It was easy to spot a theme with the 2019 NFL Draft class selections by GM Bob Quinn and the Detroit Lions.
Size mattered.
Quinn acknowledged an emphasis on size, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.
“Bigger is better, right?” Quinn opened with in his post-draft press conference. “Bigger, longer, if they’re athletic enough, that’s what you want to build.”
He continued,
“There’s a few guys at certain positions that really matter in our defense, and you guys have been studying the kind of players we’ve picked here the last year-and-a-half. So, that kind of goes into the equation of how you do the evaluation process. Now, it’s not every guy checks that box, but you try to take into account the speed, the size, the athleticism compared to the size, look at the testing numbers, you look at the film, look at Senior Bowl, one-on-one (interviews), all those things. You kind of just come to a consensus.”
Linebacker Jahlani Tavai checks in at 6-2 and 250 muscular pounds. Safety Will Harris is 6-1 and 207 pounds. Austin Bryant weighs over 270 pounds and the team envisions him as an outside linebacker. Amani Oruwariye is huge for a CB at 6-2 and 205.
Then there’s P.J. Johnson. The Lions saved the biggest for last; the Arizona nose tackle played at 335 pounds on his 6-4 frame.
