Allen Park — Last year, the Detroit Lions caught everyone off guard with their first-round pick. This year, they waited until the second round of the NFL Draft to surprise observers, selecting Hawaii linebacker Jahlani Tavai No. 43 overall Friday night.
General manager Bob Quinn raved about Tavai's versatility, as well as his unique skill set and body type being a strong fit for Detroit's defensive scheme.
"Very unique with his body type, his playing strength, his ability to rush, cover, play the run, throw special teams in there as well," Quinn said. "It's just something where these guys are hard to find really felt fortunate to be able to get him because there was some interest in and around our picks that we were getting pretty nervous there for a few picks.