Jahlani Tavai: I Want to Be a Starter

Linebacker Jahlani Tavai is battling daily to earn a spot on the 2021 Detroit Lions roster. 

Drafted in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, Tavai has struggled to consistently stay out on the field, even though he was a scheme specific selection of the former regime. 

Despite his struggles his first two seasons in the NFL, the new Lions coaching staff has gone out of their way to praise the third-year linebacker.

“He’s a smart guy. He works at it. He puts everything out that he has into it. I think there are certain things he does well. He’s really a hammer," head coach Dan Campbell told reporter prior to practice on Monday. "Particularly, he’s probably a first, second down inside linebacker. So, there are things he can do and I think it’s up to us to put him in the best situation to have success, too. So, it’s two-fold. He does everything you ask him to do and he gives it everything that he has got.”

With roster cuts looming, the 24-year-old does not assume his draft position guarantees him a spot on this roster. Veterans Jamie Collins and Alex Anzalone figure to be ahead of him on the depth chart, as they have taken the majority of first team reps on defense the early portion of camp.

"I never take that approach, where things are secure, Tavai said." "Nothing is guaranteed in life. Every day, I got to approach it like it's my last day of ever playing football again."

When asked if he felt he has done enough to put himself in a good position to make the 53-man roster, Tavai indicated he still has the strong competitive drive to earn his spot and to play on the defense. 

"All we have to do as players is to make plays," he said. "Put that on my resume to show these coaches that we can play ball. That's all we got to do. I am going to do whatever I have to to make sure that I keep doing it. My goal is to be on defense. I want to be a starter, that is the biggest thing." 

During this year's training camp, Tavai has seen increased reps on special teams -- tasks that he is more than willing to take on in order to improve his odds of making the team. 

"That's fine. That's my first time running down on kickoff again since college," he commented. "It was exciting to just go around and bang around. If you got an opportunity with a one-on-one, I got to make sure I win that one-on-one."