Lions Sign Five Of Their Draft Picks, 12 Undrafted Rookie Free Agents
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
CBS DETROIT - The Detroit Lions announced Thursday that they have signed five of their 2015 draft picks - Stanford cornerback Alex Carter, their third-round pick; Auburn defensive tackle Gabe Wright, their fourth-round pick; Rutgers fullback Michael Burton, their fifth-round pick; Texas cornerback Quandre Diggs, their sixth-round pick; and South Carolina tackle Corey Robinson, their seventh-round pick.
Evidently, the team is still in the process of signing Duke guard Laken Tomlinson, whom the team took in the first round, and Nebraska running back Ameer Abdullah, whom the team took in the second round.
The Lions have also signed 12 undrafted rookie free agents, eight of whom play offense.
The run game continues to be a focus, with guards Al Bond of Memphis and Torrian Wilson of Central Florida and running backs Rasheed Williams of Alfred State and Zach Zenner of South Dakota State among the group.
Bond played in 47 games for Memphis and received an invitation to the NFL combine. He was also a member of the team's leadership council as a junior and a senior.
Wilson, who was the starting left tackle at UCF, played in at least 11 games every season. He was named All-ACC as a senior. Before choosing UCF, Wilson was recruited by Stanford, Louisville, Alabama, LSU, Tennessee and Michigan.
Williams racked up 1,017 yards in 10 games for Alfred State last season, his total bolstered by a monstrous 335-yard game against Apprentice School, against whom he ran the ball 36 times. He also had back-to-back three-touchdown games.
Zenner rushed for 2,000 yards in each of the last three seasons for South Dakota State and is a three-time All-American and a three-time Academic All-American. As a senior he was named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.
The Lions also signed Duke quarterback Anthony Boone, Texas A&M Commerce wide receiver Vernon Johnson, North Carolina AT&T wide receiver Desmond Lawrence, and Kent State tight end Casey Pierce.
Boone, a two-time captain at Duke, played in 46 games, starting 25. He completed 58.5 percent of his passes for 5,789 yards, and he threw for 38 touchdowns and 24 interceptions.
Vernon Johnson totaled 2,608 receiving yards and 25 touchdowns in two seasons for Texas A&M Commerce.
Lawrence was the leading receiver for North Carolina AT&T with 386 yards on 42 catches. He also returned nine kicks for 298 yards.
Pierce was a captain at Kent State and set a new standard for tight ends at the school with 60 catches for 641 yards and six touchdowns. He played all 11 games as a senior.
Detroit also brought in two safeties, Isaiah Johnson of Georgia Tech and Brian Suite of Utah State, and Rutgers linebacker Kevin Snyder.
After missing what should have been his senior season with injury, Isaiah Johnson played in 13 games in 2014 and totaled 72 tackles, including three for loss. His 283 career tackles are the most by any defensive back in Georgia Tech history.
At Utah State, Suite played in 14 games as a senior and finished the season with 76 tackles, nine pass breakups and two interceptions.
Snyder played 51 games in his career and ended his senior year with 63 tackles and five pass breakups. He received the team's "Loyal Knight Award" for great character displayed by sacrificing personal goals for the sake of the team.
The Lions also signed Notre Dame kicker Kyle Brindza, who was 14-for-24 as a senior, including 5-for-11 on kicks of 40 yards or more.
