The Detroit Lions weren’t able to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1 of the preseason. But the Lions saw a lot of players show the development they had displayed in training camp.
Fans can count rookie cornerback Keith Abney II among them.
Fansided’s Sidlion Report’s Candace Pedraza included Abney on a list of Lions winners from the preseason opener.
“Abney’s tackling has been a focal point since he was taken by the Lions in the 5th round of this year’s draft. While his size might make turnover generation a little hard to come by in coverage, he’s still a great defender in the open field and can stop plays from getting too explosive,” wrote Pedraza.
“We saw that skill on full display in this contest, with Abney finishing up his night with four solo tackles and five tackles total. Hit stick will probably be the best way to describe him this season, assuming he sticks on the 53-man roster.”
The Lions selected Abney in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. He came off the board at No. 157 overall.
Lions’ Keith Abney Hype Trains Continues
GettyThe Detroit Lions selected Keith Abney II in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
This week is hardly the first time Abney has received love this offseason.
Shortly after the draft, NFL.com’s Gennaro Filice called Abney the biggest sleeper of the draft for the Lions.
In May, one of Abney’s assistant coaches at Arizona State, Bryan Carrington, raved about the defensive back to The Detroit Free Press’s Dave Birkett.
Abney has versatility, but Filice and his former coach see him settling in at nickel cornerback for the Lions.
On Thursday against the Bengals, Abney played 46 defensive snaps. Of those snaps, 28 of them were in the slot.
Abney filled the stat sheet and posted an impressive analytic grade at Pro Football Focus. He registered an overall grade of 70.4 (out of 100) including 81.9 in run defense and 80.7 in tackling.
Based on the PFF grading system, he was one of the top 10 defenders on the field for the Lions on Thursday.
Will Abney Make Detroit’s 53-Man Roster?
GettyFansided’s SidLion Report’s Candace Pedraza called fifth-round rookie Keith Abney a winner from the team’s preseason opener for head coach Dan Campbell.
The Lions cut former first-round cornerback Terrion Arnold before training camp started. Yet, Detroit still has considerable depth at the position, which could make Abney’s path to a roster spot challenging.
Pundits expect Rock Ya-Sin, D.J. Reed and Roger McCreary to be the team’s top three cornerbacks this season. Some, though, still help Ennis Rakestraw Jr. will crack that top three.
In training camp, though, Nick Whiteside is significantly pushing Rakestraw for playing time. The Lions also still have veteran cornerback Khalil Dorsey.
How Abney fits into that group is currently unclear. Of course, the rookie will give the Detroit coaching staff a lot to think about if he continues to play as he did Thursday.
At Arizona State, Abney posted 98 combined tackles in 34 career games over three seasons. He also had 21 pass defenses, six interceptions, two forced fumbles and a sack.
Lions New CB Deemed Winner From Preseason Opener