The Detroit Lions welcomed season ticket holders to Allen Park on Friday, as the team once again strapped on their pads and took the field for Day 6 of training camp.
Participation Report
The Lions were able to return several injured players to the field on Saturday, including Alex Anzalone (hamstring), Tyleik Williams (personal reasons), Roy Lopez (foot), Ennis Rakestraw (chest), and Al-Quadin Muhammad (undisclosed). Unfortunately, Kerby Jospeh was a new absence, but it’s unclear as to why. For all the relevant attendance information, make sure to check out our Day 6 updated injury report.
Veteran DL winning the day
With Tyleik Williams back in the fold, the Lions had their entire starting defensive line back together, and it didn’t take long for them to establish themselves.
Aidan Hutchinson is getting a lot of attention and rightfully so. Not only did he headline our observations from Day 5, but he was also all over the Lions’ social media highlight reels. On Saturday, he once again swept his one-on-one drills, this time showing off his spin move to Dan Skipper. Hutchinson also got the better of Skipper during 11-on-11s, blowing by the reserve left tackle on his way to a would-be sack.
Marcus Davenport hasn’t made as many splash plays as Hutchinson, but he’s been steady. He got locked up by Penei Sewell in one-on-ones, but pushed Skipper to his limits in one-on-ones and team drills. He found his way into the backfield a handful of times, but he drew Sewell a lot on Saturday morning, so it was a long day for the vet.
The defensive lineman not being talked about enough is DJ Reader, who has been a powerful force in the middle. He’s been tremendous against the run. He’s been savvy against the rookie Tate Ratledge and has used his power to put Graham Glasgow in tough positions. The Lions’ defensive line will need Reader to be at his best while Alim McNeill is rehabilitating and Williams acclimates.
Rookie DL
In addition to Williams, the Lions had a couple of other defensive linemen who showed up in my notebook on Saturday.
Edge rusher Ahmed Hassanein is doing his best to emulate Hutchinson, and while some of it is working, there’s still a lot for him to learn. In one-on-ones, it looked like he tried to set up a secondary pass rush move by attacking Giovanni Manu with power before switching to his second move. Unfortunately, the power move got him too far into Manu’s grasp, and the big tackle handled the rookie. Later, during 11-on-11s, Hassanein hit the second move and got the edge on Manu, who let his feet stop. It’s debatable if Hassanein did enough to get to the quarterback, but it’s an illustration that he’s certainly learning.
Hassanein is also playing a ton of special teams snaps, and with kick-offs on the docket for Day 6, the rookie got a workout. During the second set of kick-off drills, he lined up as a blocker with the first group, and when the other 10 guys rotated out for the next rep, Hassanein stayed on the field. When they swapped a third and fourth time, Hassanein continued to stay on the field and, by the end of the session, was completely exhausted. I’m honestly not sure I’ve ever seen a player run that gauntlet of reps.
UDFA Keith Cooper continues to rep at the 4i, and with the Lions using their SAM off-the-ball a lot on Saturday, he was required to play as a more traditional defensive end and set the edge. He performed well in team drills, shedding blocks and maintaining a firm edge, while also demonstrating an ability to penetrate and apply pressure. In 11s, when the play ran toward the opposite side of the field, Cooper showed good backside pursuit to get in on the tackle. He hasn’t been overly flashy so far in camp, but consistently in the right spot to make plays.
OL shifts
The Lions continue to roll with Glasgow at center, with the starting offensive line lining up like this:
LT Dan Skipper
LG Christian Mahogany
C Graham Glasgow
RG Tate Ratledge
RT Penei Sewell
The second team saw some more movement, as it was Trystan Colon’s turn at second-team center, Kingsley Eguakun’s turn at third-team center, and Michael Niese’s turn at third-team guard. However, he did not show up at left guard—as this three-man rotation typically does—and instead went to right guard, which resulted in Colby Sorsdal shifting to left guard.
LT Giovanni Manu
LG Netane Muti/Colby Sorsdal
C Trystan Colon/Kingsley Eguakun
RG Kayode Awosika/Michael Niese
RT Jamarco Jones/Mason Miller
While we highlighted some of the defensive line wins earlier, it’s worth noting that the offensive line also won its share of one-on-ones. Tate Ratledge cleanly won his rep against fellow rookie Tyleik Williams, while Skipper (lined up at right tackle) got the best of Isaac Ukwu.
Skipper wasn’t the only offensive lineman to rep at other positions, as Manu beat Hassanein while at right tackle, and Sorsdal took care of Brodric Martin while playing center. We also saw Kayode Awosika beat Pat O’Connor on back-to-back reps, reminding everyone that he shouldn’t be overlooked when the roster is being constructed.
Back-7 getting physical
We’ve talked a lot about the physicality of the Lions’ back-seven defenders this camp, and Saturday was no different. Here’s a sampling of the linebackers and defensive backs who made standout plays on Day 6:
- Derrick Barnes hammered David Montgomery while trying to catch a pass in the flat during 7s. Montgomery bobbled it for a second, and Barnes was there to firmly dislodge his second chance at securing the catch.
- Barnes was also credited with a pressure sack during 11s.
- Zach Cunningham continues to be a very solid and reliable run-stuffer, although he needs to work on his coverage spacing, as he got toasted by Sam LaPorta on a crossing route.
- UDFA rookie corner Tyson Russell is still getting his feet wet, but he ran through a blocking attempt from Tim Patrick (who looked like his footing wasn’t quite settled), pushing the veteran receiver into the running back who was attempting to catch a pass in the flat. That drew a very loud reaction from the rest of the defense.
- Terrion Arnold almost got Jared Goff’s second interception of camp when covering Amon-Ra St. Brown tight on the sidelines, but from the corner’s reaction, it looked like he might have been out of bounds.
- Defensive back Erick Hallett also drew some warranted praise from coaches after slipping a block and making a tackle for loss.
- Both Avonte Maddox and Morice Norris showed perseverance by—after giving up a reception—tracking down their receiver and dragging them down short of the end zone. That unwillingness to give up on a play should be an ingrained trait for this team.
- Loren Strickland got to show off his physicality by bringing the hammer on a tackle for loss, and a huge collision with rookie Kyle Robichaux after a long run up the sidelines.
- Brian Branch is a stud. Blitzes, tackles for loss, and punishing hits are all regular parts of any practice he is involved in.
QBs on the loose
Both backup quarterbacks showed off their legs on Saturday. Hendon Hooker scrambled for a handful of yards off a play-action rollout, while Kyle Allen perfectly timed his escape from a collapsing pocket to gain a clean 15 yards. It’s an element of both quarterbacks’ games to keep in mind during the preseason.
Lions rookie WRs continue to make plays
It’s almost becoming routine that the Lions’ rookie receivers are making our observations, and we need to ensure we’re not overhyping the group. However, they continue to make difficult catches in practice, which warrants some attention.
Isaac TeSlaa ended practice with a wonderful slant-fade that saw him press the corner, run by the defender, and make a diving catch from Hooker 29 yards downfield. TeSlaa landed right at the goal line, but it was difficult to see if he would have scored a touchdown. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Lions’ cameras caught the action, and then you may be able to judge for yourself.
Update: here you go:
Dominic Lovett also got close to scoring a touchdown, but it was also a bit more contested. After beating the zone on a post route, Lovett crashed the end zone, but two defenders held him up. However, Lovett got some offensive help from behind him, and it looked like they were able to push him over the line. Lovett also made a terrific one-handed diving catch on a quick out route, despite tight coverage from Erick Hallett.
After showing out on special teams for five days, UDFA Jackson Meeks promised me that when pads came on, he would use his physical nature to make a play on offense; on Saturday, he delivered.
Meeks took off on a simple angle and up route down the sidelines, and Allen threw him a fade. The rookie fought to separate from Stantley Thomas-Oliver, leaped, and caught a spectacular, one-handed grab down the sideline. This play happened right in front of the season ticket holders, who exploded with excitement. Meeks bounced up, faced the crowd, and began hyping them up, resulting in them roaring even louder. This is another play to watch for on social media.
And as exciting as that play was, practice rolls on, and Meeks had to hurry to the huddle for the next play. It was a running play to his side, and Meeks’ assignment was to get a block on a fellow rookie, Dan Jackson. And once again, Meeks’ physicality showed up, as he engaged and buried Jackson to create a path for the run behind him.
“It’s all about the next play,” Meeks told Pride of Detroit after practice. “I just did my job, that’s all I can do, but of course, (the excitement) carries over to the next play. You need to clear that out, though, because you’ve got to move on and make the next play.”
Being able to make a spectacular catch and then line right back up and pancake your block is surely going to draw rave reviews from the coaching staff.
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