Lions Draft Pick Could Fill Raymond’s Shoes
The Lions might have found their answer to the Kalif Raymond question with their selection of Kendrick Law. Because if there’s one thing this franchise has taught us over the years, it’s that you can never have too many backup plans at the skill positions.
Law started for one year at Kentucky. That’s it, that’s the resume. But here’s the thing about punt returners in Detroit – sometimes the best ones come from the most unlikely places.
The kid has the traits you want to see out of a potentially good punt returner. And yes, I know what you’re thinking – we’ve heard this song before. But Raymond wasn’t exactly lighting the world on fire back there, so the bar isn’t exactly set at an unreachable height.
Look, Law’s college experience might be limited, but punt returning is one of those positions where instincts and ball skills matter more than pedigree. You either have the vision to find the seam and the hands to secure the catch, or you don’t. Everything else is just noise.
The Lions clearly saw something they liked in Law’s tape from Kentucky. Whether that translates to Ford Field remains to be seen, but at least they’re trying to address the position instead of pretending it doesn’t matter.
Think Law can handle the pressure of returning punts in Honolulu Blue, or are we setting ourselves up for more special teams heartbreak? Drop your take below.
Finally someone getting excited about the right things. Law might not have a huge resume but you’re right – this position is all about instincts and hands. I’m optimistic they found someone who can actually make plays back there instead of just fair catching everything.
Look, I get the hope here but I’ve been hurt too many times believing in these “diamonds in the rough” at special teams. One year at Kentucky isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement. I hope I’m wrong but this feels like we’re just hoping instead of actually solving the problem.
The thing is, we’ve been chasing the perfect punt returner for what feels like forever and it never gets us anywhere. Sometimes these young guys surprise you though, so I guess you gotta try. Just hard to get excited when you’ve seen so many “potential answers” come and go around here.