The Lions have quite a few undrafted free agents who seem to have a legit shot to make their roster, and Obinna Eze has made a short league-wide list of UDFAs with the best chance.
Undrafted free agency was a relative goldmine for the Detroit Lions in 2021. Undrafted rookies Jerry Jacobs, AJ Parker and Brock Wright played notable roles in particular, as the team was thinned by injuries.
This year, the Lions signed 12 undrafted free agents and quite a few seem to have a fair chance to make the 53-man roster. Among the notable guaranteed investments ($170,00 total, according to Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus) made was to TCU offensive tackle Obinna Eze. As noted by Jeff Risdon of Lions Wire, the Lions gave Eze more guaranteed money than they did free agent safety DeShon Elliott.
Simply put, Eze is a massive man at 6-foot-6 and-a-half and 321 pounds. At the NFL Combine, his arms measured a shade over 36 inches, which gives him what scouts would call “rare length.” He is thought of as a developmental prospect, and he was a starter for three college seasons between Memphis and TCU.
Eze could immediately stick as a backup tackle for the Lions, as he’s set to compete with Matt Nelson and Dan Skipper for a spot.
Obinna Eze ranked among undrafted free agents with best chance to make a roster
Risdon predicted Eze would be the undrafted free agent who will make the Lions’ roster, with the point of his exercise that there will only be one. Justin Melo of The Draft Network listed three undrafted free agents league-wide with the best chance to make an NFL roster. At No. 3, presuming an order of rank, there’s Eze.
Detroit has a clear-and-obvious need for a developmental offensive tackle on the roster and the 6-foot-6, 321-pound Eze is a massive blocker that will fit the hard-nosed culture Head Coach Dan Campbell has begun building in Detroit. Eze was excellent while manning the blindside for the Horned Frogs in 2021. He enters rookie mini-camp with an excellent chance to impress Detroit’s front-office brass.
The pure money investment made says the Lions are going to give Eze a real chance to stick, and they could use a talent upgrade behind Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell. If he didn’t make the final 53, it couldn’t be assumed he’d make it back to Detroit’s practice squad without another team grabbing him.
So as long as he performs as it seems he can, starting with rookie minicamp, Eze may just make the cut come late-August/early September.