By Michael Stets
ALLEN PARK–With rookie mini camp set to begin on Friday afternoon, the Lions announced they’ve signed eight of their nine 2017 NFL Draft picks, as well as 14 undrafted rookie free agents.
Contract terms were not disclosed.
First-round pick Jarrad Davis, second-round pick Teez Tabor, fourth-round selections Michael Roberts and Jalen Reeves-Maybin, fifth-rounder Jamal Agnew, six-rounders Brad Kaaya and Jeremiah Ledbetter, and seventh-round pick Pat O’Connor are now all under contract with the team.
Wide receiver Kenny Golladay, the team’s third-round selection out of Northern Illinois, is the lone draft pick that remains unsigned. However, Golladay will be part of the three-day minicamp, according to coach Jim Caldwell, who said, “We have them all participating today.”
The undrafted rookie free agents are: Brandon Barnes (TE/Alabama State), Alex Barrett (DE/ San Diego State), Dontez Ford (WR/Pittsburgh), Tion Green (RB/Cincinnati), Nick James (DT/Mississippi State), Leo Koloamatangi (OL/Hawaii), Des Lawrence (CB/North Carolina), Storm Norton (T/Toledo), Michael Rector (WR/Stanford), Maurice Swain (DT/Auburn), Noel Thomas (WR UCONN), Josh Thornton (CB/Southern Utah), Robert Tonyan (TE/Indiana State), and Jeremiah Valoaga (DE/UNLV).
Caldwell called this year’s rookie mini-camp roster a “serious” and “focused” group. And he gave some insight on what will take place this weekend.
“Well, the big thing is acclimation to what we do from a scheme standpoint. That’s a big part of it. We have to kind of get them ready–first of all–to function within the confines of the building: where to go, what to do, how to do it, try to orient them to our culture. We have a lot of information that they have to develop in a very short period of time.
“Obviously, the football portion of it is the most important portion of it. But yet, how to function within the building is equally as important. So we do a lot of educating in a very short period of time, and we try to just give them as much information as we can when they arrive. That will take us through the weekend and the veterans, obviously, will be back on Monday and they will all be together. So, but we have a lot of work to do this weekend.”
