Detroit Lions: Bill Bentley Shows Why He Moved Up Depth Chart with Impressive Effort Against Browns

By Alek Frost
Senior Writer

The Detroit Lions had plenty of holes in the secondary entering the 2012 NFL Draft. Fans and analysts alike thought the Lions would target the secondary early, but instead, Detroit waited until the third round where they picked up former Louisiana-Lafayette cornerback Dwight “Bill” Bentley. 

Fans were left scratching their heads in April, but might soon be singing general manager Martin Mayhew‘s praises. Bentley looked quite impressive in his professional debut, in a 19-17 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Friday.

The rookie got the start over veterans Jacob Lacey and Alphonso Smith because of a strong training camp, which carried over to Friday night’s contest. While it remains too early to tell whether Bentley is going to be a Pro Bowl-caliber cornerback or a spot starter, his performance against Cleveland showed why he was given the start in the first place.  

Bentley got beat early by Browns’ rookie wide receiver Travis Benjamin, on a 34-yard reception down the left sideline. But Bentley put the play behind him and almost got even on Cleveland’s next possession, when he nearly came up with an interception on a Brandon Weeden pass intended for rookie Josh Gordon.

The rookie cornerback showed nice anticipation, jumping Gordon’s route, but failed to hold onto the ball. On Cleveland’s third possession, Bentley did finally pick-off Weeden on a pass intended for receiver Greg Little, which set up Detroit’s first touchdown of the night.

Bentley’s overall performance should help Lions fans get on board with Mayhew’s draft selection process, and forget about recently released cornerback Aaron Berry. While Detroit’s secondary isn’t spectacular by any means, it might be better than expected with Bentley in the starting lineup.  

If Bentley can perform like he did against the Browns on a consistent basis, the rookie could be a major playmaker and help solidify the Lions’ ailing secondary in 2012. He still has plenty of room for improvement, but at this point, he may be Detroit’s best option to start opposite of Chris Houston in Week 1.

Follow Alek on Twitter: @Alek_Frost

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