Getty Antoine Green of the Detroit Lions.
Detroit Lions rookie wide receiver Antoine Green had his “welcome to the NFL” moment at the team’s June 12 practice.
On the same day that the seventh-round pick sliced up the Lions defense for a long gain, he also got an “earful” from offensive coordinator Ben Johnson after missing his assignment on another play. Green is expected to compete for snaps in a talented wide receiver group but could have an early opportunity to make an impact this coming season.
Highs & Lows for Lions Rookie Antoine Green
During a red-zone drill, Green made a mistake that landed him some hot water with Johnson, the team’s second-year offensive coordinator.
“Green heard the ire of offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who loudly expressed frustration at the rookie lining up incorrectly in the red zone,” Sports Illustrated’s John Maakaron wrote.
Earlier, though, Green turned in a memorable play, according to Maakaron, connecting with rookie quarterback Adrian Martinez during 7-on-7 drills.
“To conclude the period, wideout Antoine Green found himself wide open in the flat and completely tricked the defense, which had shifted to the left,” Maakaron wrote. “The seventh-round pick proceeded to get open.”
Big Opportunity for Antoine Green
Despite the misstep in the team’s third and final OTA session, which runs through June 15, Green could have the chance to make an early impact with the Lions with fellow receiver Jameson Williams starting the season on a six-game suspension for violating the league’s rules against gambling. The team also parted ways with receivers Quintez Cephus and Stanley Berryhill as part of the same gambling probe, giving Green even more of a chance to find a spot in the rotation.
Going into the NFL draft, Green had gained some buzz for his speed and ability to stretch defenses at North Carolina. Prior to the draft, Lance Zierlein of NFL.com pegged Green as an “intriguing” prospect but suggested that he would not be a lock to make an NFL roster in his rookie season.
“Green’s size and deep-ball success make him a more intriguing Day 3 prospect than the overall production and skill set might suggest,” Zierlein wrote. “Like most vertical specialists, he’s not going to shake man coverage on intermediate routes, but he has decent hands and consistently finds himself overtaking deep coverage with his build-up speed. He might find himself fighting for a spot on a practice squad or the back end of a roster.”
Green said he hoped for the chance to show off his multiple talents with the Lions, expanding beyond the role he played in his last season at North Carolina as mostly a deep-ball specialist.
“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 in a May interview. “I just wanna show that I can do everything else outside of running that deep ball.
“Compared to the offense that I was in, it’s a lot of diversity in this offense. I’m real excited just to be a part of the offense and learn more about the game and just the people that’s here.”
