Allen Park — Each Saturday during the college football season, we’ll highlight five prospects with locally televised matchups who could be a fit for the Detroit Lions in the 2022 NFL Draft, based on projected needs.
The list aims to highlight early-, mid- and late-round prospects. This will give you a chance to watch the players performing live, instead of playing catch-up in the weeks before the draft.
Justyn Ross, WR, Clemson (No. 8)
Florida State at Clemson, 3:30 p.m., ESPN
The Lions pleasantly got a No. 1 receiver performance out of Kalif Raymond last weekend against the Los Angeles Rams. But while he’s making a case to be re-signed and kept in the offensive mix, the team still desperately needs a true top option for their corps.
Ross has the ability to be that solution, and should come at a bargain price given the injury concerns that come with bringing him aboard.
As a freshman in 2018, Ross looked like a star in the making, posting 46 catches for 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns on that star-studded Tigers offense. He followed that up with a less explosive, but still productive 66 grabs for 865 yards and eight touchdowns the following season.
But his collegiate career was slowed in 2020 when he needed a bulging disc fixed, followed by the discovery of a congenital fusion in his neck. Those are scary injuries in a contact sport and will require a thorough evaluation of the risk before pulling the trigger on the selection, likely in the middle rounds.
If Detroit’s medical staff feels comfortable with Ross, the 6-foot-4, 205-pounder is reminiscent of former Lions receiver Kenny Golladay, in the sense he doesn’t get a ton of separation, but thrives in contested-catch situations and is confident going up and high-pointing the ball.
Brandon Joseph, S , Northwestern (No. 16)
Minnesota at Northwestern, 3:30 p.m., Big Ten Network
As we near the midpoint of the 2021 NFL season, the Lions still lack long-term clarity at safety. Tracy Walker is playing well, but he will be a free agent and deflected when asked if there have been any talks of a contract extension last week.
Meanwhile, Will Harris has been playing better as of late, but has still been well below average during his third season, particularly in coverage. And Dean Marlowe, brought in to be a stabilizing veteran presence for the group, was a healthy scratch last Sunday.
So safety looks like a priority this offseason, and Joseph figures to be near the top of the positional big board for the Lions. Early projections have him at the back end of the first round or top of the second, where the Lions hold two selections.
The 6-foot-1, 192 pounder emerged a premier ball-hawking defender as a redshirt freshman last season, intercepting six passes in eight games. The turnovers haven’t been there to that degree this year, with one pick in seven games, but he’s added three pass defenses while racking up 52 tackles.
His ability to identify and defend crossing patterns would be a major asset and he’s a willing and capable in run support, although he could stand to be more fundamentally sound with his tackling.
Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina (No. 7)
North Carolina at No. 11 Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m., NBC
Entering the season, Howell was in the conversation as the top QB in the class, and potentially even the No. 1 overall pick. But after losing a good chunk of his supporting cast to the NFL during the offseason, he’s struggled with his new pieces and subsequently seen his draft stock take a little bit of a hit.
As a sophomore in 2020, Howell completed better than 68% of his passes with 30 touchdowns and six interceptions. This year, that completion percentage has dipped seven percentage points, with just one fewer interception in five fewer games.
His receivers certainly aren’t helping them out, which will be part of the evaluation process. The things Howell still has going for him is his elite arm strength and a wealth of starting experience, with 32 games under his belt. That cannon could help reinvigorate the deep-passing game in Detroit, which Matthew Stafford apparently took with him to California.
There are some questions about how Howell’s experience in North Carolina’s offensive scheme translates to the next level, but there should be some confidence in the work Lions offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn did with Justin Herbert coming out of Oregon. The coach helped quickly get the budding star up to speed with the Chargers, despite the pandemic limiting on-field work last offseason.
Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State (No. 5)
No. 20 Penn State at No. 5 Ohio State, 7:30 p.m., ABC
We covered Chris Olave in this space earlier in the season and Wilson represents the other half of the dynamic Ohio State pass-catching tandem.
In 28 games across three seasons, Wilson has been highly productive for the Buckeyes, catching 109 passes for 1,760 yards and 17 touchdowns. He also has handled some of the school’s punt return duties, but he hasn’t been nearly as explosive with his special teams contributions.
Wilson’s strength is the fluidity of his movements and his ability to accelerate out of his breaks, making him a tough cover in the open field on crossing patters and deep posts. He’s also a problem after the catch.
In previous interviews, Wilson has said he admires Packers receiver Davante Adams, for his ability to impact a game both outside and in the slot. And it’s not too much of a reach to draw stylistic comparisons between the prospect and Pro Bowler.
It will be good to see how Wilson fares against Penn State, which has some talented pieces in their secondary. Even with the depth of talent in this receiving class, it’s difficult to imagine Wilson sliding outside the first round.
Zion Tupuola-Fetui, OLB, Washington (No. 58)
Washington at Stanford, 10:30 p.m., FS1
I’ll be honest, I don’t know if Tupuola-Fetui fits Detroit’s scheme. Washington calls him an outside linebacker, but they also list him at 280 pounds. Even though he clearly looks like an above-average athlete on film, it’s challenging to project him as a defender capable of handling much if any of the coverage responsibilities the Lions expect from their stand-up edge rushers.
Sure, maybe he’s a better fit as a 4-3 defensive end, but you can make a case that he has the ability to play early downs on the edge — where he can use his size and strength to set a strong edge — while sliding to 5-technique in more obvious passing situations.
Currently, that role is occupied by Michael Brockers, but the locker room leader turns 31 in December and probably isn’t here beyond the 2022 season. So there’s room for a mid-round prospect to develop in a rotational role behind the veteran, while further bolstering the future of the interior along with Tupuola-Fetui’s college teammate Levi Onwuzurike and Alim McNeill.
Tupuola-Fetui was absurdly dominant during an abbreviated 2020 season, racking up 7.0 sacks and three forced fumbles in three games before suffering a torn ACL. He only recently returned to action earlier this month, but in his first game back, against UCLA, he picked up where he left off with three tackles, a sack and four quarterback pressures.
Bonus: No. 6 UM at No. 8 MSU, noon, Fox
Listen, I fully understand where most of your eyeballs will be fixed this weekend, but I had previously featured Michigan edge defender Aiden Hutchinson and safety Dax Hill and don’t typically double up.
And Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker — who has vaulted himself into the top-100 conversation with an impressive campaign — just doesn’t fit Detroit’s current needs.
All three are absolutely worthy of some extra attention this week and look primed to make an impact in the next level, whether that’s Detroit or elsewhere.
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Justin_Rogers