Where you land matters. Although former Georgia Bulldogs and Missouri Tigers wide receiver Dominic Lovett had to wait until the very end of day three to hear his name called, he went to the perfect place for him in the Detroit Lions. The former All-SEC performer at Mizzou fell to the Lions in the seventh round. Following him there would be his former Georgia teammate in safety Dan Jackson.
This will be a different year for the Lions. They did lose both of their star coordinators to other jobs. Aaron Glenn is calling the shots for the New York Jets, while Ben Johnson bet on himself and takes over the Chicago Bears in the division. The good news for the Lions is that head coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes remain. Their partnership has been instrumental in their turnaround.
As far as Lovett is concerned, he showed me a lot in his college football career. At Missouri, he was able to be an all-conference performer in an offense that also featured Luther Burden III. Although he did not have the same level of accolades at Georgia, Lovett was asked to do more in the context of the Georgia offense, one that made in New Year's Six Bowls in back-to-back seasons. He is a stud!
I will now further explain why Lovett is poised to be a low-key breakout star for his new NFL team.
Dominic Lovett went to the perfect NFL team for him in the Detroit Lions
What I liked the most about Lovett's game at Georgia was that he could man any role thrown his way in the context of Mike Bobo's offense. He was not expected to be WR1 for most of last season, but ended up being one of Carson Beck's most reliable targets. Lovett will be at his best in the NFL as a high-end No. 3, but can potentially be a captivating No. 2 in Detroit if Jameson Williams does not work out.
Truth be told, Lovett will be slotted in right where he needs to in Detroit. He could be the No. 3, Williams could be the No. 2 and Amon-Ra St. Brown will remain the No. 1. Having two other receivers who have shown an ability to get 1,000 receiving yards in a season could open up more opportunities for an up-and-coming player like Lovett. Most importantly, he was a total gamer when he was at UGA.
Again, the Lions knew exactly what they were doing when they drafted him. They have a plan for him, one where he is not going to be miscast like many wide receivers often are in this league. Detroit may have suffered a ton of coaching attrition, but Holmes is still this team's architect and the team still runs to the beat of Campbell's frickin' drum, man. I am bullish to see what Lovett can do with Detroit.
Georgia wide receiver can be hit or miss, but the landing spot for Lovett in Detroit feels about perfect.