Even though the Detroit Lions aren't one of the two teams gearing up to play in Super Bowl LIV, there's still reason to pay attention to the news coming out of Miami.
From commissioner Roger Goodell's press conference, to former players and analysts on Radio Row, the Lions came up more than once.
After predicting Kenny Golladay's rise to No. 1 receiver status two years ago, former Lion and current NFL Network analyst Nate Burleson offered some insight on what might be next for Golladay.
"I'm never really a big fan of yardage," Burleson said. "Touchdowns, which he does, and more catches. Now he's that guy you create a game plan around. He's proven to take on that responsibility. I think it's just more numbers and he'll be ready for it."
Golladay wasn't the only young Lion getting love this week. 49ers tight end George Kittle had nothing but good things to say about his former Iowa teammate and Lions rookie T.J. Hockenson.
"He's incredibly gifted, and he knows that," Kittle said of Hockenson. "He's got a lot of great days ahead of him. Playing tight end as a rookie is tough. I wasn't very special my rookie year. It's not just X's and O's, you have to grow up a little bit, too."
Hockenson was drafted 8th overall last year as a weapon for quarterback Matthew Stafford. Hall of Fame quarterback and NFL analyst Kurt Warner thinks the Lions should continue to build around Stafford in this year's draft too, instead of taking a QB at 3.
"As long as Matthew is healthy, and they believe he can be healthy moving forward, he's got plenty of time left to play and he's extremely talented," Warner said Thursday. "For me, if I was Detroit, I'm saying, 'Can we build a team around Matthew and then see what we have?'
"I mean he's done so many great things in this league, but I don't feel like he's ever had a complete team around him, where he could truly compete so we could see really how good is he?"
NFL DRAFT PREP IS ON
The completion of the Senior Bowl this past weekend really kickstarted the countdown to the 2020 NFL Draft.
There's still a lot left to happen between now and April though, as head coach Matt Patricia reminded us last week.
"That's a great question for Bob Quinn," Patricia said when asked about the Lions' plans with the No. 3 overall pick. "I think for us, we're just going to go through the process, see how everything (is) handled. I don't think you can commit to anything at all. I mean, it's way too early for that."
A lot of the early mock drafts have Detroit selecting Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah, something Lions cornerback Darius Slay wouldn't mind at all.
"He's a hell of a player," Slay said of Okudah. "I've watched his film, watched some of his games. He competed at a high level. There's a lot of stuff I could help him with.
"You see how he makes plays. I see his feet. He do a lot of technique I do. Stand on top. Make plays on deep balls. He takes the deep ball away first, easily. With him being so quick and so long and aggressive, he can take away a lot of other stuff. He's a good player."
OTHER NOTEWORTHY ITEMS
- Which draft prospects could make an immediate impact for Lions? Tim Twentyman covers that and more in his latest 10 Questions column.
- Mike O'Hara takes a look at how teams have fared with the No. 3 overall pick in the NFL Draft in the last 10 years.
- Take a look back at all things cheer in 2019 with the Detroit Lions Cheerleaders Year in Review.
