With a new front office regime in Detroit, it’s hard to know how GM Brad Holmes and the new-look Lions feel about 2021 NFL draft prospects who opted out of playing entirely in the 2020 college season. Several of those opt-outs, which were permitted due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, present draft dilemmas for Detroit and other NFL teams.
How much weight should be factored in for prospects who haven’t even practiced football in at least 15 months? Is the body of work on film from 2019 enough to prove worthy of the appropriate draft slot? Did the players do enough in interviews and workouts to ease any concerns over the opt-out?
Those are questions Holmes and the Lions must answer on several prominent prospects. Here are six draft candidates for the Lions who opted out of playing in 2020.
