Caushaud Lyons grew up in Georgia and played his high school football for the Woodland high school Wolfpack. He went to Tusculum college, in the South Atlantic Conference. There he set a school record for career tackles and tackles for loss by a lineman, and the third most sacks by a lineman. As a Senior for Tusculum College in 2014, Lyons was a Division II All American. He was a finalist for the Gene Upshaw award, given to the best Division II lineman in the nation. He recorded 89 tackles, 19 for a loss, and 8.5 sacks.

At his pro day, Lyons amazed scouts with a 4.87 second 40-yard dash, a 30.5″ vertical jump, and a ten-foot broad jump at 295 lbs. He also recorded a 325 lb clean, a 475 lb bench press, and a 600 lb squat. Lyons was a freakish athlete more than a polished football player, however. According to Lance Lance Zierlein of NFL.com Lyons was “lacking in many of the basics needed at the position and a team will have to have a plan for him that involves teaching and a great deal of patience.” Lyons’ journey through the NFL has not involved patience.

Caushaud Lyons Professional Career

Lyons went undrafted in 2015 and signed a contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was unable to secure a roster spot in Tampa. They tried to stash him on the practice squad, but he was claimed on waivers by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He found his way to the Steelers practice squad on October 2, 2015. The following year he failed to make the 53 man roster and ended up on their practice squad again. In January of 2017, Caushaud Lyons signed a futures contract with the Titans but was waived on June 13. He was signed 15 days later by the Rams but waived by that team yesterday.

The treatment of Caushaud Lyons thus far seems to have been a violation of a cardinal scouting rule. Do not talk about the scheme a player fits when discussing a prospect, talk about their traits. Lyons is a very fast, very explosive, very powerful athlete. He has been asked to play a two gap, five technique role every team since Tampa Bay. Those two pieces of information do not typically go together, at least not often. exceptions like J.J. Watt do exist. Many coaches will look at his height and weight, and make assumptions about scheme fits ignoring what the player can actually do.

Why The Detroit Lions Picked Him Up

Caushaud Lyons will almost certainly not make the Detroit Lions 53 man roster. He is getting an audition, although an abbreviated one, for another season on the practice squad. Where he athletically fits in to the Lions defensive scheme is as a left defensive end. If he is going to be an NFL player it will be on the edge. The Lions are currently thin t defensive end. So much so that the players they had likely thought to stash on the practice squad, Jeremy Voalaga and Alex Barrett, are looking like candidates for the 53 man roster.

Alternatively, he very well may be this year’s Kerry Hyder or George Johnson. Those players had accomplished as little as Lyons has before the Lions coaching staff got a hold of them. The final preseason game just got a little more interesting, That is likely the first and possibly only chance Lions fans will have to see Lyons in action.