Each year at Lions Wire we examine the athletic testing scores of the upcoming NFL draft class, looking for prospects who qualify for our Quinn Influenced Benchmarks (QIB) system. In a nutshell, QIB is designed to identify common athletic characteristics Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn has previously targeted at each position, with the focus on finding similarly athletic prospects that could be offseason targets for the Lions.
The Lions return four-fifths of the original starting offensive line from 2018 (enjoy your retirement T.J. Lang) and the entire five-man unit that finished the season. They appear set everywhere but right guard where incumbent starter Kenny Wiggins looks to be in a battle for the position with newly acquired Oday Aboushi and second-year multipurpose offensive lineman Tyrell Crosby, who could be making a position change.
QIB Benchmarks
In his three years as Lions’ general manager, Bob Quinn has drafted five offensive linemen and all of them were Full QIB qualifiers.
Because of the different responsibilities assigned to tackles and interior offensive linemen, the athletic benchmarks for each are also unique to the position. That being said, there are some categories that crossover, like short shuttle (measuring lateral quickness) and broad jump (measuring explosion out of their stance), as they are traits that help at every spot along the line.
The Lions prefer offensive lineman with some positional flexibility and because of this QIB needs to be somewhat flexible as well. When discussing QIB qualifiers at running back and wide receiver, I illustrated how Partial QIB qualifiers can be sectioned off into unique categories. The same is true here, but with the premium Quinn puts on athleticism, the Full QIB qualifiers are also sectioned off.
There are four sections of QIB for the offensive lineman.
- Full QIB: elite athlete, which contain players who fully pass QIB regardless of position.
- Full QIB: positional flexible, which has players who fully pass QIB at their college position, but may end up playing a different position in the NFL, which they only pass with partial qualifications.
- Partial QIB: explosion, contains players who pass the explosion benchmarks but fall short in agility.
- Partial QIB: position flexible, which has players who fall short in one category but are still appealing due to their range to play multiple spots.
Full QIB qualifiers: Elite athlete
Lions examples: Taylor Decker, Frank Ragnow, Graham Glasgow, Joe Dahl
Chris Lindstrom (RG, Boston College) has everything Quinn looks for in an offensive lineman, elite athleticism, explosion, lateral quickness, power, length (34.13″ arms), experience (four years starting), positional range (started three years at right guard, one at right tackle), and grades out at the top of the class in both pass and run blocking. The only concern surrounding Lindstrom is, will he last until Round 2? He may not.
Andre Dillard (LT, Washington State) is arguably the most athletic left tackle in this year’s class and when combined with his style of play, he appears to have the range to push inside to guard as well. If the Lions are looking for an elite athlete who can play both tackle and guard, Dillard should be high on their list, but he will likely go off the board early for a team in need of an athletic left tackle.
Garrett Bradbury (C, NC State) will be the top interior offensive lineman on most boards but I believe he will slide in behind Lindstrom for the Lions due to his lack of arm length — checking in over an inch shorter than every Lions offensive lineman. This could make him a center-only on some teams boards despite having experience starting at left guard as a sophomore.
Erik McCoy (IOL, Texas A&M) isn’t talked about enough in the Lions community but if the three players above him on this list are off the board his combination of power, athleticism and the ability to play all three interior spots could put him in play for them in Round 2.
T.J. Lang wasn’t a Full QIB qualifier because he didn’t test in every area, but the areas he did, he passed in flying colors. This year, Elgton Jenkins (IOL, Mississippi State) and Connor McGovern (IOL, Penn State) meet these same criteria as neither ran the 40-yard-dash and therefore their profile is incomplete. Both have the capability to play any of the three interior positions, could compete for a starting role in year one and should be considered in the third-round – similarly to Graham Glasgow.
On Day 3, Shaq Calhoun (RG, Mississippi State) could develop into a starter with time, Ryan Bates (LT, Penn State) has the positional range to play all five spots, and Yosh Nijman (RT, Virginia Tech) could be a late round option as a swing tackle, but at 6-7 is unlikely to push inside to guard.
Full QIB qualifiers: Position flexible
Lions examples: Tyrell Crosby, Andrew Donnal
All the players in this section fully pass the QIB qualifications at offensive tackle and could be targeted on the Lions board due to the fact that their athletic measurements indicate they could be positionally flexible.
Jonah Williams (LT, Alabama) is the top offensive lineman on most draft boards but the fit in Detroit is a bit of an odd one, as Lions Wire’s own Jeff Risdon points out, “He doesn’t have the power or nastiness to play right tackle, and he’s not going to unseat Taylor Decker on the left side. It’s difficult to see how he can handle playing guard with his lack of strength and body mass.”
While Williams doesn’t play mean, Dalton Risner (RT, Kansas State) built his entire blocking platform around it. Risner has experience playing inside as he started at center his freshman season before pushing outside to right tackle the next three years. A shift inside in the NFL could mask a lot of his deficiencies at tackle and if the Lions select him he would be a plug-and-play right guard.
If the Lions pass on Risner, Kaleb McGary (RT, Washington) offers a similar projection but at a cheaper price. He plays with a mean streak, offers power in the run game and a solid anchor as a pass blocker. If he can improve his consistency, he would challenge to start at right guard for the Lions.
Rounding out the Day 2 options in this group, Max Sharping (LT, Northern Illinois) and Greg Little (LT, Mississippi) have the athletic profile to shift inside, but like Williams, they lack the consistency/power in the run game and hand technique to stick inside in the NFL.
The same can be attributed to Tyler Roemer (LT, San Diego State), Joshua Miles (LT, Morgan State) and Trey Pipkins (LT, Sioux Falls), but as Day 3 developmental prospects, the Lions may be more apt to take a flier on them if they think they can be molded.
Partial QIB: Explosion
Lions example: Rick Wagner
If Cody Ford (RT, Oklahoma) ran 0.03 seconds faster in his short shuttle and 0.01seconds faster in his 10-second split he’d be in the Full QIB: elite athlete category. Ford offers true flexibility to play tackle or guard and if the Lions were forced to pick an offensive lineman at Pick 8, he would be near the top of a short list.
Titus Howard (LT, Alabama State) is a developing tackle who’s upside could get him drafted in the later parts of Round 3. He’s more of a right tackle than guard right now, but if the Lions targeted him at Pick 88, it would likely indicate Crosby was shifting inside to guard and Howard would replace him as a swing tackle and possible future starter on the outside.
Like Howard, Oli Udoh (RT, Elon) is a small school tackle who’s future in the NFL could be at right tackle if given time to develop. Udoh needs more time to improve his game but he has an aggressive demeanor and will likely be available sometime mid-Day 3. The Lions met with Udoh at the Combine, which shouldn’t be a surprise considering he was 0.01 seconds away in the short shuttle from being a Full QIB: elite athlete.
The remaining Day 3 prospects in this section are Zack Bailey (OL, South Carolina) who missed 2018 with a broken leg, Sua Opeta (LT, Weber State) who made the most of his Combine opportunity, and Williams Sweet (LT, North Carolina) who appears to left school a year too early with regards to his development.
Partial QIB: Position flexible
Lions examples: Oday Aboushi
Dru Samia (RG, Oklahoma) started at right tackle as a freshman before shifting inside to right guard for his final three years with the Sooners. With a balanced skill set and an aggressive nature to his play, Samia could be an option for the Lions at Pick 88 and would challenge for a starting role — one he would likely win outright in training camp.
Bobby Evans (LT, Oklahoma) is the third Sooner listed in this article and he illustrated his importance to the team by switching from right to left tackle in 2018. With a skill set to play at both tackle spots and potentially inside, Evans could offer value early Day 3.
Michael Jordan (IOL, Ohio State) played his high school ball in Canton, Michigan and was a three-year starter for the Buckeyes, beginning at left guard before shifting to center in 2018. His upside could result in a team grabbing him late Day 2 despite needing time to develop his technique.
Mitch Hyatt (LT, Clemson) was a four-year starter at left tackle for Clemson and while his production says first-round, his lack of functional strength and technique flaws could leave him exposed against NFL edge rushers. If he can transform his body in an NFL weight room and clean up some technical issues, he has the intelligence to be a steal on Day 3.
Rounding out the Day 3 options in this group are three players who all need to improve their ability to positively impact the run game. Hjalte Froholdt (LG, Arkansas) is a great pass blocker with the ability to potentially play center, while Paul Adams (RT, Missouri) can play both right tackle and guard, and Jackson Barton (LT, Utah) may have a future as a swing tackle in the NFL.
