Dave Birkett

Detroit Free Press

The Detroit Lions won't waste any time handing the keys of their defense to rookie first-round pick Jarrad Davis.

Lions general manager Bob Quinn said in a video posted on the team's website that Davis will play middle linebacker for the team this fall.

"We'll play him at middle linebacker we hope for many years with him calling our defense," Quinn said.

On Thursday, after the Lions made Davis the 21st pick of the draft, Quinn said he wasn't sure where Davis would play as a rookie.

"He's a guy that we feel that can play mike (middle) and will (weak-side) so we’re going to put him in the mix with all the guys we have on the roster and just kind of figure out what’s the best way to use him," Quinn said. "But he definitely has position flexibility."

Tahir Whitehead started 15 games at middle linebacker for the Lions last season and made a career-high 132 tackles, but he struggled at times in pass coverage and made few impact plays in the run game.

Whitehead also has played outside linebacker during his career, and the Lions signed Paul Worrilow, a middle and weak-side linebacker, in free agency.

In the fourth round, the Lions drafted Tennessee linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin, the cousin of former Detroit Tigers outfield Cameron Maybin, with the 124th overall pick.

His father, Marques Maybin, was a basketball player at Louisville but was paralyzed from the waist down in a car accident when Jalen was 8.

Quinn said Reeves-Maybin will play weak-side linebacker.

"Really good football player at the University of Tennessee," Quinn said. "Really good tackler, speed, athleticism, playmaker, I’d say. We talked about Jalen (Tabor) the other night in terms of instincts. This guy’s instincts at the linebacker position are very good. So that’s one thing that led to him. I spent some time with him personally down there in Tennessee before the pro day. Really felt fortunate that he was there. We kind of thought that he was definitely going to be probably in the third round. So we were kind of holding on hope there through the middle of the fourth that he was still going to be there. The value was just too good to pass up."

Contact Dave Birkett: dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

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