The Detroit Lions found a gem in last year’s draft with the selection of Kentucky guard Larry Warford in the third round.
Warford started all 16 games for the Lions last season and was a consistent force on the right side of the line.
However, Warford believes he wore down last season and wasn’t fully prepared for the rigors of a 16 game NFL season.
“Looking back on my last three games and comparing it to my first four or five, the difference in explosion was significant,” Warford said, via Tim Twentyman of the Lions’ team website. “I wasn’t coming off the ball as hard as I used to. I was still getting good movement and all that, but it wasn’t a snap like it used to be. I didn’t realize how much it would tear me down.”
Warford never played more than 13 games in a season in college. With the inclusion of the preseason, Warford played in 20 games last season with the Lions. The long grind of the season eventually started to have an effect late in the year. He expects to be in a better position to handle the length of the season this fall.
Despite his strong performances last year, Warford still feels he has plenty of room for improvement in the technical areas of the game as well.
“I have so much more to improve on,” Warford said. “Honestly, I feel like I didn’t even come close to what I could have done in terms of more technical stuff and technical issues I can improve on.”