Kalif Raymond vs DPJ: Who Should be the Lions WR3?

what's going on line fans welcome to the pride Detroit YouTube channel I'm Mo joined by my guy Morgan here and Morgan we're going to do another video today that's kind of based off of the recent roster previews that we've been doing over on the pride Detroit website uh this one does have kleif Raymond at the center of it our own very own Ryan Matthews did a great uh roster preview of CIF over on the website so after this video definitely take some time to go check out that article but Morgan I I wanted to kind of take what Ryan wrote about and kind of EXP on it a bit in this video when basically talking about khif because I do believe there is some discussion that's currently going around um among some fans when it comes down to who should be the Lions wide receiver three um obviously khif Raymond is a name that should definitely be in contention but ever since you know Josh Reynolds left the Lions there has been this void at the ex receiver position and a lot of people have been looking at dpj Donovan peoples Jones as the era parent to fill that role and thus that could make him by default you know wide receiver for three for the Lions now I could be wrong but I feel like that's something that you and I probably don't necessarily agree with off off rip right yeah I mean I think that people get really caught up in you know the X Y and Z conversation right like you have you have Aman ra St Brown and people kind of peg him in as a slot only when Aman ra spends about half his snaps split out wide too so he's one that can play every single position X Y and Z same same with Jameson Williams putting him in the slot is honestly terrifying like that speed running across the field that's not something defenses want to deal with on a consistent basis so I I do agree that like you know you were saying that khif Raymond you you think he's wide receiver three yeah yeah I agree with that like I do think you know it's a it's a he's a known Comm they trust him he's been in the system he's not a big guy like Donovan peoples Jones is like Don dpj is pretty rocked up man yeah a big kid he's a big dude um but khif will block he's a he tries like takes a lot of pride in it that whole room does so I I do think people could it be a little better at The X yeah like you could have another player there like sure like that that would help but at the same time I think people are forgetting Sam lorta can spend a lot of time on the outside too right and there's plenty of tape out there of Sam laapa abusing outside cornerbacks like winning reps easily against outside quarterback so that's not something tight ends typically do so you have options there I say you know and I and I like the way that you that you phrase that right giving credit to Sam leap Porter having options also pointing out that maybe people do get a little too hung up on what like you know who's playing the X who's playing the Z who's playing in the slot type of thing because that is when I look at this L's off offense I that's one of the other reasons why I think khif is the perfect fit for wide receiver three with this roster because at the end of the day I don't think Ben Johnson cares who's playing the X who's playing the y or who's playing the Z much like this entire team they just want to get their best pass catchers on the field and then they also want to get the ball to them in the areas where they can be most effective and with this Lions team it's always seems to be the middle of the field they want to attack and abuse the middle of the field yes they're going to take their shots on the outside and jarro gof has been very effective on the outside and on deep passes I don't want to make it seem like I'm short changing him on deep passes but I still think and you can correct me if I'm wrong but like I think that's one of the reasons why like the Lions aren't going to care if they have to trot out you know St Brown J and khif as their three wide receivers because at the end of the day they're just going to say hey look these are our three guys we're going to get them to these different spots on the field now try to stop it yeah and there's going to be like a mix and match depending on the Personnel on the field right so like I think Donovan people Jones will still get snaps um shoot Antoine green might here and there but then you really start considering the pieces they've added this off season so you have Sam leapor you brought Brock Wright back and Brock Wright's an integral part of this offense like he doesn't do a lot of the flashy things like Sam does because he doesn't have what Sam has in the open field and his route tree and everything else but he's a he's a good player and Y some they can use him as like a fullback of sorts same with Sam they lined him up in the back field at times you brought in vaky um who I think they're gonna he's GNA find his way onto the field man because he if he can figure out like pass blocking that's a nice little weapon because apparently he's a really good route Runner he's got really good short area quickness um and then oh and we can't and we can't forget this guy exactly I was about to talk about jir who could be in the running for an all pro nod this year that's how highly I think of Jamir and then you have David Montgomery so you have all these options and it makes you so there could be like some Todd monin elements of this offense because you have the Personnel um so Todd monin is the offensive coordinator in Baltimore if you were unaware and they threw the kitchen like when they beat the Lions down in that game last year I was watching that game and I was like oh my God he's throwing the kitchen sink at us right now like just crazy Personnel you know they were layering calls so like they'd run a counter and then they'd fake counter and like you know do a play action leak out going the other way and it just was gashing the Lions and I think there's going to be some times where they're like all right we're about to bully some people we're going to play a bunch of 22 and 21 Personnel so when you think of when if you guys don't know 22 Personnel you think of those numbers the first number is running backs okay and the second number is tight ends so if that's how that's how you can think about that so if you have 22 personnel and it's Brock Wright and Sam laporta and jir and let's say vaky and St Brown's your lone receiver that's a it's like a quote unquote jumbo Personnel but man you can you can uh split guys out at the last second motion people into favorable matchups and you can really just start and then again this is Ben Johnson's what fif fourth year third year is a full-time play caller right third year yeah it's only going to get more nasty up in here man it's going to get nasty I really I'm excited to watch because I hope the Lions have some games like what Baltimore did to the lions like where people are just like what the heck are they throwing at us right now man like they didn't put any of this on tape and now all of a sudden we're dealing with all of this Helter Skelter on the Fly it's not going to be fun for us it will be yeah and I think going back to what you were something that you were saying earlier about again when it comes down to like this offense and Ben Johnson being able to attack defenses on so many different levels and and being able to throw so many different things at him that's another element of like why I think khif is such a good fit because khif can be used in just about every aspect of this offense we've seen him get into round carries we've seen him you know making plays down the field on on on deep routes we've seen him again operate in the intermediate areas the the offense doesn't change drastically just because khif is on the field and I know that's something that I think some people forget because he's only 5'9 or because he primarily is is working on special teams but he's shown the ability to be tough to be able to make the tough catches and to be able to make plays after the catch so I do think it's going to raise some questions about if he is wide receiver three does that take away from his special team's responsibilities do we start to see vaki maybe taking some punts and and maybe taking that responsibility away from khif so that khif can focus more on the offense or do the Lions just expect khif to be this Iron Man that can do both but I do think from what we've seen from khif in limited action on offense I do think he's ready for a larger share of what you know the Lions can have him do at the wide receiver position yeah and there's I think sometimes two fans will get caught thinking like it's a one for one replacement right like so if no more Josh Reynolds kifs right there no because you know khif can get snaps but it might not be in that position a lot of those routes that went to Josh Reynolds last year wouldn't I wouldn't be surprised if they went to Sam lorta this year because they're going to put more on Sam's plate this is his second year he obviously showed he he's quite capable in his rookie year so in my opinion you're going to have a lot of Sam leor are running those in Breakers that Josh Reynolds was running last year because Sam is just he's like he's only 63 I say only right he's 63 250 but he's unique because his he moves like a receiver man I've said it before that's a cold white boy like the way like the first time I saw him move I mean you see him play a little bit in Iowa and you're like whatever it's the big 10 blah blah blah like I don't know who they're playing like outside of like the Michigan and Ohio State games but then you saw him in training camp you're like hold now who who's this is this Antonio Gates did he get did he like Space Jam his powers because that's that's the that's what I see in Sam Lor's game at least in the receiving he's a he's a really good blocker too they used him a lot in that that capacity last year but like when he's running those those 10 to 12 yard in Breakers and he's just got his wide shoulders in between him and the defender and it just makes it for a nice nice little comfy throw for jarro Goof right yeah he's he's he's like again he's not this Mammoth of a player but he's he's can still be Shifty he can still be agile in in the passing game and most importantly like you said he can be a replacement for Josh Reynold on some of those routes and I think when we start looking at some of those deeper routes right those those deep post those deep Corners well now J gets to step into those roles or again that's where khif can start to fit in and he can take the role and the responsibilities about from Josh Reynolds so it's not toe point it's not necessarily trying to replace the exposition it's trying to probably replace the production and the Lions have the Personnel to replace Josh Reynolds production whether that's splitting it amongst Sam leaport and and khif Raymond or if it means splitting it amongst Sam leaport khif Raymond am and Ross Brown jir Gibbs and the list goes on and on like they're not going to just look at Josh Reynold's position and say well we have to give that to somebody else they're going to say we need to re you know repurpose these 800 yards that Josh was giving us and we have five or six options to be able to do that yeah I love the way you phrased that too and one thing you know Josh Reynolds was a first down machine last year like it was like I believe 40 of his catches were first downs which is an Aston like that's a high number um so I do but again I I think that's a that's Sam leor territory all day and some jamson Williams too because while J Mo wins in a different way than Sam or Josh Reynolds for that matter you know he can win especially like what we've heard from Dan Campbell here recently like J Mo wins with quickness and suddenness and just freaky alien speed and that's where he can create a lot of separation and it doesn't matter where the ball is because he's got two you know two yards of separation from his his Defender so yeah I don't I'm glad you said it that way and I think that's the way people should look at it like yes you lost Josh Reynolds guys but this is a very versatile group of pass catchers and weapons especially when you factor in you know they're going to put more on jir gibbs' plate right as a receiver they're GNA put I think they're gonna give vaky I I don't know why man I have a feeling I think that guy's gonna be cold and I think he's gonna be like a factor from the jump like they're gonna have plays they're like we got to get this guy the ball here and there like almost like some Jameson early on right and that's part of the reason why like I said if khif does start taking more snaps at wide receiver three I do think you could see ciaki taking on to your point of like hey we just want to see him be explosive we want to get him opportunities to where he can make plays where he starts to become your primary punt returner just so that they can give him some opportunities to make some plays in addition to what you're saying where hey if Jah and and David Montgomery have been basically running the rock on a on a specific Drive we're already 10 plays deep we can feel comfortable of giving caki a couple carries just so that they can have an extra breather things definitely start to translate into transfer into the right way I do want to back up a little bit to dpj though and I and I want to just ask the question do you do you still see him or I guess you already said you do still see him getting some play you do you do still see him getting some snaps what kind of role can a guy like dpj play though if you know again if you have so many different options in the passing game where do you see him shine the most in this offense so for Donovan peoples Jones He presents he's a different body type than the Lions have you know anywhere else on their in their wide receiver room he's 6'2 like 205 pounds and like like we talked about from the from earlier he's rocked up man he's built so he does give you a different flavor at on the outside and further like furthermore he can really he blocks and he takes pride in it and I think he knows that's probably going to be where a big chunk of his like uh SS come and I don't want to like undersell him as a receiver too cuz he made some tough catches last year I remember towards the end of the year I feel like every catch he had I'm like dang that was a crucial third down that this man just and it was tight you know so I give him credit there and I think he's more than capable like if a guy if some players Miss some some time which hopefully they don't but he's only one year removed from that 841 yard season on uh 62 catches in Cleveland back in 2022 so he's capable but I think if everyone's healthy I don't see him getting a ton of targets necessarily but I do think there's going to be snaps for him you know whether you know they might only be 15 to 20 a game something around there right but he's a good blocker and he's a you know willing and capable pass catcher so they're going to find him snaps especially if he's doing all the right things like in practice and you know in the building and I I think he's that kind of kid in my opinion so yeah and that kind of makes me me kind of goes back to the conversation we were having about Josh Reynolds right where it's like you're not necessarily trying to replace the player but you may be trying to replace the production and so if a guy like khif Raymond starts to Trend upwards and is helping to replace the production of a Josh Reynolds maybe a dpj can start to replace the production of a khif Raymond because khif is still that guy where like you said not a ton of receptions khif only had 35 catches last year but for 489 yards so those numbers still matter and those play that khif was making when he had those opportuni to be involved in the offense mattered so maybe Donovan peop Jones can start to transfer his game into that you know that type of role technically some people may call that wide receiver four but it's still just again those those couple plays here and there where the defense is heavily focused on amanra or they're heavily focused on leapor they're heavily focused on J and a guy like dpj gets you know left kind of open or is able to bust coverage and now you get to hit him for a 50 yard bomb because everybody wasn't thinking about that guy yeah for exactly and I love the way you phrase that really to make it simple we could just say there's going to be three pass catchers that are going to see like that are going to play 90% And up of the snaps in my opinion every week now and it's obviously First Team all proo the Su God Amen Ros St Brown Jameson Williams and Sam leapa like I think you know Sam might be a little lower like maybe high 80s something like that because he does have to block defensive ends here and there sure uh so that that I'm sure that takes a little bit out of you and that's where you know you have Brock brgh you have James Mitchell but those are the three that are going to be your like Bell cows if you will and then I think everything else will be like wide receiver tight end by committee you know what I mean like I know that's a typically a running back term but yeah I was exactly it does fit considering like you said the the the top three guys are are going to be heavily involved in this passing game and then you factor in a David Montgomery and Jamir Gibbs like those are five that's five pass catch pass catchers right there everybody else like can just again you you are looking to make up the production that maybe a Josh reyolds left off or again you're hoping that those guys are the guys that get overlooked when defenses are scheming and they're trying to account for certain players khif Raymond starts to go off and he end up having a game where he has three catches for 65 yards or something crazy like that um ad Donovan peoples Jones has a game where he has you know three or four receptions and a touchdown just because that he just wasn't the focus that week um but everyone is able to play that complimentary football that you're talking about yeah and I love how you Illustrated it there because it is that's five Mouse de feat guys and that's like those are five you know voracious appetites if you will like everyone we know St Brown's going to get his uh targets we know Sam is getting yeah Saint's getting eight to nine probably 10 like every and if it's one of those games where they really got a win like it's the divisional round or the he might get 134 because he's that dude right and then but yeah like that's just you start thinking of it you start thinking of it that way and it is a lot of mouse to feed so I really I guess our whole point in saying all this is I wouldn't get too hung up on the fact that the L don't have an AJ brown or a Mike Evans or a big bodied X Tech you know on their roster right now because a lot of teams don't have you know all the weapons the Lions have Sam loraa Alan ra jir Gibbs David Montgomery you know blah blah blah so yeah you know that's how I look at it no and and again to to just add on top of that so like while the Lions may not have that that prototypical X receiver they are still going to get their best three best pass catchers and if it ever needs to be three wide receivers specifically I do think it's going to be CLE frond I think we both kind of agree on that point so that's pretty much going to do it for this video guys let us know what you guys think in the comments section below when it comes down to wide receiver three who would you prefer to see in that role would you prefer to see khif Rayman would you prefer to see Donovan peoples Jones and also what do you think about Morgan's statement that again we could see even more Sam leapa you know taking the the role of what Josh Reynolds was able to produce and and again spreading that wealth amongst the rest of the pass catchers that the Lions have on this roster um also like I pointed out earlier in this video Ryan does have a have a great roster preview of khif Raymond over on the pride Detroit website please go over there and check that out it's a really good read uh he does a really good job of highlighting everything that khif has basically you know been able to do for the lion since he's been on the team and also kind of looks ahead to what he believes khif is going to be able to do this upcoming season like we were kind of illustrating this video now that there seems to be a bit of a void at wide receiver 3 and he gives his opinion on how he thinks KH can kind of fill that void as well but with all that said I'm Mo he's Morgan thank you guys for taking the time to watch also before you get out of here make sure you hit that subscribe button hit that notification Bell that way you can be notified every time we upload a brand new video over here on YouTube and with all that said we will catch you guys in the next video [Music] he heyy [Music]