Inside Allen Park: 'They Wanna Go'
The Detroit Lions took to the field on Thursday afternoon at Allen Park for another round of practice at organized team activities.
Head coach Dan Campbell expressed to reporters prior to practice his satisfaction with the participation level and what the objective has been for this portion of the offseason.
"This will be day three of the OTAs, and the first two days have been good," Campbell said. "Obviously, you know, we're in the beginning stages of it. There's a lot to clean out. But, there again, it's to work on what we do schematically on offense, defense, special teams. And, then it's really just development, working on skill and athletic development, as it pertains to the finesse side of the game."
Over the course of the practice, the competition level was on full display, including a scrum that upped the energy level even more.
Here are several takeaways from inside Allen Park at organized team activities.
Attendance
As previously noted, the attendance and participation level have been high the past two seasons during offseason workouts.
Thursday was no different, as 85 members of the roster were present.
Those not in attendance included T.J. Hockenson, Michael Brockers, Romeo Okwara, Eric Banks and John Penisini.
Rookie Jameson Williams was present, but did not participate, along with Derrick Deese, James Mitchell, Taylor Decker, Chase Lucas and Jerry Jacobs.
Jeff Okudah participates in individual drills
Detroit's 2020 first-round pick was back on the field, and was observed going through individual drills.
It was nice to see the third-year defensive back participating in football drills, even if it was on a limited basis.
If the defense is going to have any chance of success in 2022, Okudah's development and contributions must be taken into account.
© David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports
Aidan Hutchinson impresses coaching staff and teammates
The 2022 No. 2 overall pick was a disrupter on Thursday, even earning back-to-back-to-back sacks against reserve offensive linemen.
An area that will certainly take time for the young rookie is adapting to the speed of the game and playing against elite level offensive tackles.
Hutchinson is quick off the ball, and should be able to open up things on the interior for his teammates.
Campbell noted that the competition with Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell should expedite his development.
"The fact that he is going to have to go against Sewell and Decker everyday, that's huge," Campbell said. "That will play more into his development than a lot of other things. I feel like he is going to be going up against quality tackles."
Ifeatu Melifonwu demonstrates versatility at practice
The Lions are likely going to spend this offseason discovering which defensive backs fit in various roles and how versatile the members of the roster are.
It was observed that Melifonwu played at both cornerback and safety Thursday.
The young defensive back, along with Will Harris, was able to properly make reads and break up a handful of plays.
Harris, with Okudah not participating in many drills on the field, was starting at the outside cornerback position, opposite Amani Oruwariye.
Offensive and defensive line want to compete
There was a certain level of tension between the offensive and defensive lines.
Backup quarterback Tim Boyle and center Logan Stenberg even were in the middle of a scrum with the defense.
"That's football," left tackle Decker said. "You got OTA's. There's a certain tempo, but you are going to have guys out there that are competitors. The O-line, D-Line, it's going to be what it is. It's going to be competitive. Guys are getting their first, this is our first week being out on the field as a team. They wanna go. That's natural."
When the offense would win a round during competitive drills, running back Jamaal Williams expressed the most excitement, getting on the ground and letting the defense know who was the dominant side.
Tight end battle emerges
With Hockenson absent, both Brock Wright and Garrett Griffin made their presence felt at practice, securing multiple receptions each.
With James Mitchell rehabbing an ACL injury, both will have ample opportunity to earn the No. 2 spot behind Hockenson.
Notable
- Julian Okwara is viewed as a linebacker by the coaching staff, and is expected to be in the mix for increased playing time in 2022. Campbell expressed the third-year player is in competition to earn the SAM linebacker role, but is a hybrid player who can play at multiple spots in substitute packages.
- The defense was able to intercept Tim Boyle, and caused many pass breakups all afternoon.
- Wideouts Trinity Benson and Quintez Cephus earned reps, and were targeted often by the quarterbacks.
- Jared Goff had a solid toss and fired it in to new Lions wideout DJ Chark. He looked quite comfortable running an up-tempo style offense during practice, but drives did not produce many touchdowns during drills.
