Ryan Broyles is the FBS’ all-time leading receiver, but he fell in the draft because he was undersized and because he tore his ACL late last season. The Lions obviously saw he was far enough along in his recovery at his Pro Day, where he ran a 40 in the 4.60 range, that they used their 2nd round pick on him even though they had no clear need for a wide receiver.
Broyles has been doing some limited positional drills at OTAs and according to a report from CBS Sports, the Lions believe that Broyles could be cleared to practice full time by Training Camp. According to the same source, the Lions are “expecting a contribution from him this year.” It sounds like there’s a good chance he’ll be out there week 1 and if he is, it’s only a matter of time before he leaps veteran Nate Burleson on the depth chart.
The Lions selected Broyles with the intention of having 3 talented, young receivers going into the future with Broyles, Titus Young, and Calvin Johnson. With Matt Stafford throwing to them, that would make for a very explosive passing offense year in and year out. Burleson, meanwhile, likely won’t be kept into 2013, when he’ll be owed 4.5 million at age 32.
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