ranking dipped from their position in 2019, it is still good enough to secure the 11th position out of 32 teams in the league.

According to Brugler, "I like Jeff Okudah a lot, but Swift was my favorite pick of the Lions’ draft haul. A first-round talent, Detroit grabbed the Georgia runner about 10 spots after he should have gone. With his uncanny ability to make defenders miss, Swift is going to see plenty of carries and targets this season as a rookie."

The day three draft selection of wide receiver Quintez Cephus could surprise many, Brugler went on to explain. 

Following the draft, Sirius XM host and former Dallas Cowboys Vice President of player personnel Gil Brandt compared Cephus to Hall of Famer Michael Irvin. 

Here is general manager Bob Quinn's explanation for selecting the ex-Badger wide receiver. 

"Really strong player, very physical, great catch radius, strong hands. (Darrell) Bevell has a strong relationship up in Wisconsin obviously – one of his former teammates is one of the coaches up there, so really got a great recommendation on that player there in the fifth. Obviously the receiver thing was something we were looking for a little bit here and there.

He had a disappointing Combine workout slightly. But then he went, he had one of the last pro days before it got shut down, and he improved dramatically with his 40-(yard dash time). I would say that equates to how he plays on the field. Really strong guy, big catch radius like I said, really, really good hands, physical player."

Related

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WR Quintez Cephus Compared to Michael Irvin

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10 Takeaways from Bob Quinn's Post-Draft Press Conference


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John Maakaron
JOHN MAAKARON

John Maakaron has covered Detroit Sports since 2013. Brings a vast array of experience covering the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Lions, Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans, Detroit Mercy Titans, and Oakland University Golden Grizzlies. John brings a wealth of sports broadcast experience. In 2013, John had the vision to establish the Detroit Sports Podcast Network. Has recorded over 3000 podcasts analyzing Detroit Sports. In 2019, Sports Illustrated Media Group, a historical sports media outlet, partnered with Detroit Sports Podcast to provide daily Lions content for their growing and expanding digital media outlet. Our Lions content can also be read in the newspaper at The Oakland  Passionate about Detroit Sports and it is reflected in his coverage of the local teams!