Handing Out Grades for the Detroit Lions’ 2020 NFL Draft Class
#121: Logan Stenberg, Interior Offensive Lineman, University of Kentucky
The Detroit Lions traded back from the 109th overall pick in the fourth round with the Las Vegas Raiders to the 121st overall pick. They then surprised a lot of people by drafting their second interior offensive lineman in a row, Kentucky’s Logan Stenberg. Stenberg has the ability to play both guard and center, which might have been part of the thought process for drafting him as Detroit had no back-up center once Graham Glasgow walked away in free agency.
Stenberg is often described as “nasty” and “mean” on the football field. He lives for matching up against his man and driving him into the ground. He’s big and physical and is a good guard in both the run and pass game.
When run blocking, if Stenberg gets his hands on his opponent that man is as good as removed from the play. The Kentucky guard is aggressive and won’t be easily displaced by a defender. As a pass-blocker, he has work to do and needs to improve on his athleticism to hold up against NFL-level play despite giving up about one sack over the past two years.
Still, Stenberg should be able to compete with Joe Dahl and Jonah Jackson for one of the two starting guard spots. Finding a potential starting quality guard in the fourth round (and at the least quality depth) is a good pick to me, even if the Lions did double up at the position.
Grade: B+
#166: Quintez Cephus, Wide Receiver, University of Wisconsin
There were a couple of wide receivers on the board here that I thought would have been better selections for the Lions offense, such as slot receiver K.J. Hill or the athletically dominant Donovan Peoples-Jones. Instead, Detroit selected a receiver that ran in the 4.70’s at NFL combine, Quintez Cephus.
Many people were initially upset with the pick but accepted it more when they were reminded that their first-round selection, Jeff Okudah, called Cephus the best receiver he faced in college. Cephus is faster than his combine time, as he ran in the mid 4.50’s at his pro day.
Cephus is worthy of the praise he received from the Ohio State cornerback. He is extremely explosive off the line which allows him early separation that forces many of his opposing corners to play catch-up and chase him down. He reminds a lot of Lions fans of the season they got to see Anquan Boldin play as a big slot.
Boldin had a very good year with quarterback Matthew Stafford, becoming a safety valve of sorts as the team’s big slot wide-out. Cephus has a ways to go before he can stake a claim to being the kind of receiver Boldin was for Stafford. But his explosiveness should prove to be a big weapon for him and the team and he was worth the fifth-round pick.
Grade: B
#172: Jason Huntley, Running Back, New Mexico State University
This was the first pick that really didn’t make any sense for the Detroit Lions at the time. Huntley is a fast running back with special return potential that could push him onto the roster come August. But the Lions already drafted Swift and had Kerryon Johnson, Bo Scarbrough, and Ty Johnson in the roster in the running back and former All-Pro returner Jamal Agnew as well.
The Lions could be looking to for a cheaper and more reliable return man as Agnew has had his fumbling issues and could be looking to cash-in as an elite returner once he’s eligible for free agency. If Huntley is able to supplant Agnew as the return man and Johnson as the third back on the roster then he could turn out to be worth the fifth-round pick spent on him. Until then though, this is a pedestrian pick at best.