NFL draft preview: Don't expect Detroit Lions to draft a long snapper again
Free Press sports reporter Dave Birkett takes a position-by-position look at the top prospects and biggest Detroit Lions needs in the 2021 NFL draft. This is the fourth in an eight-part series.
Special teams
The Lions started slowly churning their special teams units last spring when they bid farewell to long-time punter Sam Martin in free agency. This year, it was kicker Matt Prater who headed west to Arizona, leaving behind another specialist battle to sort out in training camp.
One of Randy Bullock or Matthew Wright should handle kicking duties this fall. Bullock, entering his 10th NFL season, has the edge in experience, while Wright is an accurate kicker whose average leg strength could get a boost from playing most of his games indoors.
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Jack Fox is coming off a Pro Bowl season at punter. He is the unquestioned starter after netting a franchise record 44.8 yards a punt in 2020, though the Lions could bring in another leg for camp. Don Muhlbach is back for an 18th season at long snapper, but he will face a training camp challenge as well.
With just six picks, first-year Lions general manager Brad Holmes is unlikely to splurge on a long snapper — or any specialist — like his predecessor, but he could use a mid-round pick or two to find help for his coverage units. Khalif Raymond is penciled in for return duties for now, while the Lions lost core special teams players Miles Killebrew, Jarrad Davis, Reggie Ragland and Tony McRae to free agency.
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On the roster: K Randy Bullock; K Matthew Wright. P Jack Fox. LS Don Muhlbach.
Top 3 K prospects: 1. Jose Borregales, Miami; 2. Evan McPherson, Florida; 3. Riley Patterson, Memphis.
Top 3 P prospects: 1. Max Duffy, Kentucky; 2. James Smith, Cincinnati; 3. Drue Chrisman, Ohio State.
Other players with Michigan ties: K Quinn Nordin, Michigan. LS Camaron Cheeseman, Michigan.
Day 3 sleeper: K Blake Haubeil, Ohio State.
Recent Lions draft picks at K/P/LS: 2020-None. 2019-None. 2018-None. 2017-None. 2016-LS Jimmy Landes (6th round).
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Draft dish
Projecting college specialist to the NFL is always a crapshoot, but Borregales has separated himself from the pack as the best kicker. The Venezuelan-born Borregales won the Lou Groza Award this year as the nation’s top kicker after starting his career at Florida International. He made 20 of 22 field goals last season, including a 57-yarder. McPherson had a disappointing 2020 season at Florida, but in a year where the position talent thins out quickly, he is one of several specialists who should hear their name called on Day 3.
More: Dave Birkett's mock draft 4.0: Detroit Lions land one of top non-QB prospects at No. 7
Nordin, the nation’s top kicker recruit coming out of Rockford in 2016, had an up and down career at Michigan but has generated plenty of NFL interest with his strong leg. Cheeseman, who opted out of the 2020 season because Michigan did not have a scholarship for him, is one of the top two long snappers in the draft, along with Ryan Langan, though it is rare that snappers get drafted.
Several of the draft’s top receivers double as explosive return men for teams looking for a jolt in their kicking game. Alabama’s Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith, Florida’s Kadarius Toney, Purdue’s Rondale Moore and Western Michigan’s D’Wayne Eskridge are among the top return men, with Smith leading the nation with a 21.6-yard punt return average last season.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: NFL draft: Don't expect Detroit Lions to draft a long snapper again
