The Detroit Lions just might have found themselves a real value in the seventh round with rookie Jashon Cornell. The defensive lineman from Ohio State earned the 4th-highest grade from Pro Football Focus in 2019 among players who were in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Cornell finished just behind top-10 overall pick Derrick Brown from Auburn in PFF’s grading.
Context behind the grades certainly matters. Cornell didn’t play nearly as many snaps or as high of a percentage of reps as Brown or the others above him. And he did his damage often playing next to No. 2 overall pick Chase Young. But it’s still impressive that Cornell fared so well in PFF’s metrics while transitioning from playing primarily strong-side DE to DT in 2019.
