Senior Bowl notebook: Are Lions open for business at 3? Where’s Burrow? And much more.
The Bengals pick first, the Redskins second.
But smart football people know the Detroit Lions, at No. 3, control the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
That’s because three teams behind them in the first round — the Dolphins at 5, Chargers at 6, and Panthers at 7 — need quarterbacks.
Which means all three could be in competition for Tua Tagovailoa. And that means the Lions, who are in win-now mode, are going to get phone calls from perhaps all three teams looking to move up to secure him.
So are the Lions open for business?
“It’s January,” said Matt Patricia, who’s entering his third season as Detroit’s head coach. “That’s a great question for [general manager] Bob Quinn. I think for us, we’re going to go through the process, see how everything’s handled. I don’t think we can commit to anything at all. It’s just way too early.”
Perhaps Patricia — whose staff is coaching the North team in this week’s Senior Bowl — will be open to doing his old friend, and longtime colleague, Brian Flores a solid. They worked together for years on the Patriots’ coaching staff, and Flores replaced Patricia as the Patriots’ defensive play-caller in 2018.
They are two of four former Bill Belichick assistants now running teams of their own, a list that includes new Giants coach Joe Judge.
With so many branches from the same tree in positions of power around the league, does it make Patricia’s job harder — when all four are presumably looking for similar types of players in the draft and free agency?
“No, because I think we all have different avenues of guys that we’re looking for based on the teams that we’re involved with and what we’re trying to build,” Patricia said. “I’m just excited for all of those guys. Happy for the opportunities in front of them. Obviously Flo and Joe, to go out and have that chance to go be successful. And to do something on their own, to build and create and put a team together that’s going to be competitive. Certainly, all of the organizations have their own challenges, that’s why they’re there. But they’ll do a great job.”
As for the Bengals, most believe they have already zeroed in on Joe Burrow as the pick at No. 1. Burrow potentially could have locked that down with a strong week in Mobile; the Bengals are coaching the South team.
But Burrow instead decided to skip the event entirely, missing out on both the on-field drills and meetings.
“Well I certainly understand,” said Bengals coach Zac Taylor. “He just played an NFL season. All those LSU guys did. We’re always looking for any advantage we can get with any player in the process. Any chance we could get to be around him earlier, in January as opposed to the Combine, is always great. But certainly understand when some guys choose not to. ... It’s just another opportunity to get face-to-face with these guys. There is still plenty of time to get to know all of them before April rolls around. This is kind of a bonus for this staff.”
▪ Alabama defensive lineman Terrell Lewis, one of three Crimson Tide players at this week’s event, said Tagovailoa is “built for” the rehab involved with his major hip injury.
“He puts a lot of faith in God. He knows that God does everything for a reason. I’ve talked to him about that. He knows that I’ve been hurt, too, so I always tell him to stay positive. It’s not the only adversity he’s been through, it’s not the only adversity he’s going to go through. Just use it as a learning experience.”
Lewis added: “He’s humble, but he loves a challenge. Especially if he’s doubted. I know he’ll use anything for motivation. You know he’s got a chip on his shoulder.”
▪ Washington State quarterback Anthony Gordon said he worked with ex-Dolphin Sage Rosenfels on his mechanics in the weeks leading up to the Senior Bowl. Gordon hasn’t taken snaps from under center since his sophomore year in high school, but “he has an extremely quick release and his accuracy helped him get to the Senior Bowl,” Rosenfels wrote on Twitter.
This story was originally published January 21, 2020 at 3:12 PM.
