ALLEN PARK, Mich. – Larry Warford is helping Detroit Lions general manager Martin Mayhew and the club’s scouting department redeem themselves.
The rap on Mayhew has been that his draft decisions, other than some of the top picks overall, have left something to be desired over the years.
Anybody can draft Matthew Stafford or Ndamukong Suh, but what do you do with picks in the middle or later rounds? Those are the ones that help build depth and often separate the contenders from pretenders, determining which teams can overcome the inevitable injuries during a 16-game season and which teams can’t.
Warford, a third-round selection out of Kentucky, is exceeding expectations and changing the perception of Mayhew’s ability to judge talent.
From all indications, the Lions made a tremendous pick with the 132nd choice overall in last April’s NFL Draft.
“Larry has stepped in like a veteran,” coach Jim Schwartz said.
Offensive coordinator Scott Linehan called Warford “a professional kid.”
“He loves football,” Linehan said. “He loves everything about it. The preparation, the stuff you have to do during the week. I think that helps him stay in it.
“He’s made a pretty good impact as far as his consistent play for a rookie at this point. Both run and pass, he’s doing a nice job. He gets out on screen passes and makes some pretty athletic plays out there. We’re pretty happy with him.”
Warford won the first-team job late in training camp and has started all 10 games. His quick transition has solidified the Lions’ offensive line at right guard with arguably a Pro Bowl-caliber season as a rookie.
ProFootballFocus.com has him graded out as the league’s third-best offensive guard, tied with Green Bay’s Josh Sitton. Warford is also the top-rated right guard in the NFC.
His predecessor, Stephen Peterman, was ranked as the No. 38 offensive guard overall last season.
The Lions struggled a year ago with pressure up the middle on Stafford, their franchise quarterback, but that’s not happening nearly as much with Warford part of the mix.
He’s making punishing blocks in all phases and keeps improving on a weekly basis.
Despite this rapid development, Warford appears to be staying grounded and unimpressed by it all. He knows he’s performing well, but it’s not enough for him.
“I’m really critical of myself and so are my coaches,” Warford said. “I appreciate that from them.
“I hear that I’m doing well and all that, but it’s hard to believe it because I see what I don’t do well. For me, that overshadows my success. I can’t say I’m not happy, but I still have a lot to work on.”
Warford, who is 6-foot-7, 276 pounds, gives a lot of credit for his transition to center Dominic Raiola, who is having one of the best seasons of his career at age 35.
The rookie relies heavily on the veteran’s experience in recognizing the defensive schemes and making calls for him and the offensive line.
“It’s probably the best situation I could have possibly been put in as a rookie,” Warford said. “A 13-year vet playing out of his mind right now. It just makes my job easier.
“I could probably not even really have to learn the playbook much. He’ll make all the calls for me. He’s helped me out so much. It made my transition so much easier.”
Warford and the Lions (6-4) face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-8) Sunday at Ford Field.
The Lions need a bounce-back victory to reestablish themselves as a strong playoff contender.
Warford will have to play a major part because he’s going to be matched at times against Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, who has six sacks and 13 quarterback hits in 10 games.
“It is going to be a challenge,” Warford said. “Hopefully, I’ll prepare well enough and meet that challenge. He’s really quick. He has a really good get-off. That is tough.
“You want to get off the ball as fast as he does. That can get you off balance every once in a while. You have to be really on your technique when you have such an explosive guy.
That’s going to be one of the bigger challenges this week.”
EXTRA POINT
--- The Lions still have their share of players dealing with typical football injuries – safety Glover Quin’s lingering foot injury, for instance - but they appear to be getting healthier.
Every player on their 53-man roster participated in Thursday’s practice. That hadn’t happened since the first week of the regular season and is uncommon for Week 12 of a NFL season.
