Getty Da'Shawn Hand flexes and looks at Philip Rivers.
The Detroit Lions have had a strong presence in the trenches this offseason, and that work has led them to perhaps be able to turn around what was one of the weaker points of the roster in recent years.
Perhaps stunningly, the Lions have been pushed around in the trenches in spit of the resources they have thrown at the problem. Once and for all, that has to change during the 2021 season.
The latest Lions news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Lions newsletter here!
It’s not for lack of talent, obviously. Recently, Pro Football Focus showed off a great stat which proved that the Lions interior can pressure the center almost like no other in the game between college and the pros.
Opposing Centers beware…
Career PFF Grade Lined up Over C by #Lions:
Da’Shawn Hand – 90.8 OVR👀
Trey Flowers – 82.8 OVR
Michael Brockers – 82.5 OVR
Alim McNeill – 89.7 OVR*
Levi Onwuzurike – 87.3 OVR*
*NCAA Grades
As cynical fans know, such stats are meaningless without an actual, tangible turnaround. The Lions line has to step up, snuff out the run and put way more pressure on the quarterback. After the miserable statistics of the last few seasons including a league low in sack totals (just 52 total since 2019), the team simply cannot afford to get any worse. Better line play will help the secondary improve as well.
There’s a silver lining in these metrics, but at the end of the day, it’s on the players from this group perhaps more than any other to finally start to prove them right in the end.
Lions Interior Suddenly Looking Stronger
Detroit stepped up and managed to find a few players in the early rounds to help solve their problems. The Lions managed to improve their fortunes in a big way by drafting Levi Onwuzurike and Alim McNeill so much that their interior is amongst the most improved in the league according to PFF.
Writer Seth Galina picked out some of the most improved spots on rosters across the league, and the Lions’ defensive line made the cut thanks to what they added early in the 2021 draft.
Galina wrote:
“They lost Danny Shelton and added Michael Brockers this offseason, but that wasn’t going to move the needle much. In the draft, the Lions added both a nose tackle and a 3-technique with their second and third picks.
Washington product Levi Onwuzurike, their second-rounder, posted two really productive seasons in 2018 and 2019 before not playing in 2020. He’s the 3-technique who will compete with Brockers for starting reps. And there’s a good chance he wins the starting job by Week 1. He is an explosive player, although he needs to develop more pass-rushing moves.
To solidify their nose tackle position, the Lions took North Carolina State’s Alim McNeill. He is the modern nose tackle, as teams don’t necessarily want their nose tackles to be big-bodied run stuffers. He stops the run with quickness and agility. He doesn’t have the pass-rush moves right now, but with the physical profile, you would think he can become an above-average pass rusher at the position to go along with being an elite run defender.”
Detroit’s line was beyond bad last season, so it’s refreshing to see the team’s new front office realize the problem and fix it. Whether or not the players pan out is anyone’s guess, but the Lions took major steps right off the bat to address a major problem and may have had big success.
Not only these players, but Michael Brockers, Da’Shawn Hand, John Penisini and Trey Flowers in the mix should be a big bonus to Detroit. It might be safe to say the spot is improved more than any one other place on the roster this offseason, but they also must perform.
Da’Shawn Hand Facing Major 2021 Pressure
Out of this group of players, who is the pressure most on right off the bat? That’s an easy answer, and Hand comes to mind as the top name. The Lions had to love what they got out of Hand when he was a rookie, but injury and inconsistency has prevented him from ever truly taking off.
Once upon a time as a rookie, Hand enjoyed one of the best starts to his career that PFF had ever seen. The defender from Alabama was right up there with some of the game’s true greats in terms of metrics from his first season. He even compared with Aaron Donald. Things slowed down after, however, thanks mostly to injury the last few seasons. It’s hard to argue with where the numbers have been, though.
This season, Hand needs to be able to show up and get the job done. As Brad Holmes has shown, he isn’t afraid to cut bait with players from the previous regime that aren’t playing well or serving a role. With that in mind, it’s time for Hand to start to live up to some of his early hype.
Detroit’s line looks better, but they need to prove it starting right now in 2021.
READ NEXT: Key Stat Shows Why Quintez Cephus Ready for Lions Emergence