Review: Detroit Lions Played Three Rookies Week 1

The Detroit Lions did not see a significant amount of contribution from their 2022 rookie class in the season opener at Ford Field.

Last season, Detroit saw significant contributions from its rookie class, as the young roster earned valuable reps. Subsequently, many of the second-year players on the active roster have become integral parts of both the offense and defense.

Demetrius Taylor, Chase Lucas and James Mitchell were inactive on Sunday, while Josh Paschal and Jameson Williams are rehabilitating injuries.

Here is a look at the performance of the rookies that earned reps against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Aidan Hutchinson

PFF grade: 56.3

A significant objective for a lineman is to contain the quarterback, especially one that is a threat to leave the pocket.

Hutchinson and other Lions defenders bit on run fakes, and could not contain Jalen Hurts in the pocket.

Moving forward, expect to see the No. 2 overall pick improve his repertoire of pass-rush moves and to decrease the number of occasions in which teams take advantage of his over-pursuit.

Kerby Joseph

The rookie defensive back had a special teams role Sunday, playing 15 snaps.

Unfortunately, he incurred a holding penalty in his debut.

Joseph told All Lions following the loss, "Only thing on my mind right now is to get better. The game already happened. We have to focus on who we got next week. Right now, we are going to watch the film to learn from our mistakes, get the corrections so we can improve our defense, improve our offense. Special teams. Any way we can get the upper hand.

"I just feel like it was so close, so those are the ones that hurt the most. I feel like everybody's mindset is we just have to do more. Like, we fought, but we have to just fight even more."

Malcolm Rodriguez

PFF grade: 73.4

Rodriguez was graded by Pro Football Focus as the eighth highest-graded rookie for Week 1.

His performance is also being graded on a curve, as the other linebackers on the roster simply do not measure up.

Detroit's sixth-round pick recorded six total tackles, including one for a loss.

The Eagles expertly schemed their play calls to trick Detroit's linebackers into funneling towards the running back, opening up huge run lanes and prime real estate for Hurts to gash the defense.

Missed tackles and not fully understanding his responsibility within a play must be focal points in the young linebacker's development.

"Rodriguez was one of the stars of 'Hard Knocks' for good reason: the man knows ball. His instinctual play style has translated almost immediately to the NFL, and so far, the size concerns that dropped him to the sixth round appear overblown, although he did miss two of his eight tackle attempts," Michael Renner explained. "His real impact came in coverage, where his three targets went for only 12 yards and no first downs."

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