Why CB Amani Oruwariye Will Be Vital to Lions' Secondary in 2020

In his debut piece for SI All Lions, Dakota Brecht opines on why CB Amani Oruwariye will be vital to Lions' secondary in 2020

It was no secret last season that the Lions struggled on the defensive side of the ball. Those struggles were reflected especially in the secondary, as the Lions ranked dead last in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game.

With the departure of the Lions' best corner in Darius Slay, the question marks in Detroit's secondary have grown even larger.

One man who could fill that glaring hole: Second-year pro Amani Oruwariye.

The 24-year-old from Penn State is poised to have a breakout year for the Lions in a wide-open secondary.

Oruwariye was a fifth-round pick by the Lions in last year's NFL Draft, and played in only nine games during his rookie season.

In those nine games, however, he recorded a respectable 17 solo tackles and two interceptions in just 19 percent of the team’s total defensive snaps.

With the 2020 draft a little less than two weeks away, the Lions will have an opportunity to bolster their secondary.

Even if they decide to take a corner in the early rounds, Oruwariye is still in position for a breakout 2020 campaign.

In a recent article from ESPN NFL Nation, the beat writers for each team -- Michael Rothstein for the Lions -- looked at the best late-round picks from each organization in 2019. 

For the Lions, Rothstein chose Oruwariye.

As Oruwariye enters his sophomore season, look for him to add some much-needed length and speed to the corner position.

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