Lions Will Regret Cutting Jason Huntley
I typed the word "regret" into Google, and what came up fits this article perfectly.
"Feel sad, repentant or disappointed over something that has happened or been done, especially a loss or a missed opportunity."
Since I've been writing for this publication, of all the players I have evaluated on the Lions last season and headed into this season, nobody has excited me more than Jason Huntley.
Had he not been cut and signed by the Eagles, this would have been the most positive and incredible article I have written to date.
I cannot say enough good things about Huntley after evaluating him, and I cannot question the Lions organization harder than I'm about to.
When I first started researching Huntley for this article, I read how he was a highlight reel from out of the backfield, lined up as a wide receiver and as a kick returner last year for the New Mexico State Aggies.
He averaged 5.9 yards per carry and 8.4 yards per catch in his college career. That was my first hint that I was stumbling upon something special.
Rule No. 1 in the National Football League -- you do not cut or trade the playmakers, and that is what Huntley is.
Playmakers are just too hard to come by.
Huntley is a baller. He is a dream of a kick returner for any special teams coach in the NFL.
Trust me, I wrote a 350-page book on every kickoff, kickoff return, punt and punt return player in the league.
And I developed a revolutionary special teams system that can dominate the field-position game and build the best depth in the league.
One of my greatest pet peeves with the evaluation process in the National Football League are the labels the scouting world likes to put on a guy like this: "Oh, he is too small. He is too this, and he is too that ..."
Without further ado, here is my scouting report on the one that got away.
He could have been one of those steals of the entire draft for the Lions. And mark my words, he is going to be an epic steal off of waivers for the Philadelphia Eagles.
#32 RB/KR Jason Huntley - 5-foot-9, 193 pounds (4.4 40-yard dash time)
Grade: A- (Blue-chip player; elite)
Scouting Report
One word defines this player .... EXCITING.
Lean, quick and a fast playmaker who can excel in sub packages on offense and as a kick returner. A player who commands respect by a defense. Not big enough to earn a living between the tackles, but has the courage to hit it up there to keep defenses honest. He is not at all afraid of traffic. Wants it. Accelerates quickly, like a sports car. Has some legitimate get up and go to him. Explosive. Shows excellent vision, running instincts and balance. Squirts through holes. Shows polish with spin moves, and attempts stiff arm. Will really excel as a third-down back coming out of the backfield and as a slot receiver in the NFL. Good hands, and showed he can catch it with his hands. Showed he could catch it in stride. Occasionally jumped when he did not have to or dropped one he should have caught.
Stood out among his level of competition in college. Not easy to tackle. Tough. Has some real elusiveness in the open field. Does not look to go out of bounds. He will cut it right back inside into traffic and navigate through it. Wants the endzone. Has a nose for the endzone. Can really turn on the afterburners, and run away from defenders in the open field.
As a kick returner, catches, and is fast-charging moving forward. Reminds me of a dart someone throws at a dartboard in a bar. Runs with force. Runs with purpose. He has a real knack for sniffing out and quickly slipping through creases and holes, and he is off to the races. Shows phenomenal instincts weaving in and out of congested areas and creating his own lanes. Showed some attitude. Can catch punts. He is going to dominate the NFL as a kick returner -- and very possibly as a punt returner, too -- for the Eagles.
I get the smaller college thing, but there are certain things you look for as a scout that translate to the highest of levels.
He excited the hell out of me, and not many do. I have been accused of being a hard grader more than once.
There is just something about this guy.
Huntley reminds me of a player I grew up watching and loving in Brian Mitchell, who played for the then-Washington Redskins with Joe Gibbs.
He never fit a specific role, but he played a lot of roles at a high level.
Mitchell played QB in college, and mainly played in the role of the third-down back and return specialist in Washington.
That is who Jason Huntley made me think of.
The first time "B. Mitch" -- as I like to call him -- touched the ball in a preseason game for Washington against Atlanta, he took it to the house.
Expect to see Huntley on SportsCenter. I know greatness when I see it.
I do not care if he was 2-feet tall. The Lions needed to find a way to keep this guy and get him onto the field. Nobody leaves the keys in a Ferrari and walks away from it.
I do not get this one. He was looking good in camp.
This guy is even more electric than J.D. McKissic, who I also evaluated last season and could not believe they got rid of.
Lions offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell had a guy like Huntley in Minnesota during the 2009-10 seasons named Percy Harvin.
Huntley's speed alone could create a lot of noise in the slot.
There are so many cool and creative offensive things someone could do with a guy like Huntley.
Harvin was about the same size, and had about the same recorded speed.
Maybe this is why on Pro Football Talk, the headline read, "Eagles were thrilled the Lions waived Jason Huntley."
In that article, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson said, "We are excited about this player, excited about Huntley, excited to get him in the mix."
The article said the Eagles did not even need to do a lot of research on Huntley because they already knew he had big-time speed, more than 2,000 yards rushing, more than 1,500 kickoff yards and more than 1,000 yards receiving in his college career.
Huntley was, and would have been the biggest threat on the Lions' roster.
You have got to find a place for a playmaker like this on the 53-man roster.
He is going to blow the doors off all the slow and stiff collective norms of players who play on special teams in the NFL.
After looking at the signing of Big V and the Lions' decisions to let McKissic walk, pass on Fournette and cut Huntley, I am really beginning to wonder what is going on inside the Lions building.
I cannot even imagine the mismatches that would have been created by having McKissic and Huntley split behind Matthew Stafford in a special package, or maybe, I can.
As a tandem, they could have destroyed NFL defenses coming out of the backfield together, flaring in opposite directions.
Fournette, McKissic and Huntley would have easily been the most dynamic backfield in the NFL. Wow, it could have been incredible.
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