11:29 p.m. ET: That concludes the day at the NFL Draft. Rounds 4-7 coming tomorrow, beginning at noon. We’ll be doing live updates again, in a different post. 11:06 p.m.ET: Bob Quinn now talking about Tavai: Bob Quinn said the addition of Jahlani Tavai will allow Jarrad Davis and other linebackers to move over into different alignments. — Nate Atkins (@NateAtkins_) April 27, 2019 10:45 p.m. ET: Our Kyle Meinke has done some homework on Jahlani Tavai since the Lions made the linebacker their second-round pick. Here you go: 10:37 p.m. ET: And here’s the quick story on Justin Layne, the MSU corner headed to the Steelers: 10:34 p.m. ET: Here’s the quick story on the Lions’ third-round pick, Will Harris: 10:32 p.m. ET: Michigan State cornerback Justin Layne goes to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round, No. 83 overall. 10:26 p.m. ET: With the 81st overall pick (third round), the Detroit Lions select safety Will Harris of Boston College. The Lions traded up to get him. 10:23 p.m. ET: Here’s the early story on David Long: 10:22 p.m. ET: Two picks later, Wolverines teammate David Long, a cornerback, is selected by the Los Angeles Rams, No. 79 overall. 10:18 p.m. ET: Here’s the early story on Chase Winovich being drafted by the New England Patriots: 10:16 p.m. ET: Another former Michigan Wolverine off the board. It’s Chase Winovich, who goes in the third round (No. 77 overall) to the New England Patriots. He’s the third U-M player to be picked in this draft so far. 9:28 p.m. ET: This is pretty notable: Cardinals QB Josh Rosen is being traded to the Miami Dolphins. According to @EliasSports, Rosen is the only 1st-round QB since 1970 to change teams after just 1 season with his draft team. pic.twitter.com/LwEkLfhdFY — ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 27, 2019 9:26 p.m. ET: More reaction to the Lions’ second-round draft pick: So the team right ahead of the #Lions traded back and two teams right after them traded back. They stayed pat and took Jahlani Tavai. They must really, really like him. — Nate Atkins (@NateAtkins_) April 27, 2019 Allow me to offer you everything I knew about Jahlani Tavai before tonight: [404 error file not found] — kyle meinke (@kmeinke) April 27, 2019 8:16 p.m. ET: Here’s the early story on the Lions’ second-round pick, Hawaii LB Jahlani Tavai: 8:09 p.m. ET: Here are the details on CMU’s Sean Bunting being drafted by the Buccaneers: Lions take LB Jahlani Tavai in the second round. Just how you drew it up right? — kyle meinke (@kmeinke) April 27, 2019 8:01 p.m. ET: And there’s the Lions’ second-round pick: Hawaii LB Jahlani Tavai at No. 43 overall. 8 p.m. ET: Oh, by the way: We're on the clock 👀 pic.twitter.com/dwsWtk2BRd — Detroit Lions (@Lions) April 26, 2019 7:56 p.m. ET: Fire up Chips! CMU cornerback Sean Bunting picked No. 39 overall, early in the second round, by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 7:19 p.m. ET: Hate to break it to everybody, but will not be listing every pick tonight in this update post. Just the notable ones. Sorry in advance for disappointing the masses. 7:16 p.m. ET: The second round is underway, and the first pick of the night is in. The Cardinals select Washington cornerback Byron Murphy at No. 33 overall. Now that the dust has settled from the first round of the NFL Draft, let’s see what the second and third rounds have in store tonight. Will the Lions trade up? Will they trade down? And will they turn their attention to the defense tonight after going offense with their first-round pick? The drama resumes at 7 p.m. today in Nashville. It wraps up Saturday with Rounds 4-7, and that all gets started at noon. ABC, ESPN and NFL Network are all televising the draft, which also is being carried on Sirius XM channels 80 and 88 and live-streamed on fuboTV, NFL.com/watch and the ESPN app. Thursday night, the Detroit Lions drew mixed reviews by selecting Iowa tight end T.J. Hockenson in the first round with the No. 8 overall pick. The Lions have the 43rd overall pick (second round) and 88th overall pick (third round). We’ll have live updates of the second and third rounds right here, and readers can join the discussion in the comment section. Here’s a look back at Thursday night’s live chat: And here are links to our coverage from Thursday night’s first round: LIONS: Detroit Lions select Iowa TE T.J. Hockenson in first round Repeat after me: T.J. Hockenson is not Eric Ebron Hockenson said he didn’t know Lions were taking him, but signs were always there ESPN’s Mel Kiper says Hockenson is a throwback and an athlete Hockenson gets mixed reaction at Lions’ own draft party Lions pass on Ed Oliver for T.J. Hockenson, and some fans are furious WOLVERINES: Devin Bush sounds fired up to be drafted by the Steelers Rashan Gary moves to LB for Packers, says shoulder is fine Devin Bush adds ‘spice’ to 2019 NFL Draft with fashion choice Rashan Gary slides to the Packers at No. 12 Devin Bush goes No. 10 to Steelers to cap all-star season<doc-sep>PASADENA, CA - SEPTEMBER 09: Nate Starks #23 of the UCLA Bruins hangs on to the ball to complete a 39 yard pass play before he is stopped by Jahlani Tavai #31 of the Hawaii Warriors in the first half of the game at the Rose Bowl on September 9, 2017 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) The Detroit Lions opted to draft a tight end in the first round. Does that mean they’ll address their defense in the second round? They did. With their first selection in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions made a tight end, Iowa’s T.J. Hockenson, their pick at eight overall. That’s despite already signing former Pittsburgh Steelers’ tight end Jesse James in free agency earlier this year. With their second round selection, will the Lions address a more pressing need on their roster? Picking fairly early in the round, Detroit has yet another opportunity to land a quality player who can have an impact in their rookie season. Now, we know the selection … With the 43rd overall selection in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions select … NAME: Jahlani Tavai POSITION: Linebacker SCHOOL: Hawaii HT/WT: 6-2, 250 2018 STATS: 82 tackles, 5.5 tfls, 2.0 sacks (8 games) PROS: Quick, Aggressive, Good Blitzer, Tackling Machine CONS: Coming off shoulder injury, lacks top-end speed, lack of competition QUICK ANALYSIS: The Lions continue to build their linebacker corps adding a bit of a surprise player in Jahlani Tavai that should have an instant impact. The Hawaii star will join Devon Kennard, Jarrad Davis and Christian Jones on a multiple defense that needed to build their linebacker depth. Tavai played at middle linebacker the past three seasons for the Rainbow Warriors. Daniel Jeremiah said on NFL Network that LB Jahlani Tavai was someone the Patriots loved and compared him to Kyle Van Noy. — Tori Petry (@sportstori) April 27, 2019 Detroit Lions’ second round selections since 2000 2018 – Kerryon Johnson, RB – Auburn 2017 – Teez Tabor, CB – Florida 2016 – A’Shawn Robinson, DT – Alabama 2015 – Ameer Abdullah, RB – Nebraska 2014 – Kyle Van Noy, LB – BYU 2013 – Darius Slay, DB – Mississippi St. 2012 – Ryan Broyles, WR – Oklahoma 2011 – Titus Young, WR – Boise St. 2011 – Mikel Leshoure, RB – Illinois 2010 – No Pick 2009 – Louis Delmas, DB – West. Michigan 2008 – Jordon Dizon, LB – Colorado 2007 – Drew Stanton, QB – Michigan St. 2007 – Ikaika Alama-Francis, DE – Hawaii 2007 – Gerald Alexander, DB – Boise St. 2006 – Daniel Bullocks, DB – Nebraska 2005 – Shaun Cody, DT – USC 2004 – Teddy Lehman, LB – Oklahoma 2003 – Boss Bailey, LB – Georgia 2002 – Kalimba Edwards, DE – South Carolina 2001 – Dominic Raiola , C – Nebraska 2001 – Shaun Rogers, DT – Texas 2000 – Barrett Green, LB – West Virginia What do you think about the Detroit Lions second pick of the draft? Did they make the right choice? Or did they leave a future Pro Bowler on the board? Let us know your thoughts about this selection in the comment section below. And keep checking back here at SideLion Report for more draft coverage.<doc-sep>Free Press sports writer Carlos Monarrez grades the Detroit Lions on each selection during the 2019 NFL draft: Pick: Jahlani Tavai, Hawaii inside linebacker Grade: D-minus This is the second-round pick? This seems like a crazy reach. He’s an unknown player from a second-tier conference who missed his final six games with a shoulder injury, though he still had 82 tackles. He missed the Senior Bowl and NFL combine and was arrested in a nightclub altercation last year. It seems like they passed on more promising cornerbacks like Greedy Williams and Justin Layne to reach for Tavai. [ Meet Jahlani Tavai: What you need to know about Lions' second-round pick ] At 6-foot-2 and 240 pounds, he’s a big-framed, willing tackler. But even if the Lions are desperate to move Jarrad Davis outside it’s hard to understand why they had to draft him so early. This might be Bob Quinn’s strangest decision since he drafted a long snapper. Carlos Monarrez's other draft grades: Round 1, T.J. Hockenson, C-minus Round 3, Will Harris, B Seidel:Love or hate it, Lions following own path in 2019 NFL draft Contact Carlos Monarrez at cmonarrez@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez.<doc-sep>Allen Park — Last year, the Detroit Lions caught everyone off guard with their first-round pick. This year, they waited until the second round of the NFL Draft to surprise observers, selecting Hawaii linebacker Jahlani Tavai No. 43 overall Friday night. General manager Bob Quinn raved about Tavai's versatility, as well as his unique skill set and body type being a strong fit for Detroit's defensive scheme. "Very unique with his body type, his playing strength, his ability to rush, cover, play the run, throw special teams in there as well," Quinn said. "It's just something where these guys are hard to find really felt fortunate to be able to get him because there was some interest in and around our picks that we were getting pretty nervous there for a few picks." A four-year starter, the 6-foot-2, 250-pounder racked up 124 tackles in both 2016 and 2017. Tavai took an official visit to Detroit during the pre-draft process and said he also talked to the team during the scouting combine in February. Many draft analysts weren't keen on Tavai's potential heading into the draft, with most viewing him as a Day 3 selection. But at least a handful saw a Day 2 talent, including The Athletic's Dane Brugler, who mocked the linebacker to the Patriots in the third round. Quinn noted part of the team's evaluation is the scarcity of the position in the draft and how many other teams might also value a linebacker with Tavai's body type for their scheme. A shoulder injury and a one-game suspension, following an arrest for assault at a night club, limited him to eight games as a senior. According to Hawaii News Now, Tavai was arrested along with a teammate for third-degree assault after they were involved in an altercation with a man who allegedly pushed a woman to the ground In a conference call with Detroit media, Tavai declined to comment on the incident. Quinn said they discussed the issue with Tavai, multiple times, are are comfortable it was an isolated incident. "Everybody in the building sat down with him," Quinn said. "He told the same exact story that he told us at the combine. It was very consistent from point A to point B. He made a mistake. You guys read the articles. You know what it was. I think a lot of people in this room would’ve stepped in and tried to do the right thing as well. It was unfortunate. He made a mistake, and we are totally fine with him character wise, 1000 percent." Tavai played outside linebacker as a freshman, but started in the middle his final three seasons. He anticipates starting out as a Mike in Detroit. Jarrad Davis is the current starter in the middle for the Lions, but could be shifted to a different role in 2019 to better utilize his pass-rush ability. Prior to the Lions' selection, there was a run on cornerbacks, with four coming off the board the first 10 picks of the day. Washington's Byron Murphy, Temple's Rock Ya-Sin, Central Michigan's Sean Bunting and Clemson's Trayvon Mullen were all taken before the Lions were on the clock. Also selected were several popular names linked to the Lions, including wide receiver Deebo Samuel and offensive linemen Cody Ford and Dalton Risner. Meet Jahlani Tavai Position: Linebacker College: Hawaii Round/overall: 2/43 Notable stats: Second all-time at Hawaii in tackles with 391 in his Rainbow Warriors career after notching 82 as a senior before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in Hawaii's eight game. Analysis: Tavai is a rugby player and said he learned to hit hard there. Whatever happens in Tavai's career, this is a reach for the Lions, as there doesn't appear to be a single notable mock draft where he gets selected this high. That's not a death sentence, and certainly he'll add to a thin linebacking corps. Where he fits in alongside Jarrad Davis will be a key training camp question. Adding to the question marks is a one-game suspension Tavai served for a nightclub incident last summer. jdrogers@detroitnews.com Twitter: @Justin_Rogers<doc-sep>
I didn't know a thing about Jahlani Tavai before the Detroit Lions took him with the 43rd overall pick of the 2019 NFL draft Friday, and judging by the reaction on Twitter, not many fans did, either. So after the Lions made Tavai the surprise pick of the second round, I reached out to a couple of talent evaluators I trust to get their opinions on the Hawaii linebacker. As it turns out, maybe Tavai wasn't that big of a surprise after all. One scout with an AFC team said he had Tavai graded as a clear Day 3 pick, while another with an NFC team said the Lions took Tavai "a little early" for his taste. But the general feedback I got from the four scouts I surveyed was positive, with one saying he did not think Tavai would have made it to Day 3 — and might not have made it to the third round — had the Lions not grabbed him when they did. Tavai was a tackling machine at Hawaii, where he averaged more than 10 stops a game last season. He's big — he said in a conference call with Detroit reporters he weighs 250 pounds — and smart and aggressive, and there weren't many highly-rated big linebackers in this draft. The Lions had an obvious need at the position. They return all three starters from last year in Jarrad Davis, Christian Jones and Devon Kennard, but have little depth behind that. Backups Steve Longa and Jalen Reeves-Maybin are both coming off season-ending injuries, and neither has the size coach Matt Patricia likes at linebacker. Tavai does, and has the versatility Patricia values. At Hawaii, Tavai played outside linebacker as a freshman and middle linebacker the last three years. He had 5½ sacks as a junior, and was on his way to a third straight 100-tackle season last season before a shoulder injury sent him to the operating table. That procedure kept Tavai from doing testing drills at the NFL combine and his pro day, and perhaps that's why he was somewhat under the radar entering the draft. But while Tavai was not rated highly by media types — he wasn't even listed in Athlon's draft preview guide at the inside linebacker position — he was well known in the NFL community. One scout told me that had the Lions passed on Tavai, he probably would have ended up with the New England Patriots at some point Friday. So what does all that mean? Well, as with any prospect, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and Tavai had at least one team who thought he was pageant material — the Lions, who took him over several other notable prospects at positions of need, including LSU cornerback Greedy Williams and Michigan State cornerback Justin Layne. Tavai, a star rugby player in high school who traveled the world with the U.S. National under-18 rugby team, told Detroit reporters he was bracing for a wide range of outcomes in the draft. "What my agent was telling me was either Day 2 or Day 3, so really I was just — I wasn’t really sure so I was just waiting for a phone call within those rounds," he said. "Right now I’m just really happy and really thankful for the opportunity that Coach Patricia and the Lions staff gave me right now. So really excited." Tavai declined to shed any light on a nightclub incident from last June that reportedly got him arrested for assaulting a man — allegedly after the man pushed a woman to the ground. He did say his injured shoulder is "doing great," and he's "juiced up" to play in the Lions defense. How soon that is remains to be seen, and how he does when he gets there ultimately will determine whether the Lions were right in their evaluation of a prospect who few fans even knew the name of before Friday. More:Who is Jahlani Tavai? A look at the Lions' 2nd-round NFL draft pick Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett. Read more on the Detroit Lions and sign up for our Lions newsletter.