Green Bay Packers: Ranking the NFC North secondaries
4. Detroit Lions
Can one make argument for Darius Slay being the best cornerback in the division? You certainly can. In fact, it wouldn’t be blasphemous to say that Slay and Sam Shields are running neck-in-neck for that distinction.
The fourth-year cover man took his game to the next level following the now-retired Rashean Mathis’ season-ending injury by becoming Detroit’s “star corner” entrusted with containing the opposition’s top receiving threat on a weekly basis.
Slay not only contained his assigned receivers; he completely negated them on most occasions. In weeks 10 through 12, the rising star shut down James Jones, Amari Cooper and Nelson Agholor limiting them to three receptions for 19 yards combined.
The SEC import utilizes his speed, agility and toughness to make life a living hell for the unfortunate soul lining up across from him. He’s not shy about getting physical with his man and will make his opponent work hard for anything he gets…and that includes premiere wideouts like Dez Bryant.
Outside of becoming a better tackler, there is very little that needs to be tweaked in Slay’s game; the real issue is who will emerge as Mathis’ replacement on the other side of the line of scrimmage.
The early favorite is Nevin Lawson, who started nine games as an injury replacement in 2015. The Jamaica-born defensive back takes his cue from Slay in the toughness department in that he won’t hesitate to mix it up with anyone running in his area code.
His emotions will at times get the better part of the five-foot-nine defender and that’s when the penalty flags start flying.
To his credit, Lawson gave up only 9.1 yards per catch to opposing receivers in the 69 times he was targeted as a starter. That number stands as the league’s third-lowest average.
Second-year man Alex Carter may give Lawson a run for his money. The one-time Stanford Cardinal sat out his entire rookie season with an ankle injury, but has the size, strength and acceleration to beat out the feisty Lawson.
The six-foot Carter is a physical press corner with a nearly 80-inch wingspan. His long arms help him disengage from blocks in run support, but the former third-round pick lacks the fluid hips to turn and run with receivers in man coverage. He’s more of a zone-coverage player.
Playing the slot is another second-year pro by the name of Quandre Diggs, an agile and quick-footed defender that moves with tremendous balance in his backpedal. Quentin Jammer’s little brother finished the year as one of the hottest defensive backs in the NFL by allowing 100 yards on 32 targets from weeks 10 through 15 for a 46.9 catch rate, which resulted in Pro Football Focus ranking him as their number-one corner during that stretch.
Former Jet Darrin Walls will be a part of Detroit’s dime packages. He brings size and excellent awareness in zone-coverage, but acks the athletic ability to play man-to-man. Crezdon Butler, on the other hand, is strictly a special-teams performer.
The safety position is a mixed bag in Motown with converted cornerback Glover Quin who will be asked to play deeper than he was last year in order to take advantage of his ball-hawking skills. The versatile performer can cover slot receivers in man coverage due to his great range.
The one concern with the 30-year-old Quin is his health considering he’s undergone ankle procedures in consecutive years while also suffering a concussion late in the season.
Strong safety can see any one of three players claim the starting job among Rafael Bush, Tavon Wilson and rookie Miles Killebrew.
Bush can hit you with the force of a swinging sledgehammer, but he often inflicts more pain to himself than he does to his opponents by virtue of the 21 games he’s missed of his last 35 due to injury.
Wilson has done well as a rotational player and special-teams performerin the AFC East. He’s even played cornerback in a pinch as a member of the Patriots, but how he’ll manage as a full-time starter is uncertain.
Killebrew is a huge safety at six-foot-two, 222 pounds and he’s been to use those physical dimensions to pulverize ball carriers. However, his coverage skills are quite raw and he’ll probably get eaten alive with double moves should he start early on his career.
Though the Lions have guys like Slay and Diggs who could play on any team, there is very little depth and quite a few injury-prone players that earns the Silver and Blue a last-place ranking in the NFC North.
Next: No. 3