Detroit Lions 2017 NFL Mock Draft: Upgrading the defense

Nobody fell off worse than Marvin Jones did last year. He started red hot for the Lions and then disappeared. Whether it was a mental thing or a physical thing, he wasn’t much of a threat. Certainly it seemed as if things changed once Golden Tate got benched after underperforming. Somebody that doesn’t underperform is Josh Reynolds.

Through 38 career games for the Aggies, Reynolds scored 30 receiving touchdowns. Going along with the red zone production, he also had 164 receptions for 2,788 yards. When watching the Lions last year, it seemed as if they missed a jump ball receiver. That makes sense after the retirement of Calvin Johnson. By adding Reynolds, you get some of that back. Certainly not at the level of Megatron but Reynolds has the ability to win a vast majority of jump balls thrown his way.

Reynolds displays really nice body control within his routes and obtaining the catch. He does well over the middle of the field and should provide this offense with a strong vertical threat. He’ll need to get stronger with his thinner frame but there’s no questioning the way he can track the ball. Putting Reynolds on the outside with Golden Tate in the slot could lead to some strong production from the Lions offense. Matthew Stafford has gotten better with the football in his hands but vertically, this should help him, as well.