Lions take a chance with second round pick

Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn once again showed he’s not afraid to follow his own path.

Quinn raised eyebrows by taking tight end T.J. Hockenson with the eighth pick overall in Thursday’s first round of the NFL Draft. It was the highest a tight end had been taken in the NFL Draft since 2006. Then Quinn stunned many with his second-round pick (43rd overall) on Friday by taking University of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors linebacker Jahlani Tavai, who some projected to go as late as the sixth round.

“I mean, the draft is a tricky thing, of course,” Tavai said after being chosen. “I’m just blessed and happy that the Lions took the opportunity to draft me. “Right now, I’m just feeling really blessed and thankful for the Lions’ love towards me. I’m really happy right now; speechless.” While taken higher than expected, many viewed Hockenson as one of the safest picks in the draft. But Tavai comes with a few red flags. He was one of two Rainbow Warriors arrested last June after an altercation in a Honolulu nightclub and was charged with third-degree assault.

“I’m trying not to think about that,” Tavai said. “The past is the past. Right now, I learned from my mistake. Trying to move on right now and show the Lions that I’m ready to go. I’m not allowing anything off the field to ever affect me again from missing time or anything like that.”

As well, the six-foot-four, 250-pound Tavai had his senior season cut short in October by a shoulder injury that required surgery. He missed the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine and was limited at his school’s pro day. While the Mountain West Conference is not considered the strongest in the NCAA, Tavai is considered to be a smart player with good instincts and good hands, but lacks speed and struggles in coverage. He was a tackle machine for two seasons. He had 128 total tackles, six sacks and an interception in 2016 while earning all-Mount West firstteam honours and followed with 124 tackles, five-and-a-half sacks and an interception in 2017. He finished his career second in tackles all-time at Hawaii with 391.

“I love the (Detroit) defence because you never know what they’re running in,” Tavai said. “From the film that I’ve watched on the defence, the Lions stunt a lot. I love that they bring pressure on the quarterback a lot. That’s good.”