What Impact Could Khari Lee Have On The Detroit Lions?

Khari Lee wracked up a lot of accolades for Bowie State during his time there. He was a two-sport star in high school. He earned Team MVP awards in both football and basketball for two straight seasons at Western Tech in Baltimore. His basketball background shows in his fluid movement. Lee was first team All-CIAA from 2012-2014, and a D2Football.com All-American in 2014.

He led the Bulldogs in 2014 and received their offensive MVP award. He participated in the 2014 Medal of Honor Bowl, which earned him an invite to the East-West Shrine game. His performance definitely drew the attention of scouts, as 24 teams sent representatives to the Bowie State pro day. Unfortunately for Lee, while he is a fluid athlete, he is not an explosive athlete. He put up 40 yard dash times over 5s and pedestrian scores all around at his pro day. Lee went undrafted despite visiting with ten teams.

Khari Lee’s Pro Journey

Lee was signed with the Houston Texans but did no make a mark during the preseason. He had only five receptions for 71 yards. The Texans received a great return on their investment, however. They traded their soon to be cut player for a sixth-round pick in 2017 to the Chicago Bears. Lee dressed for 16 games in Chicago but finished the season with only one reception. He competed for a job with the bears in 2016 but found himself unemployed in the wake of the cut down to 53. The Lions claimed him on waivers but released him as their Tight end group got healthier mid-season. He finished out the year there and signed a reserve/future contract with the Lions in January 2017.

Lee serves as injury insurance for the Lions in 2017. With Eric Ebron, Darren Fells, and rookie Michael Roberts virtual locks to make the team, something would have to give for Lee to find a place on the Lions active roster to begin the season. He has practice squad eligibility, and will probably end up there unless a fourth team is willing to overlook his athletic deficiencies, and hope that he takes a step forward. So far the greatest moment of his career was an impersonation of coach Bill O’Brien on Hard Knocks. Lee has improved since his college days as a blocker but will not likely make the team barring injury.