Lions' long snapper as surprised as anyone he was drafted

Baylor product Jimmy Landes was not expecting to hear his name called in the 2016 NFL Draft and neither was anyone else.

The long snapper became just the fourth player to play the position to be drafted in the modern era when the Detroit Lions selected him in the sixth round of the NFL draft over the weekend.

"I was very surprised," Landes told Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. "I was expecting free agency, just because I know how rare long snappers get drafted. I wasn't expecting anything in the draft."

Going to the Lions was even more surprising as veteran Don Muhlbach has held down the job for 12 seasons without incident, since early in his career. But, as the lone long snapper invited to the combine, Landes impressed Lions general manager Bob Quinn enough for the Lions to take a flyer on him.

"We did a lot of work on all the long snappers, like we do every year, and we felt like he would be a guy that would be able to come in and compete for a spot," Quinn said. "The value was right at the right time."