With the 4th pick in the 2nd round of the 2013 draft, the Detroit Lions selected Ole Miss CB Darius Slay. 7 years later, the Lions nearly did the exact same thing when with the 5th pick in the 2nd round of the 2020 draft, they selected Ole Miss CB Butch Blakley. The similarities do not end there.
Slay struggled as a rookie in 2013. Blakley struggled to even get on the field playing in just 2 games for the Lions and only as a special teams player appearing in just 11 plays and never recording even a single tackle.
2021 promises to be a better year for Blakley. Lions GM Mike Lowe said, “Butch can play, and we’ll see him play more (in 2021).”
But the question is where? As of now, it seems Blakley would be CB3 for the Lions and potentially play in the slot. Darius Slay has been one of the most consistent CBs in the league, and 2nd-year CB Brad Hutchins (13th pick in 2020) is looking like a future star poised to overtake the Lions #1 CB spot as soon as this season.