From MLive.com:
ALLEN PARK – The Detroit Lions said they didn’t know what they were going to do with Taylor Decker when they took the Ohio State left tackle 16th overall in the 2016 draft. But sure enough, there he was with the starters at left tackle on Day 1. And that still hasn’t changed.
Same for Jarrad Davis at linebacker in 2017, by the way, and Frank Ragnow at left guard in 2018. And wouldn’t you know it, T.J. Hockenson got the bulk of the reps first-team snaps at tight end when Detroit took him eighth overall last year.
Every Bob Quinn first-round pick has started immediately when coming to Detroit.
Until now.
Jeff Okudah, the third overall pick in this year’s draft, worked mostly with the reserve units on Monday as Detroit practiced in pads for the first time this season. Amani Oruwariye started in his place opposite Desmond Trufant.
Make no mistake, Detroit still expects Okudah to start when the season opens on Sept. 13 against the Chicago Bears. Don’t look now, but that’s already less than a month away, and Okudah just spent his first padded practice covering the end of Detroit’s bench. But cornerback is notoriously difficult on rookies, and the club is determined to take things slowly with its prized prospect.
It’s easy to see why, too. Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones made Okudah take some reps against the first team during one-on-ones, and Golladay immediately juked him so badly that Okudah wound up spinning into the ground. Golladay caught the pass from Matthew Stafford uncontested and turned upfield.
“His head is probably spinning,” Golladay said after practice. “He’s got a lot going on. Me and Marv just tried to tell him, like, ‘Just come up here and get some work with us. Don’t hang around the back. Just come up and get some work with the competition you’ll be seeing on Sunday, you know?’
“We really just want to help him by any way we can, help him get ready for when Sunday comes.”
Other observations from practice:
– Okudah is clearly a long ways from being ready for Sundays, although facing guys like Golladay and Jones will surely expedite his development. Golladay, who is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and just led the league in touchdown catches, is one of the game’s brightest young receivers. He looked like it at practice, too, dusting Okudah during their one-on-one, then skying high for a touchdown catch along the back line of the end zone during red-zone drills. Justin Coleman and Tracy Walker braced him in pretty good coverage, too. But what are you going to do? Golladay is 6-foot-4 and can jump through the gym.
– Jones sometimes gets overlooked in the receiver conversation because Golladay has gotten so good so quickly, but he was explosive last year too and just might have had the play of the day on Monday. He opened seven-on-sevens by spearing a ball with one hand about 40 yards downfield, leading to some hooting and hollering from teammates.
– As you might expect by now, Matthew Stafford obviously some really good moments in practice. He connected with Golladay for that red-zone touchdown, plus spun Okudah into the dirt during one-on-ones. Stafford hit Jones deep in seven-on-sevens, and much like last year, had really good chemistry with Danny Amendola out of the slot, including hooking up for a deep ball during one-on-ones. Will Harris was in coverage, but Stafford put the ball where only Amendola could get to it, and the veteran receiver laid out for it. But Stafford wasn’t perfect either, missing deep a couple times to Jones and Golladay and throwing a would-be pick through the hands of Desmond Trufant at the goal line, although Trufant couldn’t hold onto the ball.
– Okudah wasn’t the only rookie working with the reserve units. In fact, only Jonah Jackson got consistent run with the ones. The third-round pick took all the reps at right guard, where he’s among the candidates to replace Graham Glasgow. It’ll be interesting to see whether Jackson is back with the ones on Tuesday, or if the Lions cycle through other contenders like rookie Logan Stenberg, or veterans Kenny Wiggins and Oday Aboushi.
– Yes, that means D’Andre Swift also worked mostly with the reserves. Anticipation is building for what that guy is capable of, and he should have a big role in the offense right away. But right now Kerryon Johnson remains the No. 1 back.
– Speaking of running backs, my goodness is Jason Huntley fast. Don’t worry if you don’t know the name, he’s a fifth-round pick out of New Mexico State. Not many people know that name yet. But he should battle Jamal Agnew for the return jobs immediately, and you can’t help but wonder what kind of subpackages Darrell Bevell could cook up for a guy like that, including as a pass-catcher. Let’s just hope he doesn’t have to block anybody for a while, because that was more of an adventure on Monday.
– Danny Amendola, Tom Kennedy, Marvin Hall and Victor Boldin got most of the reps at punt returner.
– Reporters had to take multiple COVID tests in the days leading up to camp to gain clearance to practice. I took three tests starting last Wednesday, then another on Monday morning before taking the field. Reporters were given chips made by Kinexon that tracked our movements, and would blink if we were standing within 6 feet of someone else. We also had to wear masks. But other than that, there really wasn’t much different about this practice despite the pandemic that has ravaged the country. Practice had the same tempo as previous years, including many of the same drills in the same order. Detroit started with individual work before moving into head-to-head segments that pitted position groups against each other. There was a variation of the Oklahoma drill, special teams work, seven-on-sevens, full-team work without tackling, then another special-teams period. Practice went about 72 minutes. I suspect we’ll see Detroit go a little longer when it retakes the field on Tuesday.
– I had Jalen Reeves-Maybin on the wrong side of the roster bubble in my first 53-man projection, although he certainly looked like he belonged today. He was especially good during blitz drills on the far field, easily running through protections from running back Ty Johnson and rookie fullback Luke Sellers.
– On the other practice field, the two lines clashed in one of my favorite camp drills. You’ve got 300-pound superathletes colliding into one another without the usual help you see during team work. The offensive line had the upper hand today, with new right tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai really standing out while twice stoning defensive end Romeo Okwara. Center Frank Ragnow dispatched of nose tackle Danny Shelton easily, while Joe Dahl held off Da’Shawn Hand.
– Nick Williams was the lone standout I saw on defense during those drills, winning both his reps. Detroit signed Williams this offseason and hopes he can take a big jump now that he’s in a system that better suits him. He spent the last four years in Chicago.
– The Lions concluded practice by giving Matt Prater a few cracks with the field-goal unit. He split the uprights on his first two attempts, but pushed his last two wide left. Wide , wide left, although keep in mind he uses those skinny posts during camp.
– Defensive tackle Kevin Strong and offensive lineman Beau Benzschawel did not practice. Everyone else was accounted for.