Football Outsiders Q&A Part 4: Where does the Lions’ secondary rank in the NFL? On Wednesday Ty Johnson Detroit Lions Jersey , Football Outsiders’ Assistant Editor Scott Kacsmar told us that if the Detroit Lions’ pass rush is lacking in 2018, they better have an elite secondary to compensate. It is extremely rare to sport an above-average defense if you aren’t creating consistent pressure on the quarterback, and the only way to survive is forcing a lot of interceptions with your defensive backs.The Lions were able to do something like that last year. Darius Slay led the league in picks last year, and the Lions were able to finish the season tied for the fourth-most interceptions in the league.But has the Lions’ secondary convinced Scott that they’re good enough to carry Detroit’s defense again this year? That’s today’s topic:Question 4: Where would you rank this Lions secondary in respect to the rest of the league? You might be able to squeeze them into the top 15 thanks to Darius Slay. Glover Quin usually charts well at safety. As we wrote in the book Ty Johnson Jersey 2019 , the secondary may have relied too much on Slay last year. We need to see more from Teez Tabor in his second season, or perhaps one of the young safeties (Miles Killebrew or Tracy Walker) can start to break out more in this defense.It may be hard for Lions fans to hear, but Kacsmar brings up a good point. Quarterbacks will soon learn—if they haven’t already—that targeting Darius Slay is a mistake. Who will the Lions rely upon to hold down the other side of the field? That Lions’ No. 2 cornerback camp battle has been one of the most publicized positional battles and for good reason. Right now, it appears Nevin Lawson holds the position Ty Johnson Jersey Mens , and his play has been average at best. DeShawn Shead brings good competition (if he can stay healthy) and perhaps the growth of Teez Tabor could help inspire some improvement at CB2, but the team isn’t there yet, and opponents could take advantage of that.I would’ve like to see Kacsmar mention Quandre Diggs, especially considering nickel cornerback has essentially become a starting position in the NFL. Diggs has taken everything the Lions have thrown at him and excelled. He’s easily the most underrated player on this team Youth Ty Johnson Jersey , and his versatility will make him a huge asset under Matt Patricia. Therefore, I think top 15 is selling the Lions’ secondary a little short. Assuming good injury luck, there’s no reason this shouldn’t be a top 10 set of defensive backs. For more content from Football Outsiders, check out their store White Ty Johnson Jersey , which includes their always fabulous Almanac.Tomorrow’s topic: Matthew Stafford with a running game Cornerback Rashaan Melvin‘s stint with the Raiders last year went so well that he wrote a social media post saying that he felt he “cheated the fans and organization” with his play in Oakland.Melvin wrote that he “wasn’t able to be myself and play the style of play that I know I was capable of playing,” but he does not expect that to be a problem this year. Melvin signed with the Lions as a free agent and believes that the more man-oriented scheme in Detroit will lead to better results.“All coaches have different techniques and different schemes,” Melvin said, via the . “Unfortunately Sylvester Williams Jersey , [Oakland] wanted me to do something I wasn’t as comfortable with. I’m here now and it fits me the way I feel I should be playing.”Darius Slay is locked into one outside corner spot and Melvin’s fellow free agent acquisition Justin Coleman is slated for slot duties. That leaves Melvin to compete with Teez Tabor, Marcus Cooper and fifth-round pick Amani Oruwariye for playing time across from Slay.