Detroit Lions' Biggest Preseason Disappointments so Far

Disappointments are a part of life and football. Not every OTA stud is going to look like the next Rod Woodson once the action goes live, and one-year preseason wonders can get exposed when the pressure starts to mount.

The Detroit Lions are no exception. It's been a solid preseason on many levels for a team trying to make the playoffs for the third time in five years, but not every oyster contains a pearl.

That's why we're here today: to keep reality firmly in our grasp and remind ourselves that things aren't always what they seem.

And just because we're wallowing in the misery, let's take the sadism a little further and rank the disappointments. At least it will provide a little fun.

5. CB Quandre Diggs

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

You probably knew where this was going as soon as you read "OTA stud."

Quandre Diggs hasn't lived up to the hype heaped on him by the media and teammates. He's missed as many tackles as he's made (1), per Pro Football Focus, with the same ratio of passes defensed to touchdowns allowed.

Plus, he's allowed a quarterback rating of 95.0 when opponents targeted him.

It should be noted that his disappointing performance is incredibly nitpicky. In fact, he wouldn't be on this list had the expectations been kept in check instead of heightened with rave reviews over the past few months.

This is more a testament to a team that's met most expectations across the board. Diggs will likely be fine and eventually contribute to the Lions. However, he's an afterthought in the nickelback battle now, which isn't how things were supposed to go as recently as two weeks ago.

4. WR Ryan Broyles

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

The same can't be said for Ryan Broyles' immediate or eventual impact. He needed a big preseason in a tight fight for wide receiving positions, and he's been a ghost.

Of course, there are extenuating circumstances regarding his limited production. He has five catches for 48 yards in two games, but his snap totals are more telling.

After seeing 25 plays in the opener, the coaches didn't put him in the game against the Washington Redskins until the fourth quarter, resulting in just 11 snaps for the fourth-year wideout. In all, he's actually seen five fewer plays than both Andrew Peacock and T.J. Jones.

Perhaps Broyles' injury concerns are too great at this point for the Lions to ignore. They'd rather use those precious preseason snaps to see how younger players have developed.

Whatever the reason, Broyles hasn't put enough on film thus far to be included on anyone's 53-man roster. It's never easy to watch a promising career take such a turn, and that's part of the reason the disappointment is so great.

The other reason? Detroit could use another competent receiver behind Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate.

3. DE Larry Webster

Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

The Lions had to trade last year's breakout defensive lineman. The thought was Larry Webster would take over George Johnson's pass-rushing role and give Detroit options for creating pressure with a four-man front.

That hasn't been the case, and there's been nothing to indicate it's changing soon. Unlike Broyles, Webster has been given ample opportunities, seeing more snaps than any other defender. 

He's had six more pass-rushing downs than the closest lineman (Corey Wootton), and has two quarterback hurries to show for it. Meanwhile, defensive end Kerry Hyder, who is whatever comes after a long shot to make the roster, has five total pressures in seven fewer opportunities.

Webster was taken in the fourth round because of his athleticism, which the Lions presumed translated to potential. They're not going to give up on him yet. However, there's a lot of work left to do.

2. QB Kellen Moore

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

One could make a case that Webster should be ranked higher than Kellen Moore. Those arguing it would be the same ones who have harped on the latter's inability to throw an NFL out route.

But Moore's past performance created too much excitement. Webster has done nothing to stoke such fires yet.

Moore set the stage last preseason for a bona fide position battle with incumbent backup quarterback Dan Orlovsky. The latter has the natural advantages over the former, but Moore has always been regarded for his intelligence and accuracy.

Unfortunately for Moore, those traits haven't shone through in 2015. His PFF accuracy rating of 63.2 (completion percentage without drops and throw aways) ranks 37th out of 45 quarterbacks who have taken at least 25 percent of their team's snaps.

And while pressure has played a factor, it doesn't explain his dreadful 69.4 quarterback rating when he's been given time.

The battle has been lost. Now he needs to prove there's a need for a third quarterback on the roster or start looking for a new team.

1. LB Kyle Van Noy

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

This was setting up to be an easy ranking to finish. No player on this list has the pedigree and draft status of Kyle Van Noy save for Broyles, and the latter has dealt with so many devastating leg injuries that it's not an apples-to-apples comparison anymore.

However, Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com reported after practice Sunday that "Van Noy has been dealing with an injury for about a week now," which obscures things a bit.

My initial reaction wouldn't allow that as an excuse for playing man-to-man coverage when the rest of the defense was clearly in a zone on Kirk Cousin's fourth-quarter touchdown last week. Others pontificated that severe pain or pain killers could have been the culprit. That's a reasonable conclusion to draw, albeit not conclusive.

Whatever the reason may be, we have yet to see Van Noy's talent translate to a professional field. The first preseason game was full of instances where he didn't look comfortable with his assignments as well, giving credence to the theory that the transition just isn't working out.

Yet.

Van Noy has the natural physical gifts to be a multitool weapon for defensive coordinator Teryl Austin. The thought was that if he didn't beat out Tahir Whitehead for a starting job, he'd at least be a wild card off the bench.

At least for 2015, that notion has lost its steam.

All advanced stats, grades and positional rankings are courtesy of Pro Football Focus.

Brandon Alisoglu is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist who has written about the Lions on multiple sites. He also co-hosts a Lions-centric podcast, Lions Central Radio. Yell at him on Twitter about how wrong he is @BrandonAlisoglu.