If the Detroit Lions had passed on a cornerback in the third round of the draft, Lions fans may have stormed the streets like an angry lynch mob. Fortunately, the Lions did finally address their dire need in the defensive backfield by drafting Louisiana-Lafayette cornerback Dwight Bentley in the 3rd round of the NFL draft(85th overall).

Bentley has a slight build but his fiestiness and willingness to hand-fight with bigger stronger players has been noted in scouting reports. Bentley is listed at 5-foot-10 and 179 pounds and has racked up 232 tackles, 13 for a loss, 1.5 sacks, 7 interceptions and 20 passes broken up in his collegiate career with the Ragin Cajuns.

(Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

During the NFL Scouting Combine, Bentley ran the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds. That speed helped Dwight Bentley return two interceptions for touchdowns in his senior year. He also earned All Sun-Belt Conference honors twice during his time at Louisiana-Lafayette.

After the Lions opted to neglect the cornerback position in the second round and instead opted to draft Ryan Broyles, Detroit Lions fans all over the internet were screaming bloody murder and for good reason.

The Lions secondary was pathetic late in the season last year, yes they had injuries, but this was bigger than injuries alone. Before the NFL draft, the Lions had done nothing to address the holes at corner besides sign Jacob Lacey out of Indianapolis, a promising but unproven player.

Oh, and honestly I should count the departure of Eric Wright as a step in the right direction too, it’s only fair. That guy sucked, I don’t know WHAT the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were smoking when they signed him to that big money deal this offseason.

Bentley will compete against all of the current Lions cornerbacks for playing time this season. But does anyone really see him as a starting corner? I highly doubt that that happens anytime soon.

Many fans on my Detroit Lions Facebook Page were clamoring for the Lions to trade up for Janoris Jenkins, well they will have to settle for his High School teammate, Bentley gained attention at Florida’s Pahokee High, where he won three state championships alongside Janoris Jenkins.

How do YOU feel about the Lions waiting so late for a corner and eventually drafting Dwight Bentley?

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