Category: Detroit Lions

Day 2 rookie CBs thrived in the Lions vs. Giants preseason game

Day 2 rookie CBs thrived in the Lions vs. Giants preseason game, with Detroit’s Ennis Rakestraw and New York’s Andru Phillips shining

The rain-soaked preseason opener between the Detroit Lions and host New York Giants on Thursday night didn’t feature much offense. New York prevailed 14-3 in a game where the two teams combined for under 500 total yards and 29 first downs.

Bad offense was a big factor, but a couple of rookie cornerbacks taken on Day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft also played a part in the defensive dominance. It was a brilliant night for Lions second-rounder Ennis Rakestraw and Giants third-round pick Andru Phillips.

Rakestraw, from Missouri, started at outside cornerback and provided lockdown coverage. The one reception he allowed, to speedy Jalin Hyatt, showed Rakestraw’s ability to terminate post-catch yardage with a brilliant open-field stop on third down. His coverage directly led to Detroit’s interception in the game, too.

Phillips started in the slot, and the third-rounder from Kentucky was also very impressive in coverage. He ceded just one short reception. Where Phillips stood out was in run defense. This is artwork for a rookie:

Both Phillips and Rakestraw have ramped up their play in recent practices, with Phillips scoring a great INT in joint practices between the two teams during the week. They’re proving worthy of considerable playing time as rookies in crowded secondaries with their squads.

The much criticized Detroit Lions draft class could take them to the Super Bowl

Back in April, the Detroit Lions were ridiculed for their draft class. Now those rookies are key players in the Lions playing in the NFC Championship

It is very common for media and fans to want to jump to conclusions immediately after the draft process to find out who “won” the draft (we are certainly guilty of it), but sometimes that is a fool’s errand given the seemingly random outcomes of players coming out of college.

The common theme after the 2023 Draft was that the Detroit Lions reached on players like running back Jahmyr Gibbs, linebacker Jack Campbell, and tight end Sam LaPorta. The narrative on this class has shifted more than just about any class in recent memory as this group of rookies have helped carry this team all the way to the NFC Championship game.

With Gibbs and LaPorta playing major roles in helping Detroit seal their game last weekend against Tampa Bay it becomes clear that the Lions nailed this draft class and could be the driving force to guide them to the Super Bowl. With a talented San Francisco team standing in their way it’s imperative that this rookie class all come up big, and Detroit could lean on the likes of LaPorta and Gibbs yet again to help punch their ticket to their first Super Bowl appearance.

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta is on a historic rookie pace

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta is on a historic rookie pace

The Detroit Lions seem to be having a pretty nice rookie class all things considered. Even with their first two draft picks, Jahmyr Gibbs and Jack Campbell, underperforming, one of their second-round picks is more than making up for it.

Tight end Sam LaPorta has become one of the top weapons in this explosive Detroit offense and is already establishing himself as one of the top tight ends in the entire league. Through 12 games, LaPorta has amassed 64 catches, 679 yards, and six touchdowns. Last Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, LaPorta became one of only five rookie tight ends to record 140 yards and a touchdown in the game, truly showcasing the progress he has made throughout the season.

Should LaPorta keep up this pace he will be just one of three tight ends (Mike Ditka, Kyle Pitts) to surpass the 1,000 yard receiving mark in a season. LaPorta has clearly been a slam dunk for this regime, and the Lions look like geniuses for snagging the Iowa tight end in the second round.

Jahmyr Gibbs has his breakout game on Monday Night Football

Lions rookie RB Jahmyr Gibbs has his breakout game on Monday Night Football

It feels like the NFL community and Detroit coaching staff have both waited in equal anticipation for the breakout of the Lions’ surprise first-round pick and rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs. While it did take eight weeks to get there, Gibbs finally put the league on notice on one of its brightest stages during primetime Monday Night Football.

With veteran starter David Montgomery missing the week eight matchups versus the Las Vegas Raiders, Gibbs was handed the entire workload on offense. Once Gibbs started churning out the yardage, it felt like a rolling ball of momentum that the Raiders could simply not stop. Gibbs was Detroit’s offense on Monday and dominated to the tune of 189 scrimmage yards and a touchdown on 31 total touchdowns. Las Vegas had no answer for the rookie, who looked like the explosive playmaker that Detroit had been hoping for when they drafted him at number twelve overall.

It is going to be hard justifying in the coming games taking away carries from Gibbs after what he did on Monday night. Even when Montgomery returns Gibbs should remain the focal point of this offense and take over as the primary ball carrier for one of the best offenses in the league. If he can keep up this kind of production throughout the season Gibbs will have more than justified his high end selection in the 2023 NFL draft.

Lions’ Sam LaPorta sets the NFL record for instant production by a rookie tight end

LaPorta did something in the first two games that no other rookie TE has ever done before

The Detroit Lions appear to have found themselves a second-round draft hit in tight end Sam LaPorta. The rookie from Iowa set a new NFL record for productivity at the position for the first two games of a career.

LaPorta caught five passes in each of Detroit’s first two games. Grabbing at least five in both games makes LaPorta the first rookie tight end to ever do so in the first two games of a career.

He’s tied for second in the total number of receptions by a tight end over the first two games of a career. While not record-setting, LaPorta currently ranks second amongst all NFL tight ends in yards after the catch, with 53. It’s a pretty impressive start for the No. 34 overall pick.

Lions sign first-round RB Jahmyr Gibbs

Gibbs signing with the Lions leaves seven unsigned first-round picks as training camps are opening

Cross another name off the unsigned first-round rookie list. The No. 12 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, Alabama RB Jahmyr Gibbs, has signed his rookie contract with the Detroit Lions.

Gibbs signed his first NFL contract a couple of days ahead of the kickoff of Lions training camp. The team had previously signed No. 18 overall pick, Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell.

With Gibbs now under contract, the list of unsigned first-round rookies drops to seven:

No. 1 – QB Bryce Young

No. 2 – QB C.J. Stroud

No. 4 – QB Anthony Richardson

No. 5 – CB Devon Witherspoon

No. 15 – EDGE Will McDonald

No. 16 – CB Emmanuel Forbes

No. 17 – CB Christian Gonzalez

Lions GM reveals how few 2023 prospects earned 1st-round grades

The Lions didn’t even have half the number of players with first-round grades to fill out the first round

There are 32 slots in the first round of the NFL draft, but that doesn’t mean the teams see 32 players worthy of being selected in the first round. Detroit Lions GM Brad Holmes revealed in a recent interview that his scouting staff didn’t even have half the number of players with first-round grades as there are picks in the first round for 2023.

During a very engaging interview with NFL Network’s Peter Schrager, Holmes declared that the Lions issued just 14 first-round grades to players in the last draft class.

“In a normal year, you’ll have like true first-round talent players, you might have about 17 or 18 guys,” Holmes said. “I really haven’t seen any higher than 20 in all the years that I’ve been doing it.”

Holmes then dropped the info,

“We ended up with 14 guys, and that was at the very end.”

Detroit drafted two of them: RB Jahmyr Gibbs at No. 12 and LB Jack Campbell at No. 18. Holmes added about Campbell,

“When I say there was only 14 guys, Jack Campbell wasn’t 14th. You know what I mean, so, that’s why it was easy.”

It’s not uncommon at all for different teams to have divergent evaluations of players and the number of first-round grades given out. Holmes actually revealing the number, and how low the number was in 2023, is information that validates that fact and is info that we don’t normally get.

Draft reaction: Detroit Lions select DL Brodric Martin No. 96 overall

Draft reaction: Detroit Lions select Western Kentucky DL Brodric Martin in the third round

The Detroit Lions add yet another talent to their ever-improving and youthful defensive line with the addition of Western Kentucky defensive tackle Brodric Martin.

A two-year starter for the Hilltoppers, Martin proved to be a force along the interior defensive line both as a run stopper and a pass rusher. With excellent burst and a superior anchor, Martin was clearly the best defensive lineman on the Western Kentucky roster and it showed through in both his film and stat line. In his final college season, Martin was able to manage 22 quarterback pressures, two quarterback hits, and two sacks on the year.

With the Lions, Martin will be developed behind veteran Isaiah Buggs where he can refine his rather raw skillset. Martin’s athletic upside and pass-rushing ability could ensure he will have the opportunity to start as soon as the 2024 season. Having a potential disruptive starter as soon as next is pretty good value for a late third-round draft pick.

The Lions planning to give 3rd-round QB Hendon Hooker ‘a redshirt year’

Hooker had surgery to repair a torn ACL in December, and the Lions are in no hurry to rush him onto the field

Figuring out where Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker was heading in the 2023 NFL draft proved an exercise in speculative futility. Hooker’s projections ranged from some top-10 predictions to deep into the third round.

In the end, Hooker was selected by the Detroit Lions early in the third round, No. 68 overall. One big reason for his drop from the lofty guesses is Hooker’s likely unavailability to play as a rookie as he recovers from knee surgery. That wasn’t a problem for Detroit.

In an appearance on longtime NFL defensive end Chris Long’s “Green Light with Chris Long” podcast, Detroit head coach Dan Campbell indicated that the team does not expect Hooker on the field in 2023.

“This really is just a redshirt year for him,” Campbell told Long. “He’s got to get this leg right first; then he’ll learn under Jared (starting QB Goff) and let’s see what happens, you know? If he can eventually become your (backup), or maybe down the road later on it’s more than that. But it’s going to be a long time.”

Hooker had surgery to repair a torn ACL on December 13th after injuring the knee in his final game at Tennessee. While Hooker’s rehab is progressing nicely, it’s clear the Lions are not in any hurry to get him on the field.

Both Campbell and Lions GM Brad Holmes clearly stated before the draft that Jared Goff was the team’s starting quarterback. The redshirt year makes a lot of sense for a team like Detroit that doesn’t need an immediate starter.