Loren Strickland kept hammering away and wouldn’t be denied.
A former University of Indianapolis captain, Strickland exceeded expectations by making the leap from Division II to the MAC and Ball State. Now, the 5-foot-9 hard-hitting defensive back has defied all odds by going from a $1,500 signing bonus undrafted rookie to making the Detroit Lions’ initial 53-man roster.
Similar to fellow high school wrestler Malcolm Rodriguez a few years ago in training camp, Strickland kept bringing the noise in padded practices with his fundamentally sound and violent tackles. Even head coach Dan Campbell, during his Monday press conference following the Giants preseason game, had this to say about him:
“He just keeps making plays and that’s a great thing.