The old adage about the Combine is that everybody meets with everybody. Outside of the Combine, NFL teams are allowed 30 official visits with players, and it looks like the Lions are going to use one of those on Washington State linebacker Frankie Luvu, per DraftAnalyst.com. While the flashier names pull in the headlines, Luvu fits the mold of the type of player that general manager Bob Quinn and new head coach Matt Patricia have talked about. Versatile and athletic, Luvu is a hard hitter who played all over the defense for the Cougars.

Frankie Luvu, LB, Washington State

Stats

2014: 3 Tackles, 2 FF

2015: 13 Tackles

2016: 46 Tackles, 7 TFL, 1.5 Sacks, 1 FR, 1 FF

2017: 48 Tackles, 12.0 TFL, 6.5 Sacks, 2 Int, 1 PD, 2 FR, 1 TD

A three-star safety coming out of Tafuna High School in American Samoa, Frankie was a multi-sport athlete and award-winning high school football player. A special teams standout, Luvu even kicked off in high school and was apparently very good at it. He would go on to play special teams in each of his first two seasons with Washington State. His first year saw him record only three tackles, but he made two forced fumbles with both against ranked teams (Arizona and Arizona State).

His junior year would finally see him starting at linebacker. He was fairly productive in his role, but it wasn’t until his senior year in 2017 when he really started to come into his own. Moved to more of a pass-rushing role than just hanging back, Washington State benefited from sending him on the attack as he racked up a respectable 12.0 tackles for a loss with 6.5 sacks.

General manager Bob Quinn has valued special teams contributions significantly since coming to Detroit so it’s no surprise one of his first visits is with a player known for those talents. Versatility is also key as Luvu played multiple roles during his Cougars career, including playing off the ball and rushing the passer. While his teammate, Hercules Mata’afa, gets more air time, Luvu has some strong tape to put him on teams’ radars during Day 3 of the draft, and he is the type of guy who will draw interest from teams like the Patriots, Ravens, and Chiefs, who all spend extra attention to players with special teams abilities.

The Lions putting in work for versatile depth after most likely allowing Brandon Copeland to leave without a contract isn’t surprising, and Frankie Luvu is unlikely to be the last mid-to-late round linebacker the Lions spend considerable time and energy on.