Under-the-Radar Lions Players to Watch at OTAs
After taking a look at the offensive and defensive players to watch during organized team activities, it's time to turn our attention, at All Lions, to the under-the-radar Lions performers that are worth keeping a close eye on.
Here are the six under-the-radar Lions players that I'll be closely observing during OTAs.
DB Will Harris
Harris, a 2019 third-round pick out of Boston College, entered the league as a safety, and simply wasn't very good. In fact, he ranked among the top-10 worst safeties in each of his first three NFL seasons, and finished the 2021 campaign ranked 91st out of 92 safeties, per Pro Football Focus.
Fast-forward to the 2022 season, during which Harris logged the majority of his snaps at cornerback for the first time in his career.
Per PFF, he played 68 percent of his defensive snaps at nickel cornerback, followed by 15 percent of them at outside corner, 15 percent of them at box safety and two percent of them at free safety.
And, along the way, he recorded the highest PFF grade of any Lions corner in 2022. He finished with a mark of 63.7 (66th out of 235 qualified corners).
Detroit general manager Brad Holmes has since upgraded the team's defensive backs room. So, it'll be interesting to see how that alters Harris' role – if at all – during the 2023 season.
Headed into the upcoming season, including at OTAs, I'm still expecting the Boston College product to log the majority of his reps at cornerback.
DB Ifeatu Melifonwu
Like with Harris above, Melifonwu could have a reduced role during the 2023 season. The Syracuse product suited up for 10 games (one start) a season ago, and produced two passes defensed, along with a subpar PFF pass-coverage grade of 53.7. He also allowed a passer rating of 101 on passes thrown his way. Additionally, he wasn't very good against the run, recording a PFF run-defense grade of 53.9.
During OTAs, fans and pundits alike could get a good gauge of how Detroit defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn plans on utilizing the third-year defensive back during the upcoming season.
RB Craig Reynolds
Reynolds has been somewhat of an underrated weapon out of the Lions' backfield the past couple of seasons, and he could be just that again in 2023.
Reynolds, who will enter the season as the third running back on the team's depth chart, has averaged a combined 4.3 yards a carry the last two seasons in Detroit.
With Dan Campbell leading the way from the sidelines in Motown, expect the Lions to continue to place a major emphasis on running the football. It bodes well for Reynolds' role in Detroit, even with him being behind both David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs on the depth chart.
I'll be closely observing how many carries the third-string back gets during OTAs and the remainder of the offseason.
© Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
WR Tom Kennedy
Could Kennedy, a constant fan favorite, carve out a role for himself with the Lions in 2023?
For starters, Detroit's wide receivers room doesn't appear to be a strength headed into the '23 campaign. Additionally, Jameson Williams' six-game suspension to open up the season surely doesn't help out the cause, either.
With that said, Kennedy, a longtime member of the organization's practice squad, could be in line to be the Lions' fifth receiver to start the season.
Regardless, expect the undrafted wideout to look the part of an NFL receiver during OTA practices.
TE James Mitchell
It's probably already forgotten that the Lions also took a tight end in last year's draft. It was Mitchell, who was taken by Detroit in the fifth round of the 2022 draft.
He didn't receive an ample amount of opportunities or exactly light the world on fire as a rookie – he recorded 11 receptions for 113 yards in 14 games.
Yet, he did showcase glimpses of being able to be a productive NFL pass-catcher.
The combo of Mitchell and Sam LaPorta, the Lions' first second-round selection this past April (No. 34 overall), could prove to be a solid duo at tight end in 2023 and for years to come.
I'll be on the lookout for how many reps Mitchell, a Virginia Tech product, gets during OTAs and training camp this summer.
DL Benito Jones
The big-bodied Jones, standing in at 6-foot-1, 329 pounds, proved to be a decent rotational player along the interior of Detroit's defensive line a season ago. He suited up for all 17 games, and posted 1.5 sacks and four QB hits. Additionally, on 169 pass-rush snaps, he logged a PFF pass-rush grade of 65.1.
Headed into the 2023 campaign, he'll face added competition for snaps along the interior of the line from rookie Brodric Martin, a third-round selection of the Lions this past April.
I'm looking forward to watching Jones and Martin battling it out for reps during OTAs.
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