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Detroit Lions fifth-round cornerback Keith Abney received a huge endorsement from one of his college coaches during the 2026 NFL Draft process.

Fifth-round cornerback Keith Abney II arrives with the Detroit Lions possessing a similar body type and speed as one of the team’s starting cornerbacks, D.J. Reed. But the two cornerbacks have something else much more important in common.

That’s what Abney’s assistant head coach at Arizona State, Bryan Carrington, told Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard and cornerbacks coach Deshea Townsend during the draft process. On Thursday, The Detroit Free Press’s Dave Birkett reported Carrington’s message on Abney before the draft was rather simple.

“I was like, ‘Man, I got a dog.’ I was at the combine just drinking with him, chilling, and I was like, ‘Hey man, I got a dog in Keith Abney, don’t sleep on him,’” Carrington told Birkett, recalling his conversation with the Lions defensive coaches. “So when they drafted him, I FaceTimed [Sheppard] and he was like, ‘Man, you called it.’”

The Lions selected Abney at No. 157 overall in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Since then, he’s received hype from draft experts as one of the top potential sleepers in the class.

Over three seasons at Arizona State, Abney registered 98 combined tackles, 21 pass defenses and six interceptions in 34 games.

What Lions Are Getting in CB Keith Abney II

Like Reed before him, Abney didn’t showcase incredible cornerback speed at the NFL combine. He also stands at only 5-foot-10.

But his college coach stressed that Abney has the same mentality that’s made Reed a five-year NFL cornerback starter.

The Lions waited until Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft to address their secondary. But in Abney, they appear to have found a cornerback capable of carving out a role.

Carrington didn’t rule out Abney having an impact immediately because of his intelligence and reliability.

“Because he had such competence, we trusted him more in the boundary because he had to be responsible for run fits,” Carrington told Birkett. “We played a lot of hard Cover 2; we did a lot of disguises. We blitzed our corner off the edge, we blitzed him through the B gap, and Keith was somebody that executed it from a flawless standpoint.”

At Arizona State last season, Abney posted 44 combined tackles, 12 pass defenses, two forces fumbles and two interceptions.

This summer, Abney is likely to fulfill his dream of making the NFL. But Carrington made it clear that that’s only the start of the rookie’s journey.

“Some people want to make it to the league, and then they get to the league and they get their ass cut in eight weeks,” added his college coach. “Keith is somebody that’s going to make it to the NFL and is going to continue dreaming.

“So you bet your bottom dollar Keith wants to be an All-Pro, he wants to be Pro Bowler, he wants to be a household name. All of that stuff Keith is going to work toward.”

Lions CB Depth Entering 2026 NFL Offseason Workouts

Lions general manager Brad Holmes told reporters Abney is likely to play in the slot early in his NFL career. With that role, he will compete with Roger McCreary and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. for playing time as a rookie.

Detroit added McCreary on a 1-year contract in NFL free agency this offseason. Rakestraw was a 2024 second-round pick, but he has only played eight games in two seasons because of injuries.

That could give Abney an opportunity for a significant role in Detroit, especially beginning in 2027 (depending on how Rakestraw rebounds from his 2025 shoulder injury).

Barring injuries, Reed and Terrion Arnold will start at outside cornerback in Detroit next season. The Lions also have Rock Ya-Sin, Khalil Dorsey, and Nick Whiteside returning to their cornerback room.

Finally, the team added cornerbacks Aamaris Brown and De’Shawn Rucker in undrafted free agency this spring as well.