Detroit Lions have Utah State QB Jordan Love on radar at Senior Bowl: Players to watch

The Detroit Lions need a backup quarterback in the worst way. That was evident in the second half of the season, when they went 0-8 without Matthew Stafford and slumped to last place in the NFC North.

And while the Lions seem like a good candidate to address their need with a veteran in free agency, they could be tempted to find a more longterm solution — one not named Tua Tagovailoa — in April’s NFL draft.

At the Senior Bowl this week, the Lions will get an up-close look at one of the draft’s most intriguing quarterback prospects, Utah State’s Jordan Love.

While LSU’s Joe Burrow is a virtual lock to go No. 1 overall and Tagovailoa remains a likely top-10 pick despite a serious hip injury, Love heads to Mobile with his draft stock in flux.

He’s considered a potential first-round choice but is coming off a choppy season and can use the Senior Bowl — and a week working with Lions coaches on the North roster — to rehabilitate his stock.

“He’s the guy that could really jump up through the process because coming out of the summer I thought he was going to be a first-round pick for sure and most teams had him in the first round,” Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy said. “They had the coaching change out there (with Gary Andersen taking over for Matt Wells) and just I think the combination of turnover, new system and then just feeling the pressure of a lot of that first-round talk in the summer in the media and all the hype – they did a Heisman campaign for him preseason – he looked like he was pressing all year. He looked like he was trying to do way too much.”

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Love earned honorable mention All-Mountain West honors this season, but he was a much less efficient passer than he was during his breakout sophomore year. After throwing for 3,567 yards with 32 touchdowns and six interceptions in 2018, he threw for 3,402 yards with 20 touchdowns and 17 picks this season.

Nagy said he sees parallels between Love and Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who cemented himself as a top-10 pick with a strong Senior Bowl week in 2018.

Few are predicting Love will elevate to that level, but if the Lions like what they see after spending a week behind closed doors with him, he could be too tempting to pass up if he’s on the board early in Round 2.

“Jordan Love’s a guy that’s got as much to gain from the Senior Bowl as anybody in our game this year,” Nagy said. “Physically, he has everything. He’s big, he’s athletic, he can move. He’s got a strong arm. He’s a really natural thrower. That’s what gets you excited about him.”

Love is one of three quarterbacks on the North roster, along with Michigan’s Shea Patterson and Washington State’s Anthony Gordon, and one of dozens of prospects the Lions will have their eyes on this week.

Here are seven more who could fit the Lions come April’s draft:

WR Michael Pittman Jr., USC

Pittman is another borderline first-round pick who the Lions will work with on the North team. He had a dominant senior season with 101 catches for 1,275 yards and 11 touchdowns, but this is a loaded wide receiver draft, which could make Pittman available early in Round 2. He’s not a burner, but he has the size the Lions love at the position at 6-foot-4 and would pair nicely with Kenny Golladay.

OT Josh Jones, Houston

A four-year starter at left tackle, Jones has the size and length at a listed 6-7 to stay at the position in the NFL. He’s still raw, so there’s a lot of development ahead. But for a Lions team that can’t be sure if starting tackles Taylor Decker and Rick Wagner will return beyond 2020, he’s a prospect worth tracking.

LB Josh Uche, Michigan

Uche racked up 14.5 sacks the past two seasons for the Wolverines. Nagy said linebacker is “the best position group on” the North team this year, and he highlighted Uche and Wisconsin’s Zack Baun as “probably the two best guys in the game in terms of being able to drop and cover, but also rush the passer.” That sounds a lot like what the Lions are looking for in their linebackers.

LB Terrell Lewis, Alabama

Lewis sat out Alabama’s bowl game and has a chance to be a first-round pick if his medicals check out, so it’s a little surprising he’s playing in Mobile. He missed time in his college career with a torn ACL and torn elbow ligament, among other injuries, but he had six sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss in 11 games this season. If he makes it to Pick No. 35, he’s the type of edge-rushing outside linebacker who’ll be tough to pass up.

DL Marlon Davidson, Auburn

Derrick Brown was the star of Auburn’s defense this season and should be a top-10 pick, but Davidson was a standout in his own right. He finished his career with 17 sacks and earned first-team All-SEC honors. More importantly, he has the size and pass-rush versatility to play all over the defensive line. He’s playing on the South team, so the Lions won’t be as hands-on with him as others on this list. But in terms of skill set, he’s the type of Day 2 lineman who’d fit Patricia’s system.

[Why potential Detroit Lions pick Derrick Brown is a better prospect than Ndamukong Suh]

DE Alton Robinson, Syracuse

Never discount the Syracuse connection when it comes to Matt Patricia’s Lions. Robinson is probably a Day 2 pick as a long-armed pass rusher who flashes both speed and power off the edge. He had 10 sacks as a junior and only four this season, but he started his career at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M and still has plenty of developing to do.

CB Lamar Jackson, Nebraska

Jackson is one of the biggest cornerbacks in the draft at a listed 6-3, and the Lions have been searching unsuccessfully for size to add to their secondary for years. He appears to be a willing tackler, and he had a respectable five interceptions over the last two seasons. The Lions can spend the week figuring out what his limitations are in man-to-man coverage and whether he’ll fit their scheme.

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett. Read more on the Detroit Lions and sign up for our Lions newsletter.