The Detroit Lions have mandatory OTAs for the first time for the new regime of Dan Campbell. Many questions can be answered for the three day event. Will Jamie Collins & Tyrell Crosby show up? Will Jared Goff continue to show that he can be the Lions long term answer at the quarterback position? Also, what wide receiver will breakout and show they can be the #1 guy for the Lions offense. MicroMike breaks down what to pay attention to in the Lions mandatory OTAs starting June 8, 2021.
The Detroit receiving corps remains ripe for the picking for a talented undrafted rookie or two. With no established veterans in the way beyond oft-injured Tyrell Williams or enigmatic journeymen Breshad Perriman and Kalif Raymond, opportunity abounds for a trio of UDFA wideouts. Jonathan Adams, Javon McKinley and Sage Surratt have a great opportunity to make names for themselves in minicamp. Adams already opened some eyes with a couple of nice plays in last week’s OTAs, and he’s capable of the “wow” catch down the field. McKinley and Surratt both offer size and upside that is younger and more moldable than some of the WRs they are competing against, too. It won’t surprise anyone if one of the UDFA trio makes the final 53. The questions are, which one and will it be only one? Minicamp is where the answers really begin to sort themselves out.
Is there a battle brewing for the backup quarterback? Stranger things have happened. We’ll be watching this week to see if Blough gets many chances with the second-team offense. The Lions defense is changing under new coordinator Aaron Glenn, and one of the most notable changes comes at the back end. Glenn’s defense prominently features a split safety look, with two safeties each playing half the field in coverage instead of a single high with the other safety in the box.
The new scheme should suit Tracy Walker nicely, though he showed some need of polish during last week’s OTAs. Finding who will play next to Walker at the other spot is one of the offseason battles. Newcomer Dean Marlowe and holdover Will Harris are the frontrunners, but neither is guaranteed to win the spot. Could rookie Ifeatu Melifonwu, an outside CB by trade, get a shot at moving to safety? This is another spot where an unheralded UDFA, be it Bobby Price from last year or D’Angelo Amos this year, could make a real mark, too.
The Lions will have a new return specialist in 2021 with longtime returner Jamal Agnew now in Jacksonville. There are a few candidates to take over in Detroit. The frontrunner, based on OTAs, should be wideout Kalif Raymond. He has years of experience as a return man in Tennessee and his blend of speed and shiftiness are good fits for the position. Raymond took the bulk of first-team reps in OTAs. Rookie Amon-Ra St. Brown could get some looks here. Cornerback Mike Ford, wideouts Geronimo Allison and Tom Kennedy and perhaps one of the undrafted rookies could also
compete for the gig.
The Lions have a solid one-two punch at running back in D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams. After that, well…Seventh-round rookie Jermar Jefferson currently sits in the No. 3 spot almost by default. But he’s far from a sure thing, especially after his struggles in the passing game last week. With newcomer Mike Warren joining in place of injured UDFA Rakeem Boyd, Jefferson has real competition for the between-the-tackles back. The only other RB currently on the roster is undrafted rookie Dedrick Mills, who played some fullback as well as RB in college at Nebraska.
Source:
Jeff Ridson, Lions Wire
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