With a new regime taking over in the Motor City this offseason, the Detroit Lions are experiencing an unprecedented amount of change across their organization. Undoubtedly, the most impactful being under center with the team trading away longtime passer Matthew Stafford.
While the position of quarterback has dominated the headlines, the positional group experiencing the most turnover is wide receiver. For the past two years, the Lions have featured one of the best starting trios in the NFL.
Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones, Jr., and Danny Amendola provided a solid supporting cast for Stafford during this span although injuries robbed them of their true potential together the past two seasons. Now, they’re all gone.
And in their place, a ragtag bunch of misfits seemingly plucked out of obscurity from the mind of new general manager Brad Holmes. Tyrell Williams, Kalif Raymond, Damion Ratley, and Breshad Perriman join Quintez Cephus and Geronimo Allison to make up a worrisome grouping that will undoubtedly be labeled the NFL’s worst receiving corps when the regular season kicks off.
And while that has many believing the Lions will use their first-round selection on a wide receiver in the upcoming NFL draft, history perhaps suggests otherwise. The former director of scouting for the Los Angeles Rams, Holmes helped his former employer land wideouts like Van Jefferson, Cooper Kupp, Josh Reynolds, and Pharoh Cooper on Day Two of their respective drafts or later.
And according to ESPN’s Todd McShay via MLive.com, there are three wide receiver prospects that could be fits for the Lions in the second round. Let’s take a closer look at each one …
Terrace Marshall, WR – LSU
Marshall is a 6-foot-3, 200-pound receiver who has posted an incredible 23 touchdowns combined for the Tigers over the past two seasons. As a junior last year, he racked up 48 receptions for 731 yards and 10 touchdowns while averaging 15.2 yards per catch in seven games.
Tutu Atwell, WR – Louisville
The diminutive Chatarius Atwell Jr. comes in at just 5-foot-9 and a slight 165-pounds. But the player knowns as “Tutu” is the ultimate speedster that could add another gear to a Lions’ wide receiver corps looking to get faster. Atwell racked up 46 catches for 625 yards and eight total scores playing in nine games as a junior for the Cardinals last year.
Rondale Moore, WR – Purdue
Yet another candidate to replace Danny Amendola in the slot for Detroit, Moore is 5-foot-9, 180-pounds. But the Boilermakers product plays much bigger than his frame. He had a breakout season as a freshman recording an incredible 114 receptions for 1,258 yards and 14 total touchdowns in 2018. Injuries over the past two seasons could drop his draft stock, yet he’s still projected to be a potential second-round pick later this month.