Michael Rothstein, ESPN Staff Writer 10y

Lions UDFA profile: OT Cornelius Lucas

The Detroit Lions haven't announced their undrafted free agents yet, but some names have already leaked out. As names become available, we'll give you a quick primer on each guy leading into rookie minicamp this weekend.

Name: Cornelius Lucas

Position: Offensive tackle

School: Kansas State

ESPN pre-draft position rank: No. 313 overall; No. 21 tackle.

Career College Stats: Started at left tackle as a junior and senior. More important, he’s 6-foot-9, 328 pounds.

Depth chart he’s looking at: Starters – LT Riley Reiff; RT LaAdrian Waddle. Depth – Corey Hilliard; J.B. Shugarts.

Chances of making it to camp: 100 percent (barring injury). The Detroit Free Press reported Lucas was given a $20,000 signing bonus. That means he’s going to be around at least this summer.

Why him: He’s huge. Let’s start there. Guys who are 6-foot-9 and over 300 pounds and have the agility to play major college football don’t really exist. The Lions found someone similar to that last season in LaAdrian Waddle, who made the team as an undrafted free agent out of the Big 12 and turned into a starter. Lucas is three inches taller than him.

Beyond the size, there is also a prior relationship there. New Lions tight end coach Ron Prince recruited Lucas to Kansas State when he was the team’s head coach before he was fired midway through the 2008 season. Lucas was not a commit at that point, but had been offered by the Wildcats according to Rivals.com and ended up committing to Kansas State under Bill Snyder. But Prince has known about Lucas since before he became a college player, let alone an NFL prospect.

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