By: Michael Stets
ALLEN PARK–Much had been made about Detroit Lions cornerback Teez Tabor’s slow 40-yard dash time prior to this year’s NFL Draft. The former Florida Gator saw his stock plummet after running a 4.62 at the NFL Scouting Combine, followed by a 4.7 at Florida’s pro day, which is one of the reasons he fell to the Lions at No. 53 overall. However, Tabor was given high praise for his ball skills, and at OTAs on Tuesday, they were on full display when he intercepted Matthew Stafford down the left sideline while covering Marvin Jones Jr. in 11-on-11 drills.
“I’ve been trying to get my hands on a couple of balls,” Tabor told reporters afterward. “[I’m] just trying as hard as I can. [I] still [have] some things I gotta work on, but that was a good play.”
Jones Jr. is one of the Lions’ fastest receivers, and Tabor was right there with him before making the interception on a deep throw by Stafford. Plays like that one negate the pre-draft discussion about Tabor’s slow 40-yard dash time, and reinforce what Lions GM Bob Quinn said about his second-round pick back in April, which was, “I take playing speed as a more important gauge than timed speed.”
Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin was asked about the interception after practice and said, “I happened to be standing there, but he was successful because one, he was in position. Two, he’s long and tall. And three, he’s got really good ball skills. That worked out. It was all good stuff. He did a good job closing out the receiver and he located the ball, which is really important.”
Tabor said Jones Jr. has been a great challenge for him thus far in his first few practices.
“Man, he’s good,” said Tabor, complimenting Jones Jr. “He’s really good, one of the guys that has really tested me so far since I’ve been here. Going against him, he’s one of the best: fast, big, can run, runs good routes. I had one good play against him, but he had about 15 against me.”
The biggest adjustment for him so far, Tabor said, is learning the game at the professional level.
“There’s a lot more volume than there was in college,” he explained. “So that’s the biggest thing, just learning. When you are in the classroom that is one thing, you come out here things are moving a lot faster than the classroom. [I’m] just trying to learn every step.”
“I think this kid’s a football player and that was the one thing we liked about him,” Austin said. “He made plays, he got around the ball. He’s got toughness and he’s got a real savvy. He’s a really smart, smart football player, smart kid and so I think that’s going to help his development.”
Austin isn’t the first coach to heap praise at Tabor for being a student of the game, and having the innate ability to pick up on things quickly. When asked about it, Tabor said, “I just love the game of football. I”m a football junkie. [I’ve] been watching football ever since I can remember. I just love football. That’s really… I just love football. I can’t get enough of it.”
The Lions’ second-round pick mentioned the need to “learn how to cover missed assignments” as one of the things he needs to get better at. So what is it that he’s done well so far?
“To be honest, I haven’t done anything well,” he said. “I’ve made one good play, that’s about it. I still got a lot of work to do.”
And he will get some help from veteran cornerbacks like Darius Slay and Nevin Lawson, whom he said he reaches out to often for advice.
“They help me a lot,” he said. “I tell them, ‘Tell me what I’m doing wrong. Tell me what leverage I’m supposed to use,’ because it’s going fast, like I said. It’s a lot for a young guy to pick up. That’s at any level of professional sports. When you come into the league it’s going to be a lot faster.”
And the moment when he first realized the change in speed?
“Lining up against Marvin Jones and Golden Tate with Stafford throwing them the ball is a little bit different … A lot a bit different.”