Getty Levi Onwuzurike on the field during Lions training camp in 2021.
The Detroit Lions have managed to see plenty of positives so far this season even in spite of a dreadful winless record and plenty of trouble on the field so far.
One of those positives has been the play of defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike. The rookie lineman got his camp off to a bumpy start thanks to the team being cautious due to injury, but it’s clear now that Onwuzurike is starting to come into his own after a good Week 5 performance.
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That’s a fact the defensive tackle himself is starting to feel, too. After his performance in Week 5, Onwuzurike spoke with the media after practice on Thursday, October 14 in an interview posted to DetroitLions.com and explained what he was feeling about his play. As he said, he believes he is turning a corner.
“It felt like a better game than I had before 100%. It’s mostly just being comfortable, taking the coaching from the older guys,” Onwuzurike said. “As you take a lot of reps, you’re going to get better. I think In the NFL, you got to get comfortable as quick as you can, as fast as you can.”
So how does a young player get better in the NFL? According to Onwuzurike, it’s all about treating the league like grade school when you’re a rookie and trying to be receptive to learning rather than worrying about how much you are seeing the field as a player.
“You just gotta have a fifth-grade mentality. You gotta come in wanting to learn, and that’s what it’s about,” he said. “You learn, you get better and you get out there. You gotta have the whole knowledge of the defense, and then you’ll get out there. So I’m fine with it, I’m learning behind some great dudes, and as I get better and better I’ll get out there.”
Onwuzurike is finally starting to see the field more for the Lions, and his mindset is a very good one. As he continues to improve, he will see an even bigger role on the team.
Onwuzurike Talks Learning From Veteran Lions Plus Feeding Them
When the Lions added Michael Brockers this past offseason as well as held on to Nick Williams up front, those moves seemed significant due to the fact that the players were solid, veteran bodies at a position of need up front. When the Lions made the move to draft Onwuzurike as well as Alim McNeill early on, however, they took on an even bigger significance.
That leadership is something Onwuzurike has come to appreciate as well, as he cited the influence of both of those players as critical to his early development on the field.
“Learning behind guys like Nick (Williams) and (Michael) Brockers teaches you a lot, so I enjoy it every day. Those are funny dudes, so I enjoy it,” Onwuzurike said.
One thing he also enjoys? Having a fellow rookie in McNeill there to help him in fitting the bill for all the treats his veteran teammates demand, and based on what Onwuzurike divulged, there’s some eating going on.
“It helps me learn more number one, but also, it spreads the load of spending money on the older guys,” Onwuzurike joked. “So whenever we got to get food or something, it’s like ‘alright, you got Friday’s donuts Alim, I’ll get Saturday’s coney island or whatever it is.'”
Technique lessons on the field and getting the bill off the field. It’s all a part of life in the NFL as a rookie.
Onwuzurike Stats and Highlights
The Lions needed some major help in the trenches and Onwurzurike can theoretically provide it. He collected 95 tackles in his time in college to go with 16 tackles for-loss and 7 sacks. Onwurzurike opted out of the 2020 season, but he showed well in 2019 when he last played. Teams looking to draft Onwuzurike were likely looking at his ability to be physical and tough in the trenches and develop into a great player in the middle.
In Detroit, Onwuzurike has started to show some signs of coming into his own on the field. Thus far this season, he has collected 7 total tackles and showed some of the burst he did in college:
In time, the Lions hope that Onwuzurike can continue to develop, and if that’s the case, he might be able to owe it to a grade school mentality and paying his dues.Foo
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