Lions receive a late pre-draft visit from Marshawn Kneeland of Western Michigan
During the final few days of the top-30 pre-draft visits, Marshawn Kneeland, the defensive end from WMU, will visit the Lions.
Wednesday is the final day that teams can have prospects for “top 30” pre-draft visits as we approach the final full week before the 2024 NFL Draft begins. Marshawn Kneeland, a defensive end from Western Michigan, is supposedly visiting half the league due to growing speculation that he could be selected late in the first round.
Naturally, Kneeland will conclude his pre-draft visits over the next few days. The Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills, and Green Bay Packers are his final three stops, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Kneeland will be one of four prospects the Lions visited and had a formal combine meeting with, for whatever that’s worth. Kneeland, a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, was mostly unknown during his time as a Western Michigan student in the MAC. However, during the pre-draft phase, that has swiftly altered.
Will the Lions select Marshawn Kneeland at No. 29 in the 2024 NFL Draft?
Although Kneeland’s output in college wasn’t particularly noteworthy, a closer examination reveals that in just 10 games the previous season, he had 37 quarterback pressures (per Pro Football Focus). He’s a projectable talent overall, according to Dane Brugler of The Athletic (subscription required) in his pre-draft prospect guide.
Overall, according to Brugler, Kneeland is still learning the craft of the pass rush, but he is charged up into contact and exhibits twitch throughout his frame, which gives him multiple ways to get past blockers. “His best football is still to come,” the coach said of the starting base end prospect.
Kneeland is ranked No. 32 overall in the 2024 draft class by Brugler. He is currently ranked No. 29 by the Lions in a few mock drafts.
Kneeland appears to be a good fit for the Lions in the future. He has a strong motor, is a competent run defender, and can line up anywhere along the defensive line. It’s not impossible for them to select him with their first-round selection.
The notion that a cornerback became more urgently needed was set aside by Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes following the regrettable circumstances surrounding Cameron Sutton, which resulted in his release.
That sentiment from Holmes is contradicted by the parade of cornerbacks who visit Allen Park as part of their top-30 pre-draft visits.
Two more are scheduled to visit on Thursday, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press ($). Wake Forest’s Caelen Carson and Auburn’s Nehemiah Pritchett are the visitors. Thus far, seven cornerbacks have visited Detroit in the top 30, according to reports and/or social media activity that is highly motorized. It’s not impossible for them to select him with their first-round selection.
During Holmes’ tenure, the Lions have drafted four defensive backs, as Birkett pointed out. On Day 2, three of them—Ifeatu Melifonwu, Kerby Joseph, and Brian Branch—were chosen. This year’s No. 29 overall pick may result in a cornerback, possibly the first true outside corner selected since Bob Quinn’s final draft as general manager of the Lions in 2020, when Jeff Okudah was selected third overall.
It’s a plausible theory that the Lions will hold off on selecting a cornerback until Day 2 of the 2024 draft, and it could actually happen. Taking into consideration that there is a very strong class at the position, here are a few Day 2 cornerbacks that they might be considering.
Because of an injury that prevented him from working out at the NFL Combine, Carson’s pre-draft visits—such as the one with the Lions—become even more significant.
He started just two seasons at Wake Forest, and in the first of those, he appeared in just eight games (2022). Despite his ideal size of 6-foot, 190 pounds, and 29 career pass breakups in college (three career interceptions—cue the jokes about “if he could catch, maybe he’d have been a wide receiver”), he is still considered one of the more physically gifted corners in this year’s class. With 36 receptions on 64 targets last season, he had an 83.4 run defense grade and a 71.7 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus.
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Similar to Carson, Phillips only played in college for two years. During those two seasons, he saw time both outside and in the slot and recorded 78 total tackles, 10 pass breakups (with zero interceptions), and he demonstrated the physicality and versatility the Lions like in cornerbacks. Pro Football Focus gave him a 71.7 overall rating and a 72.9 coverage grade last season.
Phillips, who stands five feet ten inches tall, is probably better suited as a slot corner at the next level. However, he shouldn’t be limited to that because of his physical attributes, which should help him against larger receivers on the outside. guidance.
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