Assigning Bob Quinn Draft Grades For His First Two Drafts As Lions General Manager
The first round of the NFL draft will take place this Thursday and the Lions hold the 20th pick. It will be Bob Quinn’s third draft as Lions general manager. To date, he’s made 19 selections during his tenure. Grading draft picks tends to be premature until the player has been around for a few years. Nonetheless, today I will be assigning Bob Quinn draft grades for his picks based on what they’ve shown so far. The grades won’t be based on who he could have selected instead, strictly on who he did select and where they stand as of today.
Bob Quinn Draft Grades: 2016
Round 1, 16th Overall – Taylor Decker (LT)
Decker was Quinn’s first selection as the new GM of the Lions. He started immediately and played an impressive rookie season. An injury sidelined him for the first half of the season in 2017 and he did come back a bit rusty. Hopefully, he picks up where he left off pre-injury moving forward. Overall this looks like a solid pick for now though. B+
Round 2, 46th Overall – A’Shawn Robinson (DT)
Robinson played significant time as a rookie and is now the best defensive tackle on the roster. After showing a big step from year one to two he seems poised to keep the momentum going. No complaints about this second-round pick. B+
Round 3, 95th Overall – Graham Glasgow (IOL)
Glasgow has played respectably at both center and guard for the Lions. Currently, he’s expected to be the starting center in 2018. His versatility has proven useful and he’s played better than most expected. the third round is where most picks start to get sketchy. This one looks strong right now. B
Round 4, 111th Overall – Miles Killebrew (S)
Killebrew has been a serviceable roleplayer so far. He hasn’t found a starting job but has shown some flash and gets on the field for his fair share. The hope is that his potential comes to fruition this year, but for now, he’s an average depth player. C
Round 5, 151st Overall – Joe Dahl (OL)
Dahl has been near the bottom of the roster and played very sparingly so far. That being said, the 5th round isn’t meant to find starters in most cases. He’ll be on the bubble to make the team this season. C-
Round 5, 169th Overall – Antwione Williams (LB)
Williams jumped in and played a lot when injuries riddled the Lions defense in 2016 but was released before the 2017 season. He made contributions when necessary, but couldn’t show enough to keep his spot on the roster. He is currently under contract with the Vikings. D
Round 6, 191st Overall – Jake Rudock (QB)
Rudock was drafted late to sit behind Matthew Stafford as the backup QB. He has looked solid in the preseason. In his only regular season action, he was pretty disappointing. Taking quarterbacks late in drafts seems to be one of Quinn’s beliefs though. This one is still tough to judge, but for now, it seems fine for a 6th round pick. C
Round 6, 202nd Overall – Anthony Zettel (DE)
Zettel started all 16 games for the Lions in 2017 and tallied 6.5 sacks. He’s slated to remain the starter for the upcoming season as well if nothing changes. To get this type of production from a 6th round pick is rare. Well done. A-
Round 6, 210th Overall – Jimmy Landes (LS)
Landes didn’t make the team and Don Muhlbach continues to control the long snapping position for the Lions. Not much to say here. F
Round 7, 236th Overall – Dwayne Washington (RB)
Washington has had opportunities to get carries in meaningful moments but has failed to impress. He’s currently near the bottom of the RB depth chart, but a 7th round pick finding a way on to the field counts for something. A good amount of 7th round guys can’t crack the roster. Not an amazing pick, but certainly could have been worse. C
Bob Quinn Draft Grades: 2017
Round 1, 21st Overall – Jarrad Davis (LB)
Davis stepped in and started immediately for the Lions. He had a shaky start but improved rapidly towards the end of the season. He appears to possess the skills needed to be a major player on the defense for years to come. And hell, at least it wasn’t Rueben Foster. B
Round 2, 53rd Overall – Teez Tabor (CB)
Tabor may be the most controversial of all these picks. Many believed he was a reach on draft day. It didn’t help when Tabor was inactive and failing to see the field for the first half of the season. He did come around and started to get involved as the year progressed. To be fair, the Lions had a good secondary and there was no pressure to force Tabor into action early on. This pick may turn out fine from a long-term lens. He did play fairly well when called upon. Unfortunately, the immediate expectations are higher for a second round pick so the grade will suffer. C-
Round 3, 96th Overall – Kenny Golladay (WR)
Kenny Golladay appears to be the exact opposite of Tabor from a fan perspective. This was a wildly popular pick once the preseason rolled around. Golladay showed off and carried it right into the regular season. Making big plays seemed to come naturally. An injury slowed him for a portion of the season, but he looks pretty legit. B
Round 4, 124th Overall – Jalen Reeves-Maybin (LB)
JRM has some great highlight tape and is fun to watch fly to the ball. He’s not completely ready to be an every-down player, but he saw plenty of playing time on defense as well as special teams. He has the chance to start in 2018 if he shows progress to the coaching staff. The jury is still out but I like the potential. C
Round 4, 127th Overall – Michael Roberts (TE)
Roberts played a very limited role behind Eric Ebron and Darren Fells last season. With both departed, he has the chance to show more this year. Tough to call for now. C-
Round 5, 165 Overall – Jamal Agnew (CB/KR)
Agnew is undersized for a corner. The good news is that’s really not his job. The 5th rounder took over the Lions return duties and never looked back. He ended the season as the NFL leader in punt return yards, punt return average, and punt return touchdowns. This was enough to earn him the All-Pro selection as a punt returner. Swish. A
Round 6, 205th Overall – Jeremiah Ledbetter (DT)
Nothing flashy here. Ledbetter chipped in on special teams and was around as depth for the defensive line. D
Round 6, 2015th Overall – Brad Kaaya (QB)
Another stab at a late round quarterback. This one didn’t pan out at all. Kaaya isn’t currently on the roster and showed no signs of being NFL ready. F
Round 7, 250th Overall – Patrick O’Connor (DE)
O’Connor never stuck. He failed to stay on the roster through the opening week. You can’t expect much out of the 7th rounders but would be nice to get something. D
Overall Grade
To review the grade totals:
A-2
B-5
C-7
D-3
F-2
Final Grade: C+
More B’s than D’s sways the C average to a C+. Of course, in a perfect world, there would be more A’s. Quinn seems to be good at finding solid players that can help the team but has had trouble hitting the home runs. On the other hand, his early picks (first 3 rounds) have been mostly good. Not missing there is a huge key to improving the roster year in and year out. The ability to hit big on a couple late guys (Agnew, Zettel) is a good sign too. Some of these grades will ultimately change in the future of course, but for now, I’d say Quinn has put together a pair of pretty solid drafts altogether. Bring on the third act.
Questions? Comments? Find me on Twitter @MrEasyStreet or in the Detroit Lions subreddit
