Lions rookie Antoine Green could fill void at wide receiver

Forget about DeAndre Hopkins. He is not coming to the Detroit Lions.

There is little interest.

Focus on rookie wide receiver Antoine Green, who could provide that deep threat the Lions so desperately want until Jameson Williams returns from his six-game suspension for making bets on NFL property.

The door is open for Green although he did not dazzle with his intermediate routes during OTAs. However, Green went from a guy fighting for a last roster spot into a guy who could get prime time looks because of gambling suspensions that weakened the Lions wide receiver room.

He is not a man who can stand out on a crowded field but is a guy who can blow the top of an offense. He will also get a second look because the Lions parted ways with Quintez Cephus and Stanley Berryhill who were suspended indefinitely by the NFL and released by the Lions.

The team simply needs more bodies in the receiving room. Although Green is not close to being a finished product, his speed and ability to catch the ball over the top intrigues the Lions. Besides, the Lions must teach Williams how to catch a football before he returns from suspension.

Meanwhile Green wants to prove that he can be trusted underneath, in traffic and in the flats.

“I wanna be able to do it all. Our offense at UNC, I was a vertical threat for that offense, mainly,” Green told MLive.com. “I just wanna show that I can do everything else outside of running that deep ball.”

One thing he can do is run that deep ball. He caught 43 passes for 798 yards his senior season at North Carolina for an 18.6 yards per catch average and seven touchdowns.

Green can do one thing that Jamo struggles with. He can catch a football when he’s open. The Jamo drops have been plentiful and noticeable during practices.

Wide receiver coach Antwaan Randle El said he must bake in new drills that help Jamo catch the ball. Not to be concerned. This is essentially Williams’ first off-season with the Lions.

He was injured his rookie year and mostly carried a football around Allen Park instead of catching them.

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For more from the author Terry Foster, check him out on Twitter here: @terryfosterdet

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Original Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports