Lions use sixth-round pick on long snapper Landes

Allen Park — Don Muhlbach suddenly has some serious competition for the job he’s held for most of the last 12 seasons.

The Lions drafted long snapper Jimmy Landes from Baylor with the 210th overall pick in the sixth round Saturday. Landes was considered one of the top snappers available and even went to the combine after four successful seasons with the Bears.

The selection of the 6-foot-1, 240-pound Landes was the most surprising pick thus far by new general manager Bob Quinn, who has mostly addressed the lines thus far in the draft. However, the Patriots drafted long snapper Joe Cardona from Navy in the fifth round last year, 166th overall, so perhaps this shouldn’t be a surprise.

As a part of a high-scoring team like Baylor, Landes had a high volume of chances to impress with his snaps. However, the pick still comes as a surprise as Muhlbach, who signed a one-year deal last month, didn’t seem to have any snapping issues in 2015.

jkatzenstein@detroitnews.com

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