It’s mandatory minicamp time for the Detroit Lions and all of the healthy players on their roster will be in Allen Park this week for what should be some interesting things to watch.
Here are 3 things to watch at the Lions’ minicamp.
Rookie development/participation
On paper, it sure seems like the Lions have what should be a solid rookie class but as we know, there are always hits and misses when it comes to the NFL Draft.
One thing that will be interesting to keep an eye on is how No. 2 overall pick Aidan Hutchinson continues to progress and how he fares when he is going up against some of the Lions’ starting offensive lineman. Hutch has been very good, if not dominant, against the Lions’ backups but going up against what will be a solid offensive line in 2022 will be fun to watch.
In addition to Hutchinson, I am curious to see how linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez does during his first minicamp as I truly believe he has what it takes to develop into an important player on the defense.
Detroit Lions’ defensive improvement from a year ago
Let’s not sugarcoat it, the Detroit Lions’ defense was an absolute nightmare in 2022 and if the team is going to make a big jump in 2022, the defense will have to show improvement.
When looking at the Lions’ depth chart on defense, especially compared to the defense they rolled out at the end of the 2021 season, it is like night and day.
With the addition of Aidan Hutchinson, coupled with the return of Jeff Okudah and Julian Okwara, there is potential for quite a bit of growth from last year.
Expect the Lions to have more of an “attack” mentality in 2022 and it will be interesting to see if they can get to Jared Goff and the Lions quarterbacks during minicamp.
Jared Goff’s comfort level compared to 2021
During the first half of the 2021 season, Jared Goff looked like one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL and most fans were ready to kick him out of town.
But after Lions’ head coach Dan Campbell took over the playcalling duties, Goff turned things around and played pretty well during the second half of the season.
Both Campbell and Brad Holmes have made it clear that they are comfortable with Goff as their starter and that they believe they can win with him but they have also said he will have to keep getting better.
New Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Goff seem to have a great relationship and Johnson’s plan is to play to Goff’s strengths in 2022. The question is, how good can Goff be?
Nation, what are you curious to see at the Lions’ mandatory minicamp this week?
