Entering the third and final day of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions were scheduled to make four picks and they did just that. To start the day off, the Lions surprised plenty of people trading up and selecting British Columbia OT Giovanni Manu.
It’s not every year that we see college football players out of Canada selected in the NFL Draft but this year, the Lions may have gotten the best one. While the Lions gave up a 2025 3rd Round Pick to draft Manu, there’s much to be desired with his skill-set.
For starters, he’s 6-foot-7 and 352 pounds and had a very good Pro Day in front of NFL teams. This led to him having 11 pre-draft visits, including Detroit. At his Pro Day, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.96 seconds and had 23 reps in the bench press. His 33.5″ vertical jump for a player of his size is also impressive. Let’s take it a step further and look into the tape to see what the Lions are getting with Giovanni Manu from British Columbia!
Starting with the first play, you can see Giovanni Manu aligned as the left tackle (#76) for the British Columbia offense. Immediately, you’ll notice how flexible his lower half is with good knee bend. This helps him lower his pad level and work his hands into the defenders chest plate.
Once the ball is snapped, you’ll see relatively quick feet from Manu in his kick-slide. This helps him mirror defenders off the edge. Most importantly, you can see the biggest asset to his game with his grip strength. Once his hands hit clean onto a defenders chest plate, it normally leads to Manu winning the rep. That’s exactly what happens on the play above.
Moving onto the next play, I want to showcase the power and strength that Manu possesses in the run game. Looking at the play above, you can see Manu highlighted at left tackle. Aligned across from him is a defensive end aligned in a 4-technique.
Once the ball is snapped, Manu reaches to his left and engages on the chest of the defensive end. With complete control, you can see Manu latch on and just overpower the opposition. Zero hesitation in his game, he shows good grip strength and leg drive as he slams the defender into the dirt.
Overall, it’s easy to see why the Lions jumped in front of most teams on day 3 to select him. There’s size and tools to work with when watching his tape. As I mentioned, he’s got a flexible lower half and very strong hands. He’ll need to fix his hand placement and he’ll have to adjust to the speed of the NFL but the potential is there for Manu to develop into something more. It’s unclear if he’ll play tackle or guard at the next level but either way, he was a much needed attention to the Lions offensive line.