Lions sign a trio of tryout players after rookie minicamp, waive TE Prieskorn
Allen Park — The Detroit Lions rewarded three rookie minicamp tryout participants with roster spots on Tuesday, signing tight end Luke Deal, wide receiver Malik Taylor and defensive lineman Raequan Williams.
Deal is the only rookie from that group. The 6-foot-5, 247-pounder played six seasons at Auburn, where he thrived as a blocker, particularly in pass protection. At his pro day, he ran a slower-than-average 5.14-second 40-yard dash, but put up 24 reps in the bench press.
A two-time captain for the Tigers, he set the school record with 64 games played, but he only caught 17 passes during his college career. Deal did play extensively on special teams, seeing work on kickoff return and cover, punt return and cover and the field goal kick units the past few seasons.
Taylor and Williams, who have local connections, have both been out of college since 2019.
Taylor, a Flint native who played his high school ball for Montrose and collegiately at Ferris State, was listed as 6-foot-1, 220 pounds on Detroit’s roster this past weekend.
Undrafted in 2019, Taylor tested well during the pre-draft process, running a 4.46 40 and posting above-average results in the broad and vertical jumps, short shuttle and 3-cone drill.
Initially signing with Tampa Bay, he spent most of his first three seasons with the Green Bay Packers, appearing in 25 games across the 2020 and 2021 seasons. He caught only seven passes during that stretch, but logged more than 300 snaps on special teams. He was most recently with the New York Jets.
The 6-foot-4, 304-pound Williams played 50 games for Michigan State from 2015-19, including a streak of 42 consecutive starts. He logged 160 tackles (29 for a loss), 11.5 sacks and three forced fumbles during his college career.
Since college, Williams has had stints with the Eagles, Jaguars and Panthers. He appeared in seven games for Philadelphia, tallying seven tackles. He hasn’t appeared in a regular-season game since 2021.
Detroit had two open roster spots after the weekend, including one created when rookie defensive end Ahmed Hassanein was classified as an International Pathway Player. To open the third spot, the Lions waived undrafted rookie tight end Caden Prieskorn.
Prieskorn won a state championship as a quarterback for Orchard Lake St. Mary’s before converting to tight end in college. He played for Memphis and Ole Miss. His brother, Brady, plays tight end for the University of Michigan.
I'm surprised they signed two 2019 guys, seems like their potential might already be known. But I guess they like to churn the bottom of the roster and need bodies for camp.
Finding diamonds where other teams didn't.