USC running back Ronald Jones, a projected 2nd-round pick in April's NFL draft, plays word association game with Free Press sports writer Dave Birkett during Super Bowl LII week in Minnesota. Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press
B.C.'s Harold Landry, top, tackles Notre Dame's C.J. Prosise at Fenway Park on Nov 21, 2015.(Photo: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports)
Two drafts isn't a huge track record to go on, but as Bob Quinn gets ready for his third NFL draft as Lions general manager, he's shown a few tendencies worth noting.
First, Quinn drafts with need in mind, and almost certainly will this year with the 20th pick of the first round. In 2016, he took Taylor Decker No. 16 overall to play left tackle when the Lions were trying to rebuild their offensive line, and last year he made Jarrad Davis the 20th pick when the team had few competent linebackers on its roster.
Second, Quinn values players who have a high floor. Blue-chip prospects don't often slide to the bottom half of the first round, so rather than gamble on a high-upside player with bust potential, Quinn has shown the discipline to draft good players who stand to have long NFL careers but may not be superstars.
Both Decker and Davis fit that mold.
Third, Quinn places a premium on off-field traits that go a long way toward helping players reach their potential. He likes high-character players, players who were considered leaders on their college teams, and he likes players who have a track record at major college programs.
Look at his first- through third-round picks the last two years. They've come from places like Florida, Alabama, Ohio State and Michigan (with Northern Illinois wide receiver Kenny Golladay, the final pick of the third round last year, the lone exception).
Harold Landry, my pick for the Lions in my first mock draft, checks all of those boxes.
He fills a need at the Lions' thinnest position. He doesn't have Julius Peppers' size or Von Miller's athleticism, but his skills should translate into a long NFL career as an edge rusher. And he's a four-year player with a track record of success in the ACC who turned down a chance to leave school early a season ago.
In 2016, Landry set a Boston College record with 16.5 sacks, and before he got hurt last season, he had one of his best games against 16th-ranked Virginia Tech.
Landry isn't a perfect prospect.
Free Press sports writer Dave Birkett looks at 15 players the Detroit Lions may consider with their first- and second-round picks in April's NFL draft. The Lions have selections No. 20 and No. 51. (Photo: Melina Vastola, USA TODAY Sports)
He missed much of last season with an ankle injury that also kept him out of last month's Senior Bowl, and ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. cited Landry's lack of production last season as the reason Landry doesn't appear in Round 1 of his latest mock draft.
"He just didn't have the kind of year you expect of Harold Landry," Kiper said. "You want to see improvement, you want to see a dominator. He just didn't show up big in enough games. That was the reason why Landry's now projected, in my opinion to be maybe possibly a second-round pick, not a first-round pick."
But the Lions have several things going for them that makes Landry a good fit.
Landry would fill a major need for the Lions, but defensive end is a spot where players rotate frequently and young pass rushers can integrate slowly into their role. If the Lions franchise Ziggy Ansah, as I suspect they will, then Landry can spend this fall as a rotational pass rusher who ascends to bigger things when Ansah comes off the books in 2019.
More: If Detroit Lions let Ziggy Ansah go, what are they losing?
Also, the Lions have the benefit of employing Landry's old position coach at Boston College, Paul Pasqualoni, on new coach Matt Patricia's staff.
Pasqualoni has tutored top pass rushers like J.J. Watt, and Jason Taylor at previous NFL stops, and can certainly give Quinn and the Lions insight into Landry's football and off-field character.
How hurt was he last season? Why did he get off to a slow start before the injury? What's he like behind closed doors?
All those questions matter. And while there are no slam dunks at Pick No. 20, given the Lions' need for a pass rusher, Landry's pre-injury track record and Quinn's history, if Pasqualoni has sufficient answers, Landry makes sense as the choice.
Contact Dave Birkett: dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
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