With the eighth pick in the 2019 NFL draft ... the Detroit Lions select ... T.J. Hockenson. Tight end. Iowa. This is how it went. Fans who wanted the Lions to load up on defense started getting excited when the Raiders unexpectedly picked Clelin Ferrell at No. 4. And then Devin White went to Tampa, which made fans VERY excited that Josh Allen, Devin Bush or Ed Oliver could fall to the Lions. But then the Giants picked ... Daniel Jones? And the Jaguars went with Josh Allen. Sorry @Mshuddy96. We will miss you. Lions fans took the news just about as well as our friend Mshuddy. There were many of those of tweets. Many we could not use because this is a family establishment. But there were a few positive ones. Like these:<doc-sep>Brandon Folsom and Josh Mansour Special to the Detroit Free Press ESPN and NFL Network pundits react to the Detroit Lions taking Boston College defensive back Will Harris in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft on Friday: Todd McShay "What you love about him is how hard he plays the game. He had a great week at the Senior Bowl. I thought he showed better instincts than sometimes I saw on tape of him. With his size and speed combination – 6-1, 207 pounds and ran a 4.41 at the combine – he is a tackling machine. He's going to be great on special teams right away. I think he'll develop into a starting strong safety when it's all said and done for the Detroit Lions." Mel Kiper Jr. "He just has a knack for being at the right place at the right time." [ Meet new Lions safety Will Harris: He's a dog, not a cat ] Daniel Jeremiah “A great combination of play speed, character and leadership from that safety position. Just doesn’t have a lot of ball production when you study him. He can play rolled up. He’s got some real snap on contact. When he hits you, you’ll feel it. He’s got some real explosiveness. One of the games I watched against Purdue, he can get a little bit out of control. He misses a tackle, ends up being a long touchdown. He plays a real reckless brand of football. … He does not slow down. It is all gas, no brakes.” Joel Klatt “Harris, 41 starts. Experienced guy, highly competitive. ... Competitive, great leader. A great culture pick there for the Lions.”<doc-sep>The Detroit Lions have selected T.J. Hockenson in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, and the reactions have poured in as it relates to the fans and the pundits on the internet. Plenty of folks have plenty of opinions about the Lions selecting another tight end in the draft, and took to the internet to share their excitement or frustration with the move. Both were captured quite well. As for the next moves? Detroit is wide open in terms of what they can do in this draft. They don't have to force any position simply because of need, and while they still have plenty of needs across the roster, they have done a good job to address most of them already. The players already signed give the Lions the makings of some excellent depth to start 2019, and depth is the only way they will take the step from pretender to true contender. Safe to say the buzzword for this draft in Nashville will be overall depth for the team. The Lions have plenty of holes on their team to address this draft period, and it just so happens a few of their biggest are spots where top end talents could be had. The defensive line and defensive backfield have several stud players who figure to be around early in the draft, and those are two spots where the Lions could figure to need instant upgrades. Detroit also has needs at tight end, perhaps at wideout and also depth spots on the offense and defense. They also have plenty of draft picks with which to work. Now, they've got flexibility with those picks considering their fast free agency work. Combined with a young linebacking group, there is a hope that the Lions could turn into one of the NFL's more elite groups on defense if they are able to continue the arrow trending upward, and with a new offensive mindset, they could take new strides with some additions there as well. Certainly, there is reason for hope that could soon be the case, as they've already got a nice place to start with some solid and budding talents on the field. Getting plenty of quality draft picks into the mix will help this turnaround further. Hockenson is merely the first one. So what does everyone say? Take a look.<doc-sep>Here at the ESPN 96.1 Radio draft party in Grand Rapids, the fan reaction to the Detroit Lions selecting Iowa T.J. Hockenson was not exactly positive. The general consensus opinion is that it could have been worse but should have been better, with Ed Oliver and Montez Sweat (among others) still on the board, Some quotes from the fans: “I’m going to welcome any good player. I will at least give him a chance.” “He’s good. He should impact every phase of the offense. Stafford loves his tight ends and he’s an elite athlete with very few weaknesses.” “I can’t believe they took another tight end. I mean, he can play but, WHY? !” “I’ve heard he’s a can’t-miss prospect. Bob Quinn hasn’t let us down yet.” “I’m cautiously optimistic he can be the weapon we need him to be in the offense.” “I would have taken Devin Bush.” “He’d literally better be Gronk or you’re a bust (as a top-10 pick)”<doc-sep>
Josh Mansour Special to Detroit Free Press NFL Network pundits react to the Detroit Lions selecting Hawaii linebacker Jahlani Tavai in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft. Daniel Jeremiah “It’s always interesting when you look at the family tree in personnel because (Jahlani Tavai) … inside/outside, he can set the edge versus the run. His instincts are a little bit inconsistent. But I was told that the Patriots love this player. So he ends up going to Detroit where they have that Patriot influence. They like the same type of guys. And it’s that versatility they love. He’ll come off the edge one play. He’ll be off the ball. He’ll be in the middle of the field. They use him as a blitzer. He does a nice job of setting the edge. You look at a guy like Kyle Van Noy, whose functioned in that type of system. This is a player you can do a lot of different things with.” More: Lions fans have no clue who Jahlani Tavai is Lions get a D-minus for drafting Jahlani Tavai in 2nd round Who is Jahlani Tavai? A look at the 2nd-round pick Joel Klatt “He was versatile, yes, but (Jeremiah), he did it with like six different coordinators, defensive coordinators at Hawaii, so he can pick things up fast. You know that’s going to be something Matt Patricia really loves.” Charles Davis “And used to being in space because of what he has to deal with with his offense all the time, that spread it out throw it around system. … And Detroit was talking about linebacker at (pick number) eight and they ended up taking T.J. Hockenson and Devin Bush was the guy they were talking about.”