Scouting report
Trey Flowers, Lions DE
Information for this report was obtained from NFL scouts.
Trey Flowers, 6-foot-2 and 265 pounds, is in his first season with the Lions after they made him a major addition in free agency. Flowers spent his first four seasons with the Patriots and was one of their best front-seven players on last season’s Super Bowl-winning team.
Flowers, who rejoined Lions coach and former Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia in Detroit when he signed a five-year, $90 million contract with $56 million guaranteed, leads the Lions with four sacks, but they are tied for 27th in the league with only 14 sacks.
“I wonder if they are saying, ‘We overpaid,’ ” the scout said. “They paid him to be a fourth-quarter closer, an edge rusher that impacts the pocket, creates issues for protection schemes and creates game-plan issues for opposing offenses. That’s what they paid him for, but he’s not that guy. He’s not a bend-the-edge rusher. He’s a good player, he’s really good, but this is who he is.
“He is a very physical defensive end, and he’s a complete player. He can play the run. He can support the edge in the run game and he can rush the passer. He’s a guy that has to win with speed to power. His upper body is very strong, and he can manhandle tackles when he gets them back on their heels.
“But in terms of setting them up and dipping on the edge, you don’t see that as often. He’s not a Myles Garrett, a Joey or Nick Bosa, Khalil Mack or even Chandler Jones. He’s not in that tier. But he’s a good player for what they want to do defensively, which is very similar to the Patriots. They use a lot of games to set him up. They do twist stunts, they bring him inside and get him matched up versus a guard. He does have that flexibility. But they’re paying top dollar for that. That’s been an issue for the Lions. They are not rushing the passer.
“He was very productive in New England. You always have to look at how guys get sacks. A lot of times he was getting them off twist stunts where he was coming free or a twist stunt where he’s matched up versus a guard or where (Bill) Belichick was matching him up specifically in certain games to get production off the edge.
“He’s not a guy you are going to line up on the edge and is going to create consistent chaos. He was on a Super Bowl team, he played really well, and he hit free agency at the right time. Credit to him. The Lions had to get a pass rusher, and whenever you have to do that in free agency, you’re in trouble.”