With Week 8 of college football on deck, the Detroit Lions have more than one reason to keep one eye on Saturday’s action. Their own season is rolling into divisional play Sunday against the Green Bay Packers after a week off, but the bigger buzz around the organization lately has centered on tight end Sam LaPorta and a contract dispute, or at least a lack of urgency toward a deal.
That has put the tight end spot back under a microscope. What looked like a settled position now feels like one worth monitoring, and Saturday’s slate offers the Lions a handful of names to track closely.
Johnson is one the Lions may not want to miss after Kenyon Sadiq came off the board this spring. The Oregon tight end has followed a similar path, and the profile is hard to ignore.
At 6-foot-5 and 257 pounds, he brings real size, and he still hasn’t been charged with a drop this season. He’s been valuable as both a run and pass blocker, and his separation and versatility stand out.
Even when he doesn’t create clean space, he’s shown he can win in traffic. Oregon faces Illinois at 3 p.m.
EST.
The next tight end worth watching is Reynolds, a junior at Virginia Tech who can return after the season, though that may not happen if his current production keeps climbing. He has more than 400 receiving yards at the midpoint of the year, and that kind of output makes a move to the next level feel likely.
He has one drop this season, but he reads zones well and knows how to plant and work into space. He doesn’t bring the same athleticism, size or versatility as Johnson, but he does make plays, and he could be a clear upgrade for the Lions’ tight end room without Sam LaPorta.
Virginia Tech heads to Clemson and Death Valley at 7 p.m. EST.
On the defensive side, Roberts has forced his way into the draft conversation during a difficult season for Michigan State. The Washington native turned in his best performance last Saturday against Northwestern, logging eight tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks.
He’s been getting off the line quickly, even going unblocked in each of the last two games, and he has a knack for forklift-style power that creates problems up front. He’s still a run-stuffer first, but there’s pass-rush upside there too, and that’s starting to show up in his senior year.
Michigan State plays UCLA in the Rose Bowl at 3:30 p.m. EST.
West is another front-seven name who fits the kind of player Detroit may want to keep on the radar. He’s a tweener defensive lineman who works inside and outside, and in 158 pass-rush snaps he has 11 pressures and has been part of three sacks.
His run-stop production is a major selling point as well, with that rate sitting among the top quadrant of the class along with his pass-rush ability. West followed head coach Bob Chesney to UCLA from James Madison, and the drop in production is something teams can factor in.
He also draws a comparison to Eric O’Neill, another former JMU transfer who made the Lions roster out of camp after a down season at Rutgers. UCLA hosts Michigan State at 3:30 p.m.
EST.
The Group of Six name to circle is Finley, who chose to stay at Bulldog despite offers to move to better competition this season. He’s a blocking-heavy tight end with soft hands, and he grades just outside the top quarter of tight ends in receiving grade on PFF.
Finley and Temple’s Peter Clarke are the two Group of Six tight ends highlighted here, though Finley brings more of a pass-game upgrade. His drop rate, though, is not among the lowest.
As a senior, he has four touchdowns, which doubles his combined scoring from the previous two seasons.
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Rakestraws approach has been straightforward: keep sharpening his own game and let the team handle the personnel side of things. Even with the possibility of Detroit exploring another cornerback addition, his focus has stayed on his own development and on helping the defense in whatever role comes next, which is exactly the kind of mindset that can make a tough roster debate even harder to sort out. [Read more 🡒]