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In this series I’ll be going over who I think will be the top 20 impact players for the Lions in 2018, next up is Teez Tabor.

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The choice in having Teez Tabor this high is down to two things, scheme and his playmaking ability. The scheme that Patricia is known for is his bend don’t break style which utilizes players strengths, in particular a cornerbacks playmaking ability since he often plays with three safeties over the top. Having over the top help will be huge for Teez Tabor as his major weakness was speed. Having help over the top will let him utilise one of his major strengths which is locating the ball and making plays on it.

Toward the end of his rookie campaign he was given more responsibility by Lions defensive co-ordinator Teryl Austin. This was shown by asking him to defend Mike Evans when the game was on the line against the Bucs. He didn’t disappoint as he successfully defended against Evans. Also having a system that utilizes hidden blitzes and getting pressure on opposing quaterbacks makes it more likely that there will be more wayward throws, which Tabor can capitalise off.

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Being across from Darius Slay who will more than likely be shadowing the opposing team number one receivers for most of the season will mean that Teez Tabor is in for a lot of work. Assuming that Darius Slay has another pro-bowl calibre season and quarterbacks decide to not throw his way. That means Tabor will have to step up and become the playmaker he was in college and live up to the second round pick hype that has followed him around since he was drafted.

List so far:

Rick Wagner – #20

Jamal Agnew – #19

Kerry Hyder – #18

Da’Shawn Hand – #17

Taylor Decker – #16

Frank Ragnow – #15

Matt Prater – #14

LeGarrette Blount – #13

Thanks for checking out the article everyone. Go Lions! Let me know what you think on Twitter @Alex_Watt_Lions and be sure to join the community on the Detroit Lions subreddit.