The Detroit Lions have been doing work in the undrafted free agent class for some time, and in 2022, they may have found a way to land yet another stud.
With rookies coming into their first minicamps across the league, folks are starting to take a look at who the next crop of undrafted standouts could be, and interestingly enough, the Lions have a player on that list.
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Writer Eric Edholm of Yahoo recently took a look at his top 10 undrafted free agents from this year, and Detroit lineman Obinna Eze cracked the list. While Eze may have flown under the radar a bit in the Motor City, it’s clear that Edholm is a big believer in some of his traits he will bring to the league including size.
“He’s a legit 6-foot-6 1/2 with 36-inch arms and a wingspan more than 86 inches. Even lacking some lateral quickness, Eze was a draft-caliber prospect in our eyes”,” Edholm wrote in the piece.
For that reason, Edholm believes that Eze could be trending toward being a swing tackle or developmental guard in the NFL with the Lions, and the team is likely “to give him a long look this summer in Allen Park” given power and length.
Suddenly, Detroit’s offensive line is looking like a serious strength of the team, and if Eze is able to develop, this could be yet another reason that cements this as the case. Already, some are predicting he will crack Detroit’s roster. At the very least, Eze is gaining plenty of attention as a player to watch over the next few months.
Eze’s College Stats & Highlights
The Lions handed Eze a major $170,000 signing bonus to come to town, so clearly, Brad Holmes, Dan Campbell and Hank Fraley wanted to get their hands on a player who could figure as a steal given his size and could have the ability to play inside and out in the league. Eze has 6-6 size and plenty of durability, starting games with both Memphis and TCU after transfer. That’s a big reason the Lions will like him quickly for 2022.
Eze is a player who has a solid frame and uses his size to his advantage to get good leverage. He may need more strength to make it in the league. It’s a mild surprise he wasn’t drafted, but the Lions offer him a great shot considering all the different lineman they’ve used and developed in recent years. For this reason, keep him on your radar as he tries to make the team. There’s a chance Eze could grab attention if not make the team as others suggest.
Eze Will Have to Earn Way on Lions’ Roster
While Eze has talent and potential, he also faces a bit of an uphill climb to make the 2022 Lions. As Edholm admitted, there are roster realities that could make keeping Eze tough, but he is also coming to Detroit a prospect that has plenty going for him in terms of skill.
Up front, no longer are the Lions dealing from a position of weakness but a position of strength with a solid starting lineup on the offensive line. Even beyond starters, names like Tommy Kraemer, Matt Nelson, Evan Brown, Logan Stenberg and Ryan McCollum have impressed to upgrade the overall depth of the unit. This helps the Lions to look stronger at a key spot of the team. What it also does is raise the difficulty level on a player like Eze to crack the roster given all the young competition he will have to battle against in order to do so.
Eze might still be a candidate for the practice squad if he doesn’t make the team, and in time, it might not be a shock to see him make enough of an impact to crack the roster. Given his pedigree coming out, that seems to be the case.
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Lions Lineman Called One of 10 Best UDFA Players From 2022 Class