Lions training camp: Can Jonah Jackson replace Graham Glasgow?
The Detroit Lions used a third-round pick on Ohio State guard Jonah Jackson. Can he replace Graham Glasgow?
The Detroit Lions lost some key pieces in the 2020 offseason, perhaps the most significant loss on either side of the ball being offensive lineman Graham Glasgow.
Glasgow, a third-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, had been a tremendous player for the Lions on the interior offensive line, starting for the team at both guard and center.
He left in the 2020 free agency period to join the Denver Broncos, who paid him almost $11 million annually.
The Lions went out and made a pretty substantial investment on the offensive line in free agency themselves by signing Halapoulivaati Vaitai (try typing that three times fast) presumably to play the right tackle position.
The Lions’ offensive line will look quite a bit different in 2020, especially on that right side, and they have to be looking to third-round pick Jonah Jackson as a player who could come step in and replace a big-money free agent like Graham Glasgow right away.
Jonah Jackson’s transfer to Ohio State paying off
Jackson was a grad transfer to Ohio State from another Big Ten school, Rutgers, where he was a starting right guard and captain of the team.
Jackson brought his aggressive style of play over to the Buckeyes program and immediately fit in perfectly protecting Justin Fields and paving the way for JK Dobbins and the running game.
It will be interesting to see what the Lions do at both guard positions with Joe Dahl landing on injured reserve last year and the Lions also using a fourth-round pick on a potential starting left guard in Logan Stenberg.
Jackson may not be a road grader in the run game but he has proven himself more than capable as a pass protector and that could endear him to the Lions’ coaching staff very early on.
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One big reason to believe the Lions believe Jackson can come in and replace Glasgow is the fact that the team traded up 10 spots in the third round to get him. The Lions used a pick acquired from the Eagles in the Darius Slay trade to move up for Jackson, who should play a substantial role in 2020, regardless if it’s at the right or left guard spot.