The Lions passed on a quarterback of the future Thursday night, opting for OT Penei Sewell over Justin Fields or Mac Jones. They still might take a quarterback of the past.
Detroit has three picks entering Day 2 of the draft -- Nos. 41, 72 and 101 -- and a clear need at linebacker. (Along with just about every position on defense). And one of the top linebackers on the board is former North Carolina quarterback Chazz Surratt.
"Even with linebacker instincts that are underdeveloped, he finds his way to the football thanks to an unwavering level of determination combined with physical talent," says NFL.com draft expert Lance Zierlein.
Surratt, 24, arrived at UNC in 2016 as a dual-threat QB who turned down an offer from Clemson. He started under center in 2017 as a red-shirt freshman, before injuries, inconsistency and the arrival of high-profile QB Sam Howell cost him his job in the spring of 2019.
So Surratt switched to linebacker that season, his first time playing the position since his freshman year of high school, and racked up 115 tackles, 14.5 tackles for losses and 6.5 sacks and finished second to Isaiah Simmons -- eighth overall pick of the Cardinals -- for ACC Defensive Player of the Year.
The hunted became the hunter. Surratt led the Tarheels in tackles for the second season in a row in 2020, while racking up six more sacks. He led all linebackers in this year's draft class with 46 QB pressures over the last two seasons, according to the Times-News.
The Lions ranked last in the NFL in QB pressures last season. Their five leading linebackers of Jamie Collins, Christian Jones, Reggie Ragland, Jahlani Tavai and Jarrad Davis produced a grand total of 1.5 sacks and 25 pressures. Remember when that defense was supposed to be multiple?
Anyway, the new regime parted ways with Jones, Davis and Ragland this offseason, and it sure doesn't sound like Dan Campbell envisions a big role for Tavai. Former Saints LB Alex Anzalone will help fill the gap, but the middle of this defense remains a problem. Maybe Surratt can help fix it.
"The way I prepare for the game is a little bit different," Surratt told the Times-News. "A little more ahead mentally, just being able to see stuff on film and break stuff down having that quarterback background. I think that helps me a ton going forward, because in the NFL everybody's big, fast and strong, but you've got to be able to separate yourself mentally."
Three linebackers were drafted on Thursday: Micah Parsons, Zaven Collins and Jamin Davis. The latter two were a bit of a surprise. So was the fact that Notre Dame's Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah stayed on the board. Jabril Cox and Joe Tryon are other appealing names in Round 2, and maybe that's the direction the Lions go.
But if Surratt is still there in Round 3, especially at No. 101, Detroit's newest linebacker might be a quarterback of old.
