2 Late-Round JACK Prospects That Fit the Lions
The Lions have a very specific type of player they look for at their JACK backer position.
With current starter Devon Kennard going into the last year of his contract, general manager Bob Quinn may be in the market for finding his successor late in the draft.
Remember, he selected Austin Bryant a year ago in the fourth round of the NFL Draft.
Given that Lions head coach Matt Patricia is infatuated with size and length at the hybrid linebacker position, it's not terribly difficult to peg certain players that they could target.
As the draft season goes on, the bigger names become more distinguished.
However, what about some prospects in the later rounds?
Here are two unheralded EDGE defenders that Lions fans should keep their eyes on:
Azur Kamara, OLB, Kansas
Class: JUCO senior
Height: 6-foot-3 and 2/8 inches
Weight: 245 pounds
Hand: 10 inches
Arm: 35 and 2/8 inches
Wingspan: 82 and 5/8 inches
Breakdown:
First off, Kamara is as raw as it gets, and would be a huge project; hence, the reason for his late-round grade. He didn't start playing football until his freshman year of high school, and spent some time at the junior college level before transferring to Kansas. He is still growing into his body, and weighed in 10 pounds heavier at the combine than what he was listed at during college. Additionally, Kamara was one of the few linebackers that was asked to work out with the defensive linemen group as well.
Despite all of that, his potential is off the charts due to his extremely long frame and athleticism. Kamara has offensive tackles jealous of his arm length and wingspan. In terms of size and weight, he is only a few pounds lighter than what Kennard checked-in at when he attended the combine.
In terms of his film, he has a long way to go. One vitally important tool that Patricia likes is hand usage to control the line of scrimmage. Kamara offers next to nothing in that department currently. That is a trait that can be coached up, though. He really doesn't have any type of game plan when rushing the quarterback. He relies on pure athleticism which will get him in trouble at the next level. Almost half of his total quarterback pressures generated came as a cleanup or was just unblocked.
Important to note, with how the Lions want their linebacker to have the ability to play both on the edge and at an off-ball position, Kamara is on the shortlist of players to have experience in both spots.
Given his overall size profile, he fits the prerequisites that the Lions require in a linebacker. Yet, he is a complete wildcard with how he ends up developing.
Casey Toohill, OLB, Stanford
Class: Redshirt senior
Height: 6-foot-4 and 3/8 inches
Weight: 250 pounds
Hand: 9 and 4/8 inches
Arm: 33 and 4/8 inches
Wingspan: 79 and 5/8 inches
Breakdown:
Toohill is another player that is unlikely to see the field early in his NFL career. He pretty much was off the radar for draftniks going into his senior season -- mostly due to the fact he was used sparingly at Stanford before 2019. Last season, he started every single game at outside linebacker, and finished with 60 tackles (third on the team), 11.5 tackles for loss (led the team), eight sacks (led the team) and 10 quarterback hits (led the team). He has a penchant for getting to the quarterback no matter where he lines up -- he Iines up mostly on the edge, though.
With great size and length for the off-ball position, Toohill is a relatively a great athlete as well. He may raise some eyebrows with his speed and explosion at the combine for a 250-pounder. As I've mentioned many times before, the two heaviest off-ball linebackers at the combine last year ended up in Detroit -- Toohill was measured at the same weight as second-round pick Jahlani Tavai.
Depending on your source, it's unclear whether teams will see Toohill more as a 3-4 edge rusher or more of a SAM linebacker in a 4-3 -- perfect for a JACK backer in Patricia's scheme. Just like with Kamara, NFL teams have asked Toohill to test with the defensive line group -- as well as the linebackers -- at the combine.
Quinn does value smart players and high effort players as well. Toohill is a three-time Pac-12 all-academic team selection, and is known for his high motor.
It was a little concerning that Toohill didn't stand out more at the East-West Shrine Game. But again, it's the reason why he is projected to be a late-round pick. At the very least, he should be a solid special teams contributor while he develops.
Related
Why Chase Young is a Perfect Draft Prospect for the Lions
