The Detroit Lions made nine total selections on draft day. This is a summary of each of those players. Detroit selected a slew of offensive and defensive talent, and fans seemed very happy overall with the performance of the front office.
Below are all nine of the Lions’ draft day selections. They made four selections on day one and two and a couple of splashes on day three. A few heads turned at the selection of Quintez Cephus and Jason Huntley.
Round 1, Pick 3 – Jeff Okudah, CB, Ohio State
Round 2, Pick 3 – D’Andre Swift, RB, Georgia
Round 3, Pick 3 – Julian Okwara, OLB/DE, Notre Dame
Round 3, Pick 11 – Jonah Jackson, OG, Ohio State
Round 4, Pick 15 – Logan Stenberg, OG, Kentucky
Round 5, Pick 21 – Quintez Cephus, WR, Wisconsin
Round 5, Pick 27 – Jason Huntley, RB, New Mexico State
Round 6, Pick 18 – John Penisini, DT, Utah
Round 7, Pick 21 – Jashon Cornell, DE, Ohio State
Now we’ll look a little more closely at those nine draft day picks. They made four selections on day one and two and a couple of splashes on day three. A few heads turned at the selection of Quintez Cephus and Jason Huntley.
Jeff Okudah career breakdown:
Jeff Okudah was selected no. 3 overall by the Detroit Lions. Since 1999, Ohio State has sent 10 cornerbacks to the first round of the NFL Draft. Okudah has become the next Buckeye pass defender to join that group. He strengthened his claim during the 2019 season, starting all 14 games and garnering first-team Associated Press All-American, first-team All-Big Ten, and Jim Thorpe Award finalist honors.
Okudah led the Buckeyes with three interceptions and nine pass breakups as a junior, also posting 35 tackles and two forced fumbles. Despite not starting a game in 2018, he tied for the team lead in pass breakups with eight while also recording 34 tackles. Okudah enrolled in Columbus a semester early as a five-star recruit and the top cornerback prospect in the country out of Grand Prairie, Texas. He played in all 14 games in 2017 as a true freshman (19 tackles, one pass breakup) but underwent shoulder surgery after the season. Okudah’s mother, Marie, passed away in 2017 after a long battle with lymphoma
Detroit needed to strengthen their pass defense, and that was amplified after they traded away star corner Darius Slay. Okudah will likely make an immediate impact on defense in Detroit.
With the no. 3 overall pick in the #NFLDraft the Detroit #Lions have selected #OhioState Buckeye Jeff Okudah #Buckeyes #NFLDraft2020 #NFLTwitter #NFL #CFB pic.twitter.com/RuDK4EgANr
— Gabriel Schray (@schrayguy) April 24, 2020
De’Andre Swift career breakdown:
The Detroit Lions added another player to their on Friday. D’Andre Swift out of Georgia was their selection with with the no. 35 overall pick. Swift joins Kerryon Johnson from Auburn and Bo Scarbrough from Alabama as the likely top options in the Lions’ run game.
As a freshman at Georgia in 2017, Swift was the third running back behind future NFL starters Nick Chubb and Sony Michel. On 73 carries, he rushed for 597 yards with three touchdowns. His sophomore year, Swift split carries fairly evenly with junior Elijah Holyfield, though he was used more often as a receiver.
Swift capped his career for the Bulldogs with 195 carries in 2019, good for 1,216 rushing yards and eight total touchdowns. He finished with over 2,500 rushing yards and 25 career touchdowns.
Huge fan of the Detroit #Lions pick in #Georgia RB De'Andre Swift. He will compliment the offense very well#OnePride #Bullogs #NFL #NFLDraft #NFLDraft2020 pic.twitter.com/ZdN7yWjSlP
— Gabriel Schray (@schrayguy) April 25, 2020
Julian Okwara career breakdown:
As a true freshman at Notre Dame in 2016, he played in 11 games, recording four tackles. As a sophomore in 2017, he played in 12 of 13 games, recording 17 tackles, 2.5 sacks and an interception. As a junior in 2018, he started 12 of 13 games, finishing with 38 tackles and eight sacks. Okwara returned to Notre Dame for his senior season in 2019.
Okwara broke his fibula late in the season and was forced to sit out most of the drills at the combine. He measured in at 6-foot-4, 252 pounds and did put up 27 bench-press reps. He has proven his poise off the edge and should find a spot in the Lions lineup sooner rather than later.
JULIAN OWKARA TO THE @Lions
Okwara teams up with his bro!!!!
☘️TWO IRISH GREATS☘️CANT wait to watch you flatten QBs off the edge on Sunday@julian_okwara pic.twitter.com/5PU6KWvVns
— Barstool Irish (@BarstoolIrish) April 25, 2020
Jonah Jackson career breakdown:
Jackson grew up in Media, Pennsylvania and attended Penncrest High School. He was named first team All-Central Athletic League and first team All-Delaware County as a senior. He then spent the first four seasons of his collegiate career at Rutgers. He redshirted his true freshman season and played in all 12 of the Scarlet Knights games the next season, mostly on the field goal protection unit. Jackson played center as a redshirt sophomore, playing in six games and starting five contests before suffering a season ending injury.
As a redshirt junior, Jackson started 11 games at right guard though he missed one game due to injury and was named honorable mention All-Big Ten Conference. Following the season he announced that he would be leaving Rutgers as a graduate transfer, eventually choosing to attend Ohio State after visiting Oklahoma. Jackson played his final season for the Ohio State Buckeyes, starting all of the Buckeyes games at left guard and garnering first team All-Big Ten honors.
Logan Stenberg career breakdown:
Stenberg grew up in Madison, Alabama and attended James Clemens High School. He was named first team All-State at offensive tackle as a senior. He committed to and played for the University of Kentucky and the Wildcats.
Stenberg redshirted his true freshman season. He became a starter as a redshirt freshman and played in all of the Wildcats games from his redshirt sophomore season on. As a redshirt senior, Stenberg was named first team All-Southeastern Conference by the Associated Press and a second team All-American by the FWAA.
The Detroit #Lions have used pick no. 121 of the #NFLDraft on #Kentucky G Logan Stenberg#NFL #NFLDraft2020 #NFLTwitter #OnePride pic.twitter.com/5cGxhbQ61L
— Gabriel Schray (@schrayguy) April 25, 2020
Quintez Cephus career breakdown:
Playing at Stratford Academy in Macon, Georgia, Cephus played running back, wide receiver and defense, earning a three-star recruiting grade. Cephus committed to Wisconsin on November 13th of 2015. He also received offers from Miami, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt and Georgia Southern.
During his sophomore season, Cephus caught thirty passes and had his first career collegiate 100-yard receiving game, against Purdue. However, a broken leg, sustained against Indiana on November 4th, sidelined Cephus for the rest of the season and required surgery.
After missing his junior season due to pending legal charges, the NCAA cleared Cephus to play on August 23rd, 2019. After being expelled and reinstated by the school, Cephus said he returned to the football team because unlike others at the school, the football team never stopped supporting him. Cephus was noted for his ability to separate from defenders on the field of play during his senior season, including new Lions CB Jeff Okudah referring to him as the hardest he had played against in his career.
On January 6th, 2020, Cephus declared for the 2020 NFL Draft. The move came after Cephus led the 2019 Badgers team in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. He also participated in the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine, where he drew praise from other players at the Combine.
Welcome to Detroit, Quintez Cephus 😎
— Adam Duxter (@AdamDuxter) April 25, 2020
Jason Huntley career breakdown:
Jason Huntley played college football at New Mexico State. Coming out of Martin High School in Arlington, Texas, Huntley was not highly recruited. New Mexico State didn’t care. He returned three kickoffs for touchdowns in 2018.
In 2019, Huntley rushed for an impressive 1,090 yards (7.1 yards per carry) with nine touchdowns and also had 1,119 receiving yards. Detroit felt as though they needed more help in the backfield and in the fifth round he was the answer.
Highlights of #Lions RB Jason Huntley, 5th-RD pick out of New Mexico State.
pic.twitter.com/Tufg5pUwnu— Michael Stets (@Michael_Stets) April 25, 2020
John Penisini career breakdown:
Penisini began his collegiate career at Snow College. During his freshman season, he recorded 40 tackles, 6.5 tackles-for-loss, three sacks and a forced fumble. Following the season he was named an All-Western States Football League honorable mention. He transferred to Utah for his sophomore season and sat out the 2016 season. During the 2017 season, Penisini played in 12 games, including one start, where he recorded four tackles and one sack.
During the 2018 season, Penisini played in all 14 games, where he recorded seven tackles-for-loss, two sacks, and 38 tackles. His 38 tackles ranked second on the team. During the 2018 Pac-12 Football Championship Game, he recorded three tackles and a blocked field goal in a 3–10 loss to Washington. Following the season, he was named to the second team All-Pac 12.
During the 2019 season, Penisini played in all 14 games, where he recorded seven tackles-for-loss, two sacks, two forced fumbles and 38 tackles. His two forced fumbles tied for the team lead, and ranked eighth in the Pac-12 Conference. He was named the Pac-12 Defensive Lineman of the Week for the week ending November 4, 2019, after he tied his career-high in tackles with seven that included a sack and a forced fumble in a 33–28 victory over Washington. Following the season, he was again named to the second team All-Pac 12.
Jashon Cornell career breakdown:
Cornell was considered the number one ranked defensive end prospect in the country by ESPN for the class of 2015. Cornell redshirted in 2015 and only appeared in five games during his freshman year in 2017 due to a groin injury. During the 2018 season, he appeared in 13 games, where he recorded 14 tackles, 3.5 tackles-for-loss and a forced fumble.
He made his first start of his career on October 13th, 2018, in a game against his hometown Minnesota Golden Gophers. During the 2019 season, Cornell started all 14 games and recorded 30 tackles, 6.5 tackles-for-loss, and four sacks. Following the season he was named an All-Big Ten honorable mention by both coaches and media.
Jashon Cornell (@JayRock_9) with the hesi/club/arm over sack. Big play by the fifth-year senior #Buckeyes pic.twitter.com/2Ps6zoq2g4
— DLineVids (@dlinevids1) December 8, 2019
This article contains information and media from the Detroit Lions, the NFL, ABC and the Associated Press. For more sports, news and entertainment, follow us on Twitter @MWSNsports or like our page on Facebook.
