Detroit Lions Position of Concern: Safety
Looking at the Detroit Lions roster, it looks like a potential playoff unit. I picked them to finish 8-8 before the draft and that could change with some of the recent acquisitions. The team did a great job of building up the lines and drafting for depth on defense.
One of those depth picks was Miles Killebrew. Fondly known as “Killa” by his Southern Utah teammates (which is the least creative nickname possibly in Detroit sports history) the safety developed a reputation for delivering big hits when the team needed it. The instinct to compare the 4th round pick to Kam Chancellor, a former 5th rounder, is easy to understand. They are similar in size and come with the same reputations. That still doesn’t mean he will start this season.
Killebrew will likely need a season to adjust to the speed of the game as he comes in from the Big Sky division. It is a D-I school but the best offense Killebrew faced last year was probably D-II South Dakota State, who proceeded to hang 55 points on the Thunderbirds.
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I have written about the Lions additions of Rafael Bush (who I think will start this year), Tavon Wilson, and Johnson Bademosi. By drafting Killebrew it seems the team has set its future safety tandem with Wilson and Killebrew (because Glover Quin can’t play forever). Wilson might start as soon as this year if Bush struggles and general manager Bob Quinn decides to roll with the former New England Patriot.
The size of Killebrew might allow the team to play three safeties at once with two linebackers, something Bruce Arians is having a lot of success with out in Arizona. This could make the team vulnerable against the run, but that’s why you drafted A’Shawn Robinson. The inside linebacker problems on the roster may be fixed but it shouldn’t surprise anyone to see defensive coordinator Teryl Austin get creative.
Some fans may still consider safety a big area of concern. I disagree. It is slightly more important than receiver and linebacker (with the recent acquisitions of Andre Caldwell and Jon Bostic) but not as important as the positions for the rest of the week: cornerback and defensive end. I think with the depth they have added the team can sit back and let the guys compete for a starting roll while keeping an eye toward the future.
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