Aaron Glenn says Lions' late round rookie has skills you hardly ever see for a rookie

As we sat in the press room on day three of the 2024 NFL Draft, there was some talk about how weird it was that LSU defensive lineman Mekhi Wingo was still on the board. This was someone that was expected to go as high as the the third-round by some. Yet, here he was in the sixth-round and the Detroit Lions swooped in and took him.

One of the biggest reasons why it was shock that nobody took him was that his work ethic and leadership skills were super evident. Wingo was awarded with the number 18 jersey at LSU. You don't get to wear that number unless the team believes you're the player that best exemplifies culture, leadership and work ethic at LSU.

Lions' defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn definitely sees all that. On Wednesday Glenn praised Wingo for his leadership skills and work ethic and said Wingo is going to be a good player in this league.

"For a man of his size to go out there and battle, be able to take on double teams, have the quickness to win as a three-technique has been very good for us, and he’s going to be a good player in this League. I don’t know if you guys know it, but when you wear that number 18 at LSU, that means a lot, and you see that personality come out of that player. He has leadership skills for a rookie that you hardly ever see. The work ethic that he has, the – for him to change a technique and go out there and execute it exactly the way the defensive line coach wants him to do it, you see that in him. So when I look at Wingo, this is what I see, it doesn’t matter what he does in life, he’s going to succeed because that’s just who he is. He could be a CEO of a company, he could be a big-time football player, he’s going to be successful.”

That's some high praise. Wingo has been putting in the work since the Lions drafted him. He's been doing offseason stuff like taking part in the BT Jordan Pass Rush Retreat and then really showing up and being willing to try out new things in OTAs and camp.

Wingo should be a big part of what the Lions do on their defensive line in the future and we should begin to see what he's able to do in the 2024 season. Don't be surprised if you see him flex into multiple different places this year.

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