Getty Travis Fulgham catches a pass in Denver.
The Detroit Lions have one of the deepest wideout groups in the league, but that depth took a hit this week with the departure of Geronimo Allison.
Good news for Detroit, though, revolves around the fact that they still have young players capable of stepping up. One of those players is second year man Travis Fulgham. Many forgot about Fulgham, but the former 6th round pick is a player who could quickly step up and make his presence felt on the roster.
Fulgham has an advantage of fitting right in within the team’s offense and what they do well. In fact, as Pro Football Focus explained, Fulgham is one of the best deep ball wideouts in his entire class.
Could Travis Fulgham be a perfect fit for this Bevell-led offense that predicates itself on the deep ball?
Highest Deep REC grade in 2019 Draft Class (2018 season):
1. Andy Isabella, 97.8
2. Hakeem Butler, 96.6
3. Travis Fulgham, 96.0 🦁
4. JJ Arcega-Whiteside, 95.2
Fulgham could be the player who benefits most from Allison choosing to sit out the 2020 season. Entering camp, it seemed as if Fulgham could be one player on the bubble considering the team’s overall depth at wide receiver. The Lions want to dial up the deep passes, and Fulgham could simply slide into the role that Allison was slated to occupy on the team.
The duo might not be similar in terms of league experience, but Fulgham could quietly be the next up for the team in terms of breaking out.
An opportunity now exists for the young wideout to break out, and it will be fascinating to watch and see if he can seize upon the chance and the snaps he will likely be given.
Geronimo Allison Figured to Have Big Camp Battle
Detroit has plenty of depth across the roster at the wideout position and that might be the most improved spot of all on the roster in terms of playmakers. On the bottom, something has got to give. A battle for the No. 5 wideout spot could have been interesting as it relates to the team’s rookie Quintez Cephus and Allison, a veteran of the division who has tons of great snaps under his belt. Don’t sleep on Cephus to make some noise in 2020, and many bet that Allison would have been in good shape to give the Lions some excellent play this season given the situation he enters. The top of Detroit’s wideout group gets headlines for good reason, but the bottom might be sneaky good with Cephus and Marvin Hall set to do battle for snaps.
Now, Fulgham enters for Allison in this position and has a shot to put himself firmly into the mix with an earlier understanding of the offense.
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.
Travis Fulgham Stats
In college, Fulgham put up a solid 2,044 yards and 18 touchdowns playing for Old Dominion. He didn’t make the Detroit roster in 2019, but was on the roster late in the season as injuries ravaged the team. He played in 3 games and did not register a stat. In the preseason, however, Fulgham was one of the team’s brighter stars, so he will have to tap into that potential once again.
The chance should exist for him to do so now that the Lions have lost Allison.
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