Derrik Klassen of Football Outsiders takes a look at the off-season needs for the NFC North, including of course the Detroit Lions (LINK). Bye-bye, Ziggy Ansah.
Klassen also profiles LSU cornerback Greedy Williams, in case you’re already getting in NFL Draft mode (LINK).
Here are 10 pre-Combine thoughts on the Lions from The Athletic (LINK).
This is the list of players who visited Michigan this weekend (LINK).
Name: Maliq Carr
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 215 lbs.
High school: Oak Park (MI) Oak Park
Position: Wide receiver
Class: 2020
Offers: Boston College, Central Michigan, FAU, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Kent State, Kentucky, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Nebraska, Northern Illinois, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Pitt, Purdue, Syracuse, Texas A&M, Toledo, Western Michigan, Wisconsin
Commitment: Uncommitted
Notes: Claims 4.72 forty, 4.32 shuttle, 29.7″ vertical…Also a standout basketball player…Son of Missouri assistant basketball coach Cornell Mann…Teammate of 2020 offensive lineman Justin Rogers and defensive back Enzo Jennings…247 Composite 3-star, #73 WR, #11 in-state, #405 overall as of 2/20/19
Stats: 21 catches for 815 yards and 9 touchdowns as a junior in 2018…Averaged 21.2 points/game, 12.4 rebounds/game, and 7.9 assists/game in basketball as a sophomore
Strengths: Excellent size…Thick lower body that indicates future growth…Excellent leaping ability…Shows ability to high-point football…Does a nice job of adjusting body to the football in mid-air…Powerful runner after the catch…Good but not elite speed
Weaknesses: Needs to improve quickness in and out of breaks…Needs to learn to sink hips…Needs to sell routes better
Overall: Carr insists that he’s a wide receiver and has no intention of playing tight end, but he may want to rethink that position. Similar statements have been made in the past (see: former Oklahoma Sooner Mark Andrews, who now plays tight end for the Baltimore Ravens) when the writing was on the wall. I don’t see Carr being an in-line, blocking tight end, but I think he would be best served as a flex tight end, which is how Andrews was used at Oklahoma and how Evan Engram was used at Ole Miss. If he accepts that future, his athleticism will carry him through to a successful career. If he insists on playing wide receiver, he will have to improve his game quite a bit, because he won’t create much separation if he doesn’t improve his route running.
Highlights:
The Tennessean has a piece on Trent Dilfer entitled “Trent Dilfer’s journey, from Super Bowl to tragedy to high school coach” (LINK).
Dan Brugler breaks down the top ten safety prospects for the NFL Draft (LINK). Spoiler alert: No Tyree Kinnel.
Michigan’s key players for success in 2019, according to Aaron McMann (LINK).
What am I reading? I’m actually reading three books at once right now, but the one that has really been a page-turner is The Force by Don Winslow. It’s a fictional piece about New York police detective Denny Malone, a crooked cop who ends up being squeezed by a lot of seedy elements in the city. It’s set in 2017 and has a pretty modern vibe to it, and one reason I like Winslow is his dialogue. His characters speak more realistically than characters in a lot of books.
What am I googling? I went to see Alita: Battle Angel and saw some previews for other movies I’ve been looking into a little bit, like the new Pet Sematary and Jordan Peele’s Us.
What am I looking forward to? I’m looking forward to football season. Like, high school football season. I went to a clinic last weekend, and it got me all excited to get back out there in August. Of course, we have a lot of things to do to get ready for the year, but clinics have a way of refreshing your mind while making you impatient to implement some of the new things you learned.
Saturday, February 23 at 3:00 p.m. EST: Arizona Hotshots (no Michigan players) @ Salt Lake Stallions (no Michigan players) on Bleacher Report Live
Saturday, February 23 at 8:00 p.m. EST: Memphis Express (Channing Stribling) @ Orlando Apollos (De’Veon Smith) on NFL Network
Sunday, February 24 at 4:00 p.m. EST: Birmingham Iron (Ty Isaac) @ Atlanta Legends (Denard Robinson) on CBS Sports Network
Sunday, February 24 at 8:00 p.m. EST: San Antonio Commanders (Matt Godin) @ San Diego Fleet (no Michigan players) on NFL Network