Lions load up on former SEC linemen; trade for Greg Robinson, sign Cyrus Kouandjio
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Bob Quinn must love him some SEC football. If you don’t know who that is, he is the current Lions general manager. After using four of Detroit’s first seven picks in the 2017 NFL Draft on former SEC players — Jarrad Davis (first round), Jalen Tabor (second round), Jalen Reeves-Maybin (fourth round) and Jeremiah Ledbetter (sixth round) — Quinn has just acquired two more former standout SEC players.
The Lions officially announced the addition of former Auburn offensive lineman Greg Robinson, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, Thursday morning. While the team has not announced the details of that transaction, Adam Schefter reports the team gave up a 2018 sixth-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams for Robinson. Not a bad price to pay for a player with so much potential upside.
In addition to adding Robinson, the Lions announced the signing of former Bills offensive lineman Cyrus Kouandjio. The offensive tackle was released by Buffalo earlier this offseason. Kouandjio was a second-round pick out of Alabama, also from the 2014 NFL Draft. The details of his contract with the Lions has yet to be announced.
The Lions just acquired two linemen with a combined 67 starts in the NFL, 42 for Robinson and 25 for Kouandjio, without surrendering much in return. They both could end up blocking for another SEC grad in quarterback Matthew Stafford in 2017.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
