The Detroit Lions selected San Diego rookie Jamal Agnew in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft, and this weekend showed they'd like to use him in a multitude of ways.
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Agnew improved upon his showing in his first preseason game, when he recorded a pair of tackles, a QB hit, and returned a punt seven yards.
Against the New York Jets in game two of the preseason, Agnew led all Lions defenders with six tackles, recorded a pass deflection, returned a kick 17 yards and a punt six yards.
Agnew was targeted over and over in the game, but didn't allow a big play other than a 23-yard completion in the fourth quarter. Later on that drive he came back with a pass breakup to force a field goal attempt.
His hard work is showing off, and he earned the praise of fourth-year cornerback Nevin Lawson following the game:
“He's getting better. I see it, I know it,” Lawson said. “I think one thing he did already a great job of is getting that defensive scheme down. So once you get that defensive scheme down, now you have to get that defensive technique down.
“I feel like that's one of the things as a corner and defensive back, you always got to work on your technique so you always got to continue to fine tune that. At the end of the day, though, he'll be a great player."
Agnew is one of several young corners looking to make an impact for the Lions, including Florida second-round selection Teez Tabor. He's getting a chance to make an impact other places than just defense, and is showing so far he's going to make the most of those opportunities.
