The Lions held the second session of OTAs open to the media on a sunny, hot Thursday afternoon to kick off June. It’s still non-contact and voluntary, so drawing any conclusions from what we saw is way too hasty, but there were a few interesting developments from the practice fields in Allen Park.
Here are some quick notes and observations from the unpadded practice session that leads into next week’s mandatory minicamp.
Gibbs looks great
First-round running back Jahmyr Gibbs continues to impress with his movement skills and receiving ability. In a backfield with a few RBs who can catch and contribute in the passing game, Gibbs is clearly the top dog. His acceleration and footwork in his routes would lead someone who didn’t know better to think he’s a starting-caliber wide receiver. Natural hands, quickly secures the ball and accelerates out of the catch, too.
The team still isn’t allowed to have contact or wear pads, so it’s not like he’s being threatened with a big hit. But man, is Gibbs impressive working out of the backfield as a receiver.
Surprise standout
Maurice Alexander does not get much attention in the wide receiver room. He made those of us in attendance pay attention on Thursday with a spectacular day.
Alexander looked great in his routes. Crisp footwork led to no wasted motion or false steps, and No. 15 caught everything thrown near him. He had to kick in the afterburners to haul in a deep outside throw from QB Adrian Martinez and Alexander made it look smooth.
He took reps in both the slot and outside. Last season, Alexander only saw action as a kick returner beyond his one catch for seven yards. More days like this and Alexander will threaten to make a bigger impact in 2023.
Kicker battle
We got to see some kicking competition. Newcomer John Parker Romo made quite an impression, while Riley Patterson reminded us why he lost the kicking competition last summer.
I did this one in video form, via Detroit Lions Podcast:
Jamo continues to need more practice
The chemistry experiment between quarterback Jared Goff and wide receiver Jameson Williams continues to show it needs more time and cohesion. They continue to not be on the same page on when and where Williams is supposed to be on routes. It led to one rep where Goff threw up his hands in disgust.
How that rep played out is one reason why there’s still an abundance of hope. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson ran out to Williams and explained to the second-year wideout where he erred. Williams then went to Goff, and the two had a discussion. To call it animated is overselling it, but Goff was pretty pointedly showing and explaining to Williams where he wanted him to be on that post route. The two walked together to the other field for the team drills, still talking and working it out.
It wasn’t the only miscue from Williams on the day. I didn’t note any drops, unlike last week’s OTA, but he continues to show he needs more work on his timing and releases on inside-breaking routes. It’s June 1st; far from time to panic. That’s important to remember. But it would be nice if Williams showed some tangible progress into next week’s mandatory minicamp.
UDFA notes
WR Chase Cota – Other than being about 4-5 inches taller, it would be easy to mistake Cota, a wideout from Oregon, for Lions vet Tom Kennedy. Working out of the slot, Cota shares a lot of similarities in the way they run routes and wait until the last possible second to reach out their arms and hands to catch the ball.
RB Mohamed Ibrahim – No. 33 looked a lot more explosive in this session than he did a week earlier. The acceleration looked impressive. Ibrahim also made a nice snag on a throw that was behind him, which isn’t something we got to see much on his Minnesota game film in college.
DT Chris Smith – Shortly after team drills ended, the defensive linemen went to the side to work on agility drills and some pass rush moves. Smith was doing reps in a pairing with Benito Jones, and Smith was pretty substantially the better athlete in every portion of the drill work. It’s not padded or against live offensive linemen, but Smith’s conditioning and athletic ability stood out in relation to Jones.
CB Starling Thomas – The long-limbed CB from UAB continues to look like the team’s fastest player on defense. He had a nice rep where he flipped his hips well and drove on a ball. If Nate Sudfeld’s throw had been on target, Thomas might’ve had a pick-six.
CB Steven Gilmore – Gilmore had the unenviable task of trying to cover Tom Kennedy out of the slot. It did not go well for the hirsute Marshall product. No. 36 also has the visibly skinniest frame of any of the defensive backs; his listed 170 pounds sure felt generous in seeing him in person.
WR Dylan Drummond – The Eastern Michigan wideout had another strong practice hauling in numerous deep throws. He’s got an extra gear that he sets up nicely out of his release. Promising.
Quick hits
–Safety Kerby Joseph rocked a “Free Jamo” shirt after practice for his media interview. When he showed it off to the team wearing it as players left the field, he got a lot of praise and some applause from his Lions mates. Joseph explained he was supporting a teammate, not making a statement toward the NFL.
–RB Craig Reynolds was in action after missing last week’s open session. His ability to change direction and adjust to the ball in the air for a guy with considerable upper-body muscle mass is impressive.
–I largely ignored the OL and DL because they’re not in pads. However, it’s tough to ignore the increased quickness after the first step from DT Alim McNeill. He’s always had that explosive first step. The slimmed-down McNeill can now do more after it. Even outside of pads, it’s quite noticeable.
–Goff was dialed in on Thursday. He looked sharp and confident. The connection with second-round rookie TE Sam LaPorta is progressing nicely. There was a rep where it sure looked like Goff had overthrown No. 87 from Iowa, but LaPorta sprinted under it and cradled it away with soft hands.
–I got to spend a few minutes with new CB Cam Sutton in his media session before anyone else realized that Sutton was available. It’s very easy to see why the Lions made signing him a priority. He sure sounds like a team captain already, and he shows that kind of leadership and accountability on the practice field, too.
