Detroit signed Franklin on Aug. 21, 2010, acquiring a player of abundant size, strength and – the Lions hope — potential.
The 6-foot-5, 315-pound Franklin started at left guard for Oklahoma State in 2009, while the highly touted Okung played left tackle. Those two helped the Cowboys lead the Big 12 Conference.
There was considerable talk that the Lions would select Okung with the No. 2 overall draft pick last spring, but they opted for Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh; and Okung went to Seattle with the No. 6 selection.
Now the Lions have Franklin, who will obviously face fewer expectations than his former college teammate. Franklin, after all, was not drafted, and he was unable to land a position with the Carolina Panthers.
Now he's getting a shot with a Detroit team that gave up 43 sacks last season. The Lions worked on bolstering its offensive line during the offseason, trading for veteran guard Rob Sims and drafting promising tackle Jason Fox out of Miami.
But more depth certainly wouldn't hurt, and Franklin will try to provide it, proving that he's something more than just another body temporarily filling a roster spot.
What Noah Franklin's Done in 2010
Franklin made few waves as a draft prospect, and was not invited to the NFL scouting combines. But he helped himself with a solid performance at Oklahoma State's pro day workout on March 10, 2010.
With 40 representatives of NFL teams in attendance, Franklin managed 30 reps of 225 pounds in the bench press — a total that would have been third-best among guards at the combines. In addition, Franklin showed some athleticism with a vertical leap of 31.5 inches. He ran the 40-yard dash in 5.2 seconds.
Signed by the Panthers on April 30, 2010, he was unable to make a notable impression with the team and was waived on Aug, 8, 2010. The Lions signed Franklin after waiving guard Roy Schuening, who is out with an arm injury.
What Noah Franklin Did at Oklahoma State
Franklin has not seen very much game time over the past six years. After suffering a season-ending knee injury during his senior year of high school, he redshirted his first year at Oklahoma State. He then spent the next three years as a reserve before landing a starting position in 2009.
To some, that could mean that Franklin's just not very good. But the Lions are hoping it means that he's a late bloomer who can improve tremendously with more experience. He was, after all, recruited as a defensive lineman out of high school and bounced around a bit before settling into a position at Oklahoma State.
During his stint at Carolina, Franklin acknowledged in an interview with Scout.com that adapting to new surrounding, and learning new schemes and terminology was not easy. He'll have to do more adapting in Detroit.
Jon Matsune - Jon Matsune is a free-lance writer based in Northern California. He has 25 years of experience in newspaper journalism, mostly as a sports ...
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