The Detroit Lions began the mandatory portion of their offseason program on Tuesday, when the team took the field for the first session of minicamp. Detroit will have two more sessions of on Wednesday and Thursday.
Overall, it was a better day for the defense as the unit managed to notch a total of four interceptions during team drills, two of which came from one player (more on that shortly).
However, despite the standout day from the defensive side of the ball, there were some players on offense who did their thing. Unfortunately, none of them play quarterback, a position that had a rough go of it on Tuesday.
All that said, let’s dive into the specifics and see which players drew the most attention from beat writers on the ground.
Lions standouts from minicamp Day 1
LB Jack Campbell
Campbell had a pair of interceptions on Tuesday, with one coming off a tipped pass in the two-minute drill portion of practice. The other saw him drop back into coverage and undercut a pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown in the red-zone period, per Justin Rogers of The Detroit News.
But Campbell wasn’t done there. The second-year linebacker also made a few nice plays earlier in practice, according to Jeremy Reisman of Pride of Detroit:
Earlier in practice, Campbell also showed nice anticipation, (lightly) colliding with LaPorta on a grab during a third-and-22 situational drill. The Lions tight end was stopped 13 yards short—forcing a punt—and it’s possible he would’ve jarred the ball loose if at full speed because he arrived just as the ball was getting there. He also notched a pressure/sack in an earlier drill.
Reisman noted that Campbell “got most of the first-team reps at the MIKE position” and the majority of Derrick Barnes’ first-team reps came “mostly in three linebacker sets.”
It would appear Campbell will be the starter next to Alex Anzalone when the Lions roll with two linebackers.
MORE: Takeaways from Day 1 of Lions minicamp
S Brandon Joseph
After head coach Dan Campbell praised Joseph for the progress he’s made since last year, Joseph went on to notch an interception during an 11-on-11 red-zone drill, where Goff stared down St. Brown before throwing it right to Joseph.
Campbell says Brandon Joseph noticeably improved during the 2023 season. Says they wish he would have got to play. Says he’s continued to improve this spring
— Mike Payton (@AtoZ_Payton) June 4, 2024
But, as you’d expect with a young player, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for him. Joseph was beaten for a touchdown on a pass to Kalif Raymond after he attempted to jump a route.
Even still, Joseph has been getting run with the first-team offense with Kerby Joseph sidelined and appears to be in great position to make the roster.
DL Levi Onwuzurike
Onwuzurike’s impact was felt early in practice, per Reisman, who noted that the veteran defensive lineman notched a pair of sacks/pressures. After injury issues and a lack of production over his first three years, the Washington product must continue to show out this offseason in order to make the roster and secure a role.
WR Kalif Raymond
Raymond shined during the red-zone portion of practice, with the veteran wideout tallying a total of three touchdown catches, with two from Jared Goff and one from Hendon Hooker, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. Raymond is battling for the No. 3 spot, a role he figures to be the favorite for.
RB Sione Vaki
Vaki has been getting rave reviews as a pass-catcher this offseason. He had a pair of touchdown catches on Tuesday, one of which he had to dive for, Twentyman wrote. He also added that Vaki has shown “playmaking potential” and “great hands,” and he wasn’t the only beat writer raving about the rookie.
Perhaps the Utah product can challenge for the No. 3 spot in his first season, but either way, he’s appears to be off to a good start, at least as a pass-catcher.
WR Kaden Davis
Davis is fighting to earn a roster spot this offseason, and he certainly seemed to help his cause on Tuesday. Davis had a pair of touchdown catches from Nate Sudfeld, including a toe-tapping grab.
CB Carlton Davis
Rogers noted how Davis “wasn’t deterred by the fact the team wasn’t wearing pads, playing physical and aggressive at the line of scrimmage, regularly disrupting the timing of his coverage assignments.”
WR Amon-Ra St. Brown
Death, taxes and St. Brown standing out in practice. He had a pair of touchdowns during the red-zone drill, one of which saw him find a soft spot in the zone coverage. Get ready for another big year from the star receiver.
