Desmond Trufant

The Lions signed Trufant shortly before trading away All-Pro Darius Slay and drafting Jeff Okudah third overall in this spring's draft. While a Slay-Okudah tandem would have been fun to see, a Trufant-Okudah pairing is not a terrible consolation. After all, Trufant was one of the best cornerbacks available on the free-agent market after many seasons of playing a lot of press coverage in Atlanta. The 2015 Pro Bowler should be most of what Matt Patricia wants in a corner, despite being on the wrong side of 30, and Trufant will have plenty of help from Okudah - the team's highest-drafted cornerback since 1997 - and a slew of interesting depth options. If his health allows, Trufant should be a good bet to rebound nicely from his down 2019 campaign and could have a chance to rack up tackles if Okudah develops faster than expected.

Trufant is rarely recognized as one of the league's premier shutdown cornerbacks, but last season he was instrumental in Atlanta finishing as a top-12 pass defense for the first time since 1999. Brother of longtime Seahawk Marcus Trufant, Desmond has lived up to his first-round draft stock by starting in 72 of the Falcons' 80 regular-season games since being selected 22nd overall in 2013, while picking up at least 11 pass break-ups in four of his five pro seasons. The one-time Pro Bowler averages less than two interceptions per season (never more than three in a given year); in large part because opposing quarterbacks generally prefer not to throw in his direction.

Trufant started all nine games for the Falcons in 2016 before a shoulder injury ended his season. He enters the preseason with a clean bill of health and is expected to start at cornerback. If he can stay healthy, 50 tackles and an interception or two seems perfectly reasonable.

Trufant regressed a bit last year after a strong 2014 season in which he tallied 61 tackles and three interceptions. He only tallied 42 tackles last season, but he did record a sack and force two fumbles. He'll continue to start across Robert Alford, and a modest projection would put him around 50 tackles along with a couple of forced turnovers.

Trufant is once again expected to start at cornerback for the Falcons in 2015. Entering his third year in the league, Trufant already has two solid seasons under his belt. He has averaged 65 tackles and two interceptions in two seasons, and he should improve those numbers in his third year. If he can stay healthy, 70-80 tackles and a few interceptions seems likely in 2015.

Trufant will start at cornerback for the Falcons, and he is in line for a nice statistical season in his second year in the league. Trufant tallied 70 tackles and two interceptions in 2013, and it wouldn't be surprising if he improved on both of those numbers this year. He's an IDP worth taking a chance on.

The Falcons traded up from the 30th pick to get Trufant, who will likely start in Week 1 after the departures of Brent Grimes (Miami) and Dunta Robinson (Kansas City). Trufant is more athleticism at this point than he is skill, but defensive coordinator Mike Nolan upped the productivity of defensive backs like William Moore and Thomas DeCoud when he arrived in Atlanta, so Trufant will receive effective coaching. He has the ability to play in both man coverage and more rangey zones, and that's important since Atlanta changes up their coverages a fair amount.