Lions sign three of five tryout players from rookie minicamp

Justin Rogers
The Detroit News

The Detroit Lions added three of the five tryout players from last weekend's rookie minicamp to the permanent roster, signing cornerback Alex Brown, safety Alijah Holder and tight end Charlie Taumoepeau. 

For Brown, Detroit is his fifth NFL stop after going undrafted out of South Carolina State in 2019, previously having brief stints with the 49ers, Eagles, Jets and Chiefs.

The Lions added cornerback Alex Brown to their roster on Monday.

A late-developing talent, the 5-foot-9, 183-pound Brown didn't even start for South Carolina State until his redshirt junior season, but earned second-team, all-conference honors as a senior after intercepting four passes and breaking up eight others. 

Brown appeared in three regular-season games for the Chiefs in 2019, continuing to see action throughout the playoffs on special teams. That included several snaps in that year's Super Bowl. 

Holder also went undrafted in 2019, signing with the Broncos out of Stanford. He appeared in 10 games over the past two seasons, playing 177 snaps on special teams in 2020. 

A cornerback at Stanford, the 6-foot-1, 190-pounder broke up 28 passes during his college career. The Broncos moved him inside, having him practice as both a safety and nickel corner, likely due to his below-average straight-line speed. He clocked a 4.60-second 40-yard dash at the combine in 2019. 

Taumoepeau is an undersized, but athletic tight end who went undrafted out of Portland State last year. Initially signing with the Cowboys, he's also had short stays with the Colts and 49ers. 

Listed at 6-foot-2, 240 pounds, Taumoepeau ran a disappointing 4.75-second 40, but compensated with top-tier results in the change-of-direction and explosion drills at the event. 

He hasn't appeared in an NFL game, but in four seasons at Portland State, he played in 41, catching 117 passes for 1,876 yards and 11 touchdowns. Given his size, he could compete for a hybrid role that includes some blocking assignments out of the backfield.

jdrogers@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @Justin_Rogers