After trading back to the 28th pick with the Denver Broncos, Martin Mayhew and the Detroit Lions selected Duke offensive guard Laken Tomlinson.
During the combine, Tomlinson ran a 5.33 40, 25 reps at the bench press, a 31.5 vert, 103.0 inch broad jump, 8.17 3 cone drill and a 4.87 20 yard shuttle.
The highlights with Tomlinson is he has plenty of strength at the position and didn’t allow a sack at his position in two years. He’ll also come into the league with plenty of experience as a four year starter with the Blue Devils. On the other hand though Tomlinson will have trouble with his balance and isn’t an overly athletic offensive lineman. He’ll also have trouble engaging certain defenders on the line.
The bottom line is the Lions are obviously trying to develop a quality offensive line which could also be said with them re-acquiring Manny Ramirez from the Broncos. However Tomlinson is a guy they probably could have gotten in the second round and probably could have drafted a better option where they originally were at 23.
