Dan Campbell says undrafted Lions' rookie is "hard to ignore" and he's absolutely right

If there was one undrafted rookie the Detroit Lions signed after this years draft that screamed "Dan Campbell guy" it was Ball State safety Loren Strickland. The reason is simple: violence.

You may have seen us talk about Strickland on here before and it's because the guy is a human highlight reel when it comes to hitting. So much so that his former Ball State safeties coach Nate Atkins calls him Hit Stick. It's because of stuff like this.

It's been noted that we've noticed, but has the Lions' coaching staff been keyed in on him and, more specifically, is Dan Campbell keyed in on him? We asked Campbell for his thoughts on Strickland Monday and this is what he said.

“He’s a football player and he’s one of those guys that he just won’t go away. He just won’t go away. It’s like, ‘This guy?’ One more time, ‘Can he make this play?’ Well, he made the play. ‘Can he really get over there?’ Well, he got over there. ‘Well, can he make this tackle?’ Well, he made the tackle. So, he just keeps making plays and that’s a great thing. He’s one of those players that I say it’s hard to ignore him. So, he’s caught our eye and he’s got a knack for playing the ball, he’s got a knack for finding the ball and getting it down, and he’s smart. Man, he’s smart. Conscientious player, and to your point, he plays all out. He is lights out and he’s an aggressive player. So, we got our eye on him. He’s doing well.”

That's a lot of praise for Strickland. The team is definitely seeing the value of having him in on special teams and defense. We asked Strickland what his thoughts were on Campbell's comments, and he talked about how he's trying everything in his power to make sure that the coaches can't overlook him this year. He also talked about how important every snap is to him.

"Yeah, I just want to get out there play with my hair on fire, and just go as hard as I can, as fast as I can, every single rep I can. You never know which snap to be your last." Strickland said.  "And I think in the game, every snap that I had, it was 'I'm gonna go make this play. I'm gonna be the fastest one down there. I'm gonna get to this ball no matter what happens.' That was my envision. And then when I see the ball, just run through it.

"I don't slow down. I don't break down as much and especially on special teams plays, those plays are just hard hitters, you know, just go. My head is boom or bust and I'm not slowing down. I got to go make a big play. Go hit the guy, especially if coming in from that angle, he can't see me. And, yeah, I mean, that's how you make big plays. That's how you get known get noticed."

Strickland is definitely getting noticed. The next few weeks and the next two preseason games are going to be big for him. The Lions have carried four or five safeties into the season in the last few years and Brian Branch, Ifeatu Melifonwu and Kerby Joseph have three of those spots locked down. That leaves room for Strickland to fight it out for the fourth or fifth spot with Brandon Joseph, C.J. Moore, Chelan Garnes and Morice Norris. Let's see what he can do.

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