The Detroit Lions Draft Pat O’Connor At Pick 250 In The 2017 NFL Draft.
Detroit closes the NFL draft by adding another defensive end in Pat O’Connor. O’Connor was gaining steam in 2014 and was forced to miss the entire 2015 season due to an injury and came back in 2016. His final season at Eastern Michigan wasn’t as good as his 2014 season, but he still ended on a positive note.
O’Connor’s Collegiate Accomplishments:
- 2012 E-Gridiron Group Defensive Newcomer of the Year
- 2013 John E. Borowiec Most Valuable Defensive Player Award
- 2014 First-Team Defense All-MAC
- 2014 Team MVP
- 2014 John E. Borowiec Most Valuable Defensive Player Award
- 2015 Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List
- 2015 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List
- 2015 First-Team Preseason All-MAC by Athlon Sports and Phil Steele’s College Football Preview
- 2016 Second-Team Preseason All-MAC by Athlon Sports
During his time at Eastern Michigan, O’Connor finished with 166 tackles, 34 for loss, 20 sacks, seven pass deflections, seven forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
Check out his draft profile here.
Why Did The Lions Draft Pat O’Connor?
Just like Jeremiah Ledbetter, O’Connor won’t be hitting the field as a starter. Detroit needs all the help it can get on the defensive line and adding another player is good for competition on the team. O’Connor might finish the preseason on the practice squad and that is ok, it shows that the pick wasn’t completely wasted.
If O’Connor can be the same player he was in 2014 before the injury, Detroit could have added a good depth piece near the end of the draft as he could have been a fifth round pick. Detroit needs to keep an eye on his health as another big injury could hurt him even more.
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