In their final pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions selected Jashon Cornell, a defensive tackle out of Ohio State.
Cornell is a seventh-round pick, meaning he’s not expected to be a key contributor for the team in this upcoming season. Instead, he will try and prove he can be a capable backup for the Lions.
He’s a versatile defensive lineman who could play on the inside as a 3-technique or on the edge as a 5-technique. It’s likely that he serves as a backup to Da’Shawn Hand.
He wasn’t a star for the Buckeyes, but he shows promise as a pass rusher from the interior of the defensive line. Cornell is an undersized lineman and hasn’t shown the functional strength needed for the position, but he has a lot of developmental promise. That may not sound ideal, but it’s exactly what you want in a seventh-round pick.
This is a player with plenty of upside and raw talent. Hopefully, the Lions can help him develop into a trustworthy backup or rotational piece of the defensive line.
