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Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell is explaining why he hired the team's offensive coordinator, Drew Petzing.
The Detroit Lions are adding more depth to their secondary after the NFL draft, landing a cornerback with a reputation as a ball hawk in college.
The Lions went to work quickly after the draft ended on Saturday, filling some of the remaining holes in their 90-man summer roster through undrafted free agency. The additions include UNLV cornerback Aamaris Brown, who had a knack for creating turnovers through his three stops over six college seasons.
As Benjamin Raven of MLive.com noted, Brown had a successful college career that included two pick-sixes in his final season.
“Brown proved to be quite the ball-hawking defensive back and playmaker across his six college seasons between Kansas State, South Florida and UNLV,” Raven wrote. “This past season, he intercepted four passes and returned two of them for touchdowns to lead the nation in that department. He’s a touch undersized at 5-foot-9, 197 pounds, with a 4.53-second 40-yard dash and 34.5-inch vertical jump.”
Brown was seen as a late-round draft candidate, but now will join a Lions team that has valued undrafted free agents. The team had an undrafted rookie make the final roster for 15 straight years through 2024, though that streak came to an end last year.
The Lions have already made several other additions to their secondary through the NFL draft and immediately afterward. They landed Arizona State cornerback Keith Abney II with their fifth-round pick, giving him a strong chance to earn a spot on the final roster.
The Lions may have gotten a steal with Abney, the 5-foot-9 cornerback who was seen as a top-50 prospect by Pro Football Focus. Abney said he wasn’t worried about his draft slide this weekend, saying he is excited to join the Lions.
“Man, the wait doesn’t even matter, man. I’m just glad,“ Abney told reporters on a Zoom call, via MLive.com. “I’m glad to be a Lion. It means everything — great program, great, great culture, great coaches, great, great people around. I’m just blessed to be here. Dropped a couple of tears.
“Just, it’s a dream come true. It’s a dream come true. And the Lions just happen to be one of my favorite teams. Everything working out. Everything working all right.”
Nathan Dougherty is a sports reporter covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. Previously he wrote for the Rochester Business Journal and served as the assistant editor of athletic trade magazines Coaching Management, Athletic Management and Training & Conditioning. He is based out of Rochester, New York, and loves everything football. More about Nathan Dougherty
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