The Lion took a break from their offense and put their focus back on the defense and selected defensive tackle John Penisini from Utah.
Penisini was a two-year starter seeing most of his time out of the three-technique playing both in odd and even man fronts while at Utah. Coaches bragged about his positive attitude, worker mentality, and high character attributes.
Penisini has the perfect nose tackle body and more than likely stay there, but with his experience at playing three-technique, there could be the possibility that he slides over from time to time. He processes physical hands, allowing him to grab hold and control the line of scrimmage. Once he has his feet planted, no force will move him from that spot because of his sturdy mechanics with his upper and lower body. He has excellent gap integrity, and with his relentless motor, run-stopping is his calling card.
Even though he offers fantastic run defense, he doesn’t have much in the pass-rushing aspect because of a lack of burst, flexibility, and pass-rushing moves. He is a big behemoth, but from time to time, he can get swallowed up at the point of attack. Some believe he relies mostly on his strength and effort to make plays than actual instinctual play.
With the departure of Damon Harrison, the Lions were looking for a substantial presence in the middle of the defensive line, and Penisini is the right man for the job. Even though he might not be much of a pass rusher, his run blocking ability is high quality. It is not guaranteed he will make the roster and will likely have to compete against John Atkins for the same spot. That should be a fun battle to watch.
