Observations from the Detroit Lions’ OTA practice on Friday—Day 3.
On Friday, the Detroit Lions welcomed media to Organized Team Activities (OTAs) for the first time this offseason. It was the team’s third practice in a row and last of the week. Practice was split between walkthroughs, positional drills, 11-on-11s, a brief special teams drill, and finished with some 7-on-7 work.
Here are my observations on each position:
Quarterback
Not much to say about Jared Goff’s day. He was without his safety blanket in Amon-Ra St. Brown, so a lot of his targets went to Sam LaPorta.
It wasn’t a particularly great day for the backups. Hendon Hooker was QB2 for the day and missed several deep shots. During individual drills, he overshot Tim Patrick. Then during 11-on-11s, he overthrew running back Kye Robichaux, and wide receiver Jackson Meeks. Kyle Allen tested the defense deep twice, and he, too, misfired both times—once to Kalif Raymond, the other to nobody in particular.
Running backs
With no David Montgomery, we saw a lot of Jahmyr Gibbs and Craig Reynolds with the ones. Without getting into specifics, it certainly seems like the Lions are playing around different ways they can use Gibbs. Robichaux got a significant amount of use, given the Lions’ reserves were thin without Sione Vaki. He flashed some explosiveness, but it’s hard to gauge running back play without anyone tackling.
Tight ends
As mentioned earlier, the Goff-to-LaPorta connection was alive and well. Shane Zylstra also flashed a couple times in the receiving game, including a sliding catch on a pass from a scrambling Allen.
Wide receiver
It was a relatively quiet day for Jameson Williams, but he was noticeably a bit bigger out there—although he said he’s only put on five pounds of strength.
Dominic Lovett and Tom Kennedy were probably the most frequent targets out there, and it’s easy to see how the rookie thrives right now in 7-on-7s and minimal contact. He’s shifty and fast. The challenge will be when the pads come on.
I thought the best receiver out there was Tim Patrick, sporting the brand-new #12. He was strong over the middle, finding soft spots in zones and flexing his good hands.
Offensive line
Here’s what the starting OL looked like from left to right with no Frank Ragnow:
- LT: Taylor Decker
- LG: Christian Mahogany
- C: Tate Ratledge
- RG: Graham Glasgow
- RT: Penei Sewell
I did not see Ratledge take a single snap at anything other than center during practice, so it’s clear Detroit is serious about cross-training him.
There was a lot of mixing and matching with the second and third strings, but Giovanni Manu (left) and Dan Skipper (right) were predominantly the backup tackles. If I had to label who were the second string guards, Netane Muti (left) and Kayode Awosika (right) got the most time there.
Perhaps the most shocking development was one series in which Colby Sorsdal was in at center. It didn’t last long, and there was a low snap in there, but it’s certainly notable that they’re trying to find a place for the third-year lineman. Kingley Eguakun and Michael Niese took over after that short experiment.
Defensive line
If Aidan Hutchinson was limited in this practice, it wasn’t by much. He got plenty of playing time, and, quite honestly, he looked just as explosive as ever.
Marcus Davenport also stood out… literally. It was a good reminder of just how big he is (6-foot-6, 285) compared to every other edge defender out there. He was able to knock down a pass with Penei Sewell opposite him, but he also later jumped offsides during a fourth-and-15 situational drill—handing the win to the offense.
Elsewhere, there was a neat moment on the final 11-on-11 of the day from rookie Ahmed Hassanein. He pulled off a nifty move inside on the right tackle, got to the quarterback, and hit the brakes before hitting him. He immediately turned and pointed to where the rest of the defensive linemen and DL coach Kacy Rodgers were and let out several roars.
Pat O’Connor may have had the best rep of any defensive lineman. During 11-on-11s, he got a great jump on the snap, slipped by the interior lineman, and got to the quarterback in about two seconds.
Chris Smith and Roy Lopez got first-team work with now DJ Reader, Levi Onwuzurike, Mekhi Wingo, and Alim McNeill practicing. One thing to keep in mind here is that Jack Campbell was asked which player on either side of the ball has stuck out to him so far. His answer: Chris Smith.
Linebackers
With no Jack Campbell, Malcolm Rodriguez, Derrick Barnes, and Alex Anzalone, it was an opportunity for Detroit’s depth to get early reps. Newcomer Zach Cunningham, Trevor Nowaske, and Grant Stuard all had time with the first team.
During walkthroughs, Stuard got his helmet knocked off and nearly started a scrum—which is probably the best display of Stuard’s intensity.
Cornerbacks
Again, injuries forced some interesting names into the lineup here. D.J. Reed played sparingly, leaving Ennis Rakestraw and Rock Ya-Sin to spend a lot of time working with the starters on the outside. Rakestraw had a very up-and-down day. He nearly picked off Goff during seven-on-sevens but struggled in other opportunities.
Safeties
Avonte Maddox filled in for Brian Branch at safety alongside Kerby Joseph. Joseph had an active day, with the highlight being a diving pass breakup intended for Kalif Raymond.
Special teams
The Lions ran some punt drills on Friday. Of note, Loren Strickland and Grant Stuard served as personal protectors, while Ya-Sin and Rakestraw served as the first gunners up. Other players serving as gunner during drills: Lovett, Patrick, Jakobie Keeney-James, and Ronnie Bell. Keeney-James actually rotated between gunner and punt returner, perhaps expanding his value on teams.
Miscellaneous
- This may have been the loudest OTAs I’ve ever witnessed. Lions coaches were barking at each other at levels that challenged the good old Duce Staley vs. Aaron Glenn days.
- A funny/briefly scary moment during individual drills: LaPorta was running a route over the middle when he accidentally collided with offensive coordinator John Morton, who was not looking in his direction. LaPorta went tumbling to the ground while Morton was unscathed. The Lions’ tight end immediately got up and threw his towel in the air, pretending to call a penalty on Morton. Thankfully, no one was injured.