The Lions selected nine new players in this year's 2017 NFL Draft, and soon all of them will be at the team's Allen Park training facility ready to work.
Six of the rookies are defensive guys, so it's safe to say their veteran teammates on that side of the ball are excited for their arrival.
"The things we've kind of done this offseason, with the draft and the guys we picked up, it makes us excited," defensive tackle Haloti Ngata said Thursday. "Especially with the young draft picks – the linebackers and the DBs.
"It'll be a lot of fun to see how they can help us. We'll see how some of the guys we picked up on the defensive line – we'll see what we can do this year."
The veterans also understand the transition these rookies are in for, having gone through the same things theirselves once. Safety Glover Quin actually started his NFL career as a cornerback, so he can relate to the incoming rookie corners -- Teez Tabor and Jamal Agnew -- in particular.
"It's difficult," Quin said. "For one, you're trying to obviously understand the scheme, and on top of that you're having to cover the fastest, best athletes on the field in some of these wide receivers. It's definitely tough."
2017 DRAFT ANALYSIS
It's hard to make any legitimate determinations on a draft class before the players hit the field, but the time immediately after the draft always leaves room for analysis. See what others are saying about the Lions' (and their opponents') draft haul:
OTHER NOTEWORTHY ITEMS:
- Go behind the scenes in the process of replacing the outdoor field surface at the Lions' practice facility in Allen Park.
- Watch Tori Petry talk with Gator Radio Network's Brady Ackerman about what Jarrad Davis and Teez Tabor bring to the Lions.
- The Lions exercised the fifth-year option on the contract of tight end Eric Ebron.
- The Lions' linebacking corps could look very different this upcoming season, as they have options at all three spots.
- As he enters the last year of his contract, Glover Quin is interested in finishing his career in Detroit.
- Haloti Ngata made sure this offseason that he was healthy from head to toe before committing to playing his 12th NFL season and third with the Lions.
