The Detroit Lions‘ lack of talent within their wide receiver corps has been a hot topic for fans of the Pride this offseason. That after the new regime in Motown opted to pass on former starters like Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones Jr., and Danny Amendola.
In their place, new general manager Brad Holmes opted to sign a slew of veteran free agents on one-year deals like Tyrell Williams, Kalif Raymond, Breshad Perriman, Damion Ratley, and Chad Hansen. Unfortunately, Periiman, Ratley, and Hansen didn’t even make it past final cuts.
Despite the position of wide receiver arguably being the Lions’ top need heading into the 2021 NFL Draft, Holmes and company opted not to select a wideout until the fourth round. That player being USC’s Amon-Ra St. Brown, the only receiver drafted by Detroit this year.
For months, we’ve been speculating that the Lions should trade for more wide receiver talent. And now, they have. According to various reports, Detroit traded a fifth and a seventh-round pick in 2022 to the Denver Broncos for wide receiver Trinity Benson and a sixth-round selection in 2023.
But who is Trinity Benson?
While fans were probably hoping the Lions traded for a player with much more name recognition and someone that could challenge Tyrell Williams as the team’s top receiving target, Benson is a player Holmes must believe in strongly to deserve giving up two draft picks for.
Benson went undrafted out of East Central University (Ada, Oklahoma – NCAA Division II) in 2019 and has spent the past two seasons on the Broncos’ practice squad. He has yet to see regular-season action in the NFL.
The young wideout recorded 45 receptions for 507 yards through the air and also had 54 carries for 324 yards on the ground as a senior for the East Central Tigers. He also scored a total of nine touchdowns that season. Benson, who also played on special teams as a kick returner, ran a 4.44 40-yard dash and recorded a 40.5-inch vertical leap at his pro day.
This summer, the 24-year old Benson had a breakout performance against the Minnesota Vikings in Denver’s first preseason game. He was able to haul in all four of his targets for 36 yards and posted two touchdowns.
Now heading to the Motor City, it’s unclear where Trinity Benson will slot in on the Detroit Lions’ wide receiver depth chart. But Benson has the ability to play outside, in the slot, and be a contributor on special teams.