Dave Birkett

Detroit Free Press

Bob Quinn found eight first-year contributors in his first NFL draft as Detroit Lions general manager, but as he gets to work scouting 2017 prospects, he hardly is patting himself on the back.

“I’d say, overall, it was a solid class,” Quinn said at his end-of-season news conference last week. “I talked to a lot of those guys before they left the building, and they know how much work’s ahead of them. Being a rookie in the NFL is hard. It’s a long season. The one thing I’ll give all those guys credit: I never saw them hit that rookie wall that everyone talks about. And I think that’s something that is a credit to those guys and the conditioning and the energy they put into the season. So I’m happy with the class, but I want to see them improve this off-season.”

The Lions landed three starters in the 2016 draft: left tackle Taylor Decker, defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson and interior offensive lineman Graham Glasgow.

Decker played every offensive snap for the Lions this season and was named to the Pro Football Writers of America all-rookie team this week. Robinson took over as a starter in late November and finished with two sacks. And Glasgow played both left guard and center while appearing in 15 games.

The Lions are counting on all three players to play significant roles again next season -- and could have more second-year players in their starting lineup.

Fourth-round pick Miles Killebrew played primarily in the Lions’ dime defensive package as a rookie but should be in line for more playing time in 2017. Fifth-round pick Joe Dahl could compete for a starting job on the offensive line, depending on what the Lions do with free agents Larry Warford and Riley Reiff. And linebacker Antwione Williams and long snapper Jimmy Landes, who missed this season after undergoing labrum surgery, likely will have a chance to win starting jobs in training camp.

Quinn, who spent part of this week scouting players at the East West Shrine Game, said he was pleased that “a lot of the guys made strides” as rookies, but there’s more work to be done.

“We had a lot of contributors from the rookie class,” Quinn said. “We’re happy with how things ended up with most of them. But I think, like any rookie player, the rookie player’s biggest jump is from Year 1 to Year 2. So if the guys that are on the team now that were our draft picks, if they come back better than they were this year, then I’ll be happy. If they regress, I won’t be happy.”

Detroit Lions' rookie class could be nucleus of future contender

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

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