Getty Kerryon Johnson celebrates a 2020 score.
The Detroit Lions were hard at work adding defensive studs to the roster on Friday night, and as the picks rolled in, all running back Kerryon Johnson could think about was being able to welcome his new teammates.
As he saw the names, though, there was one little problem. Johnson admitted what many folks were thinking. He probably wasn’t going to be able to pronounce anyone’s name on his whole defense.
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Johnson tweeted hilariously in the aftermath of the Lions selecting three players for their defense with more complicated names that he’s going to have a hard time this season getting to know everybody on the other side of the football.
Man i almost can’t pronounce a single player name on our defense my god
So what is his solution? Coming up with a bunch of fun nicknames for his new teammates in order to make sure he can relate to them on the field and on defense.
Rookies are typically not given much respect anyway right off the bat, and now, Johnson is going to have to go to some extra trouble to learn the names if he wands to harass his new teammates. It’s the only thing he could think about as the picks were rolling in on Friday night.
Jeff Okudah Appreciates Lions’ Nigerian Defense
On the other hand, for those on the defense who might be able to pronounce the names, there is a level of excitement about what the team is doing. Cornerback Jeff Okudah explained that he is loving the look of his defense, and ratled off all the Nigerian names and heritages of his new and current teammates.
This defense looking real NIGERIAN! @LeviOnw @AmaniO @julian_okwara @RomeoND45 🇳🇬
Ad a whole, this is a pretty cool development, and something which could help the Lions and their players sprout some early chemistry and confidence. Some of the players already know each other from the draft trail, and with them sharing some common bonds, that would be something which would theoretically play well in terms of getting the right mix of players to help the team have some more success.
Lions Loaded up on Defense Friday in NFL Draft
After selecting Penei Sewell on Thursday for the offensive line, the Lions went heavy on the defensive side of the ball Friday with a couple of picks for their defensive line and a cornerback. With pick 41, the team selected defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike. At pick 72, they doubled back and selected defensive tackle Alim McNeill. With their final pick of the night, cornerback Ifeatu Melifonwu joined the mix. As Brad Holmes admitted, it wasn’t that he was trying to load up on these spots, but rather they were the top players on the team’s board at those points of the draft.
No matter what their nicknames end up being from Johnson, the fact is, the Lions could be scoring in a big way thanks to some defensive upgrades with some different names.
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