High School 'Business Decision' Leads WR Quintez Cephus To Lions

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Before Quintez Cephus was a standout wide receiver at Wisconsin, he was an all-state shooting guard from Georgia. He scored 53 points in a playoff game as a junior. He had numerous D-1 offers. Eventually he committed to play at Furman; the Paladins would win the Southern Conference the next season. 

Then, as Cephus said at the time, he made a 'business decision.' He realized football would give him the best chance of going pro. So it was off to Madison, where Cephus turned himself into the football player he is now. 

It all panned out Saturday when he was drafted in the fifth round by the Lions -- not that the basketball player in him is dead. 

“I’m a receiver that makes plays," he said. "I’m willing to make catches." 

You won't see Cephus, 6'1 and chiseled from head to toe, blow past any cornerbacks. You will see him beat them to balls in the air, like he's skying for a rebound or trying to score over a defender at the rim. This lack of fear characterizes his game. 

"One of the things I always did on the basketball court was attack the ball, no matter where it is," said Cephus. "It’s a game that’s all about the ball. I have that appreciation for the ball, and it challenges my mind to make me want to go get it wherever it is.

"That attacking-the-ball mentality is something I’ve had since I was a kid, and something that I enjoy doing on the football field.”

This is how Cephus caught 59 passes for 901 yards and seven touchdowns last season. It's how he caught the eye of Detroit's top draft pick Jeff Okudah, who called Cephus the best receiver he covered in college. It's certainly how we caught the eye of Bob Quinn and the Lions, who weren't turned off by Cephus' slower-than-expected 40 at the combine. 

It wound up being to their benefit when he slipped into the fifth round. 

"Cephus was one of the guys we had circled for a while," said Quinn. "It was funny – he had a disappointing combine workout slightly. But then he had one of the last pro days before it got shut down and he improved dramatically with his 40. I would say that equates to how he plays on the field. Really strong guy, big catch radius, really, really good hands, physical player. Excited to have him on our team.”

Matthew Stafford will be, too. He's a quarterback who wants to make the difficult throw, Cephus is a receiver who wants to make the difficult catch. The only hierarchy in Stafford's mind is who can come down with the ball. His trust in an unheralded pick by the name of Kenny Golladay turned the rookie into a star in his NFL debut.The way Cephus goes up and gets it, he and Stafford can develop a similar rapport. 

"I know he’ll be exciting to play with," said Cephus, "so I’m just excited to get there and go to work with him."

After Golladay, Marvin Jones and Danny Amendola, the Lions have jobs up for grabs at wide receiver. Cephus will have plenty of competition for one of the final two spots, which is just the way he'd like it.