Getty Quintez Cephus makes a catch vs. Illinois.
The Detroit Lions may have found themselves the steal of the 2020 NFL Draft when they selected wideout Quintez Cepuhs.
Cephus, a talented wideout, fell a bit during the draft had some questions about speed coming in, but during Lions camp early on it’s been clear that those concerns may have been overblown. Additionally, the Lions have a strong wideout room around Cephus to aid in his transition, and that’s been helping him in a major way so far.
Speaking with the media recently, Cephus admitted Detroit’s veterans have made a big impact on him personally and professionally early on during camp. In fact, Cephus has learned a lot from them already as it relates to being a pro and transitioning to the next level of his career.
He said:
“It’s been great being around Kenny (Golladay), Marvin (Jones) and Danny (Amendala). Those guys have been in the league for a while and they’re doing great things. My mindset coming into it was being around them, soaking up everything that I can learning from them. They’ve been doing a great job helping me out answering questions that I have in meetings, Having that player to player relationship as a teammate, It’s been great being around those guys seeing the plays that they make and just trying to do whatever I can to help the team.”
Cephus seems to know his role already with the Lions, and seems to be adjusting well to the league. His mindset should serve him well heading into the regular season, which can be a tough time for young wide receivers to adjust. Knowing this, Cephus could be in position to do a big amount of damage right off the bat. He will be comfortable and connected, which are big factors for a rookie.
If that ends up being the case, Lions fans might only have to credit this great supporting cast.
Quintez Cepuhs Compared to Hall of Fame Wideout
While Cephus might be a mere 5th round pick, some strong value was seen in the selection by NFL.com reporter Gil Brandt. As Brandt said, he believes Cephus was a good selection for the Lions, and he thinks he shares physical similarities with Michael Irvin, former Dallas Cowboys wideout. Irvin went in the 1st round and Cephus went later, but there are similarities to the eye of someone formally in personnel.
I love the Lions’ pick of Wisconsin WR Quintez Cephus. I said before he reminded me of a young Michael Irvin in terms of size/speed. Top Big Ten CBs said he was toughest to defend. Would have been drafted much higher if he had run better at combine (4.73)
This is lofty praise for Cephus, but interestingly enough, his newest teammate Jeff Okudah claimed Cephus was the best player he competed against in college and someone who made him evolve his own game at cornerback. Obviously, the players will get to compete against each other all the time now.
Jeff Okudah called Quintez Cephus the toughest receiver he covered in college. Now they’re teammates.
Jeff Okudah: “Quintez Cephus from Wisconsin, I think he’s the best receiver I went against. It doesn’t matter what his 40 time was. Football is played in between the lines and he’s a technician, someone that I changed my plan up for every single week.”
It will be interesting to see how good Cephus and Okudah can make each other moving forward, and if Cephus can take his place amongst the best in the league like Brandt thinks.
Quintez Cephus Stats
In college, Cephus put up a solid 1,496 yards and 9 touchdowns in a run-heavy Badgers offense. He’s a player that has some potential that could be developed into something a little more, and with the Lions needing wideouts for the future, it’s possible they could take a couple swings in the middle to late rounds at the position.
Cephus didn’t have a fast run at the NFL Combine running in the 4.7’s, but improved things during his early pro day with Wisconsin. More than the speed, it’s the ability of Cephus to run good routes and make solid catches which impresses. As a result of that, he could be a solid pro who sticks in the league.
If Cephus makes a big impact as a rookie, he might only have Detroit’s talented wideout cast to thank given the smooth way they’ve helped him to transition early on.
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