Feel good story, kid should get plenty of playing time this preseason.
# Delayed not denied: Nate Lynn, slept on Lions D-lineman, ready for second chance
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Nate Lynn was off to a good start in his first Detroit Lions training camp. He showed some intriguing pass rush ability in the first two weeks of practice and had a sack (and a second that was overturned on replay) in the Lions’ first preseason game, but now he was calling to tell his mom he tore a ligament in his shoulder, needed surgery and was about to go on season-ending injured reserve.
An undrafted rookie out of William & Mary, Lynn got emotional as he wondered what it meant for his NFL future.
“He was crying because that’s cry-worthy because it’s like, ‘Oh man, all of this, all of the work, all of the things,” Diane recalled. “I think I was there for about an hour just talking to him on the phone because he was just like, ‘What does this mean, Mama? I mean, I worked so hard and I thought I understood.’ Just, delayed is not denied.”
Eleven days into his second NFL camp, Lynn is turning heads again this summer.
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He was cleared to resume football activities in February and in his second NFL summer, he has a maturity on the field.
“Everything happens for a reason and I’m actually kind of thankful on the backside of it that I had people around that were willing to still teach me, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to apply it last year,” Lynn said, “And this year I feel like I’m able to.”
Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said Lynn is “built for the city” – much of Diane’s extended family is from Detroit and her cousin is former Temptations singer Richard Street – and called him a “tremendous athlete” with “a lot of gifts.”
To win a roster spot, though, Lynn will have to turn that athleticism into production – not just as a pass rusher but against the run.
“It’s something I told him outright front, you flashed a lot, but I’m not looking for flash,” Sheppard said. “I’m looking for consistency down in and down out. You got to earn the right to be able to flash those pass rushes, and how do you do it? By first, second down setting hard edges, showing that you can play big in the run game, and then affording yourself those situational (snaps).”
Lynn said he’s looking forward to getting some of those snaps Thursday.
He doesn’t expect to be overcome by emotion when sets foot on the field, but said there’s “an extreme focus and excitement” about playing in a preseason game again.
“Knowing who they’re going to put out on the field is important to this coaching staff and I know that,” Lynn said. “They want to know who you are and how you’re going to show up. Especially Shep, consistency’s a big thing for him. So just being able to do that and provide that for them to know that if I’m going in there, I’m going to be where I need to be at a high level. That’s important. I got to show them that through this little four-game stretch here.”
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