Detroit Lions Seek Upgraded Secondary With 2012 NFL Draft Class

The Detroit Lions have been one of the NFL’s better teams for the majority of the past two seasons, despite their inconsistencies. They are obviously a very young, talented team but one area they had not really upgraded over the last couple of years is the secondary, where players like Alphonso Smith and Eric Wright have come (and gone) through trades and free agency. Still, the Lions have not had much success growing their own products in the defensive backfield, and that’s something they are obviously seeking to change in 2012.

The Lions spent three picks in the 2012 NFL Draft on cornerbacks, all of them underrated, smaller school guys that can possibly come in and bring a much needed spark to the Detroit secondary. Let’s get to know these three defensive playmakers.

Dwight Bentley, Louisiana Lafayette (Third Round)

Bentley comes to the Lions after lighting it up this past offseason where he really caught a lot of people’s attention. He’s not the biggest cornerback but he has excellent athletic ability and at about 5’10” 185 pounds, he runs well and is an aggressive cover corner. He will likely start off as a nickel cornerback, and could be the benefactor of that great Detroit defensive line early on in his career. As a third round pick, expectations will be that he eventually winds up as a starter, which he very well could. Coming from a smaller school like ULL, he will have an uphill battle to climb but the talent is certainly there and he can keep up with the speed of pretty much any receiver in the NFL.

Chris Greenwood, Albion (Fifth Round)

Another small school gem, the Lions get an outstanding athlete here in Chris Greenwood. At Michigan’s pro day, he ran a 4.41 second 40 yard dash at 6’1″ 190 pounds and had an incredible 43 inch vertical leap. Those athletic measureables are obviously good enough to let him start out competing as a special teams player, but his coaches speak really highly of his football IQ, whatever that means. If Greenwood is able to pick up the mental aspect of the game quickly, he could contribute in a multitude of ways for this Lions team. He could play cornerback or safety, and he could certainly help generate some turnovers for this defense.

Jonte Green, New Mexico State (Sixth Round)

Green is another guy who has a good combination of size and speed at 5’11” 192 pounds and a 4.40 forty yard dash. He was named second team All-WAC last season and finished with 14 pass breakups and two interceptions along with a forced fumble. He is another aggressive player who can sit back and contribute early on as a special teams player, but because of his aggressive nature, he could be a perfect fit for the nickel/dime role to keep some speed on slot receivers and keep an attack mentality.