The Detroit Lions are leaning on veteran wide receivers Josh Reynolds and Kalif Raymond to take on big roles early this season as Jameson Williams serves out his gambling suspension, but one outlet believes there could be a darkhorse candidate who could end up playing an outsized role — seventh-round pick Antoine Green.
Russell Brown of USA Today’s Lions Wire identified Green as one of the team’s biggest breakout candidates for 2023, noting that the rookie could end up stepping into a big role if either Reynolds or Raymond end up regressing from their performances last season. Though Green got off to a bit of a rough start through the team’s early practices, his unique abilities could end up pushing his role in the offense.
Lions Could Turn to Speedster
As Brown noted, the 6-foot-2 wide receiver turned in a strong performance at the NFL Scouting Combine with a 4.47 second time in the 40-yard dash and a 3-cone drill time of 6.99 seconds. Green had a reputation for stretching defenses during his time at the University of North Carolina, and could do the same in Detroit if given the opportunity.
“He threatens defenses vertically and has shown that he can run after the catch,” Brown wrote. “He works his hands to fight off defenders and has the desired size at 6-foot-2 and 199 pounds. It’s not every year that contributions are made from 7th round picks but there’s potential for Green in Detroit.”
Closing out our 2023 #NFLDraft with Antoine Green!
Green had some eye-opening stats in college, making 74 receptions for 1,410 yards and 12 touchdowns over the last two seasons at UNC. But Green has not had the smoothest transition to the NFL, as he got an “earful” from offensive coordinator Ben Johnson after lining up wrong at the team’s June 12 practice.
“Green heard the ire of offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who loudly expressed frustration at the rookie lining up incorrectly in the red zone,” Sports Illustrated’s John Maakaron wrote.
Antoine Green Hopes to Play Big Role With Lions
While he was mostly a vertical threat at UNC, Green said he hopes to play a more well-rounded role with the Lions in the coming year. In a May interview, Green told MLive.com that he wants to prove he can run a more complete route tree.
“I wanna be able to do it all. Our offense at UNC, I was a vertical threat for that offense, mainly,” Green said. “I just wanna show that I can do everything else outside of running that deep ball.”
Holmes noted that Green has some intriguing potential, but hinted that he would need to make contributions beyond the offense in his first season.
“We’ll see how much he can impact,” Holmes said. “Again, he’s a rookie. He’s still got upside. He’s got development. We’ll just see how far it goes, but in the meantime, with all these rookies, they’re going to have to prove themselves on special teams.”
Holmes added that Green may not be ready to compete for the No. 1 or No. 2 spots on the team anytime soon, but could serve his own role this season.
“I don’t think that Green can replace Jameson or any of that, but we are happy to get Green in the fold, and he does add a vertical, stretching element,” he said.
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Lions Rumors: Rookie WR Could Push Veterans for Big Role This Season