When Dan Campbell was hired by the Detroit Lions four years ago, he talked about instilling a culture of fighting. Of kicking teeth and biting kneecaps. Campbell and the Lions have been successful in building that culture, coming off back-to-back division titles and one of the favorites in the NFC once again next year. Saturday afternoon, they added Boise State defensive end Ahmed Hassanein to that culture.
It’s a match made in heaven. During an introductory phone call, Hassanein repeated over and over “I’ll die for you, Coach. I will die on that field for you, Coach.” Hassanein’s intensity and passion for football is infectious, highlighted by how vocal and engaged he was during drills at the NFL Combine. The Lions fell in love and the Boise State star has a new home.
When the Lions took Hassanein with the 196th overall pick in the NFL Draft, he became the first Egyptian to ever get drafted. A milestone essential to Hassanein’s character. He’s been vocal about his rough upbringing in Egypt, and how football gave him an outlet for his anger. That anger has since turned into passion, and a love for the game. Just seven years after first learning football, Hassanein now reflects on his upbringing with optimism; that it helps keep him humble, and reminds him not to take football for granted. That attitude helped lead Boise State to the CFP Quarterfinals, and the Lions have taken notice.
Beyond the obvious cultural fits, Detroit is an ideal landing spot for Hassanein because of the potential to play. Sixth round picks are never a guarantee to make the 53-man roster, but the Lions have a glaring need for depth at defensive end. Aidan Hutchinson is one of the best pass rushers in the NFL, but after him the depth chart is murky. Marcus Davenport is the projected starter, but is coming off a down year with just 7 pressures on limited reps. Josh Paschal is a former second round pick who has yet to play well in his first three seasons, and behind him is a host of journeyman veterans or young guys with little experience. Not only is there a good chance Hassanein makes the roster as a rookie, but there’s also a chance he’s a regular rotation player or even a starter.
Schematically I don’t love the fit, and it’s why it wasn’t a part of my favorite fits list for Hassanein. The Lions play a four-down front that asks their ends to play with both their hand in the dirt and standing up. Boise State predominantly asked Hassanein to keep his hand in the dirt, playing just 9% of his snaps from a stand-up position. However, the Lions typically ask their ends to play from a wide-alignment, often 2-4 yards outside of the offensive tackle. Hassanein has experience there, playing 83% of his snaps from a wide alignment outside the tackle’s shoulder.
My other concern with the scheme is how Detroit deploys their pressure packages. Boise State and Erik Chinander employed a plethora of blitzes and stunts, attempting to confuse offensive linemen on which man they would be designated to block. Detroit uses more pre-snap simulated pressure (lots of players lining up near the line of scrimmage) to confuse offenses, instead of stunting their rushers. I thought this was where Hassanein excelled as a rusher, showing high IQ on how to time his stunts and how to time his pressure. It’s not that Hassanein is a bad rusher in one-on-one situations, but I think the Lions’ scheme may ignore a key strength of his. It’s not a perfect schematic fit, but the cultural fit and opportunity should make Hassanein (and Bronco Nation) happy.
TRIO OF BRONCOS LAND FREE AGENT DEALS
Along with Hassanein getting drafted, multiple other Boise State players saw their dreams of playing the NFL realized through UDFA contracts. As of Saturday night, three players have signed free agent contracts: Cam Camper, Ben Dooley and Alexander Teubner.
Jacksonville is five-deep at wide receiver, but should carry six players with two-way player Travis Hunter being one of those five. Camper will have a chance to make the roster in Jacksonville since they didn’t draft any dedicated wide receivers.
Ben Dooley lands in an ideal spot for a chance at a roster spot with the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams have suspect depth on the interior offensive line, and didn’t use a draft pick on any linemen this year. There are just seven IOL on their preliminary roster, and he will likely only need to beat out a couple of players to get a roster spot. In addition to the chance for playing time, the Rams have a history of utilizing and maximizing players without typical athleticism. Dooley isn’t a player who had freakish testing numbers, but his play strength and technique should help maximize his chances of finding a home in Los Angeles.
Unlike Dooley and Camper, Alexander Teubner landed a rookie mini-camp invite with the Baltimore Ravens. A mini-camp invite isn’t a guaranteed contract, instead a tryout for rookies only where the most impressive ones can sign contracts. UDFA contracts can include multiple years and typically have guaranteed money attached, but minicamp invites are just for the one minicamp and offer less financial reward than the UDFA deals. For Teubner, if he can make it through minicamp into training camp, I think he has a chance to compete for a roster spot. The Ravens regularly play three safety looks and have just six safeties on the roster.
Again, as of Saturday night those are the only undrafted Broncos who are signed; although, I do expect safety Seyi Oladipo to get a UDFA deal or minicamp invite given his production this past season.
