Just In: Lions draft pick intercepts Jared Goff.
To ease their top draft pick into the fold, the Detroit Lions have made every effort. It’s not easy being Terrion Arnold.
The second-youngest player on the team, Arnold, opened an end-game situation by intercepting off Jared Goff with 26 seconds remaining in a tie game. Arnold, the 24th overall selection, spent the most of Thursday’s practice with the first team defense at outside cornerback. Not only was the ball not thrown poorly, but Goff was attempting to locate Jameson Williams on a comeback route. Arnold took the ball out of Jamo’s arms with a simple yet amazing play. And then, after the play, Goff lumbered over to dap up Arnold.
Arnold moved exceptionally well since coming to Allen Park, and he’s already displaying the ball skills that made him a great in Tuscaloosa, just like another former Alabama defensive back who relocated to Detroit this summer (hint: it rhymes with Ryan Ranch).
Veteran cornerback Carlton Davis remarked following practice last week, “He’s got so much talent.” “Despite his lack of playing experience, it’s evident from his demeanor, charisma, and self-assurance that he possesses the skills necessary to be a fantastic player.”
After a week, Arnold was back on the field much more, demonstrating why it’s becoming harder to keep him off the field.
Though it’s still too early to predict how the outside cornerback rotation will pan out, we can wager that Davis and Arnold are the clear outside favorites, with Brian Branch returning to the slot and Amik Robertson being able to play anywhere. Another darkhorse contender is Emmanuel Moseley, who was a fantastic CB2 in San Francisco. It’s still hard to predict how he’ll fit in until he recovers from his second ACL tear.
The other top draft pick, Ennis Rakestraw, is still being developed gradually and only occasionally plays in the reserve role.
Davis remarked, “It’s great competition.” “Isn’t that what we want? We play a competitive sport, football, and we want to push each other, guy. It’s exciting because we want to compete fiercely and grow into our best selves there.
Guard Kevin Zeitler, center Frank Ragnow, left tackle Taylor Decker, running back Jahmyr Gibbs, receiver Antoine Green, guard Christian Mahogany, guard Kayode Awosika, nose tackle DJ Reader, safety Kerby Joseph, linebacker Alex Anzalone, cornerback Brian Branch, edge Marcus Davenport, cornerback Emmanuel Mosely, and cornerback Craig James were among a number of players who were out or limited.
While Houston completed a lot of side work, Joseph was working with a trainer on the side and anticipates being a member of the training camp.
Jared Goff made a few really beautiful throws, including a deep pass to Jameson Williams down the right sideline during seven-on-sevens, despite being picked off on the Arnold play. Once again, the ball was pretty good. Williams easily defeated Kindle Vildor on the play, but he collapsed on a target a few plays later.
Afterwards, Goff started an 11-on-11 play by deep passing to Kalif Raymond, who found the gap between Brandon Joseph and Ifeatu Melifonwu, the safeties.
[ —] Aaron Glenn is pleading with his defense to play with greater aggression. They improved towards the end of the last season, and Glenn should be able to play the type of ball that they want to play—harsh—with significant reinforcements in both the draft and free agency. They took that message literally on Thursday, combining it with the offensive line several times after the whistle. A second skirmish prompted head coach Dan Campbell to halt practice, and for the remainder of the afternoon, extracurricular activities were suspended. However, the message was delivered.
The standout edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson remarked, “You know, just trying to change a mindset on a defense.” And what mentality do you mean by that? He gestured back out to the location of the pushing and shoving and added, “Uh, a little bit of that.”
[ —] As the Lions attempt to introduce their new backup quarterback following what was effectively a redshirt season as a rookie, quarterback Hendon Hooker continues to receive the majority of second- and third-team snaps. The young person needs the employment, as demonstrated by the first two open OTAs. He makes things happen on a tremendous scramble out of the backfield and moves so well out of both sides of the pocket. For a player that ran for 2,083 yards and 25 touchdowns in college, it will undoubtedly be interesting to see what Ben Johnson can come up with.
But until Hooker feels at ease in the passing game, he still has a ways to go. Although he doesn’t seem to have any arm strength issues, his accuracy is still inconsistent, missing targets to the left, right, and high. Steven Gilmore even picked him off when he attempted to airmail a screen pass, and the play was completed for a pick-six.
Just adjusting to my physical appearance, Hooker remarked. “Since my injury, I’ve become much stronger, especially in my legs. I’m much bulkier up top. I mean, just from disassociation of top half of my body, lower half of my body, and actually learning how to do everything over again, I’m getting used to my body and movements and throwing a bit different now. I still need to learn how to run and walk, and I’m recovering and getting stronger every day.
For the first time, Hooker is now experiencing the cerebral aspect of things. Observing drills is one thing, but leading the offense and calling plays and handling defenses that are bigger, faster, and more formidable than anything he faced in college nearly two years ago is quite another. Regarding the most difficult task to yet, Hooker responded, “Just turning my brain off when I’m playing.” Just calling it and balling, trying to make too many checks and fixes, and thinking too much on the outside. The biggest thing from the spring, in my opinion, has already happened.
— Mitchell Agude is a name you should keep an eye on but may not have been aware of. The Miami outside linebacker was not selected in the draft the previous season and was briefly with the Dolphins before joining Detroit’s practice squad to begin the regular season. After playing there the entire season, Agude renewed his contract on a futures basis and has since made a few plays during open sessions, one of which was a sack on Thursday.
While Donovan Peoples-Jones and Kalif Raymond split first-team practices at receiver—Antoine Green had the day off—Brandon Joseph continues to earn all of Kerby Joseph’s first-team safety reps. While Detroit continues to figure out how to replace Josh Reynolds, Green had a ton of first-team reps last week.
Ben Johnson, the offensive coordinator, described Reynolds as “an explosive play waiting to happen.” “We scored big plays on several of his receptions. We’ve discussed this with the skill group: those opportunities are no longer available to guys, so we need them to stand up and succeed where he did. Someone like Antoine Green, Peoples-Jones, or a few of the guys on the scout team who didn’t produce as much as they did the previous year could be the candidate. It might be that. Maybe it’s one of the other men. Perhaps that’s another pass for David Montgomery or (Jahmyr) Gibbs, or it could be another one of Sam LaPorta’s targets. It may need to be fanned out in that manner. We want to know not just who the guys are that we will root for in the spring, but also how we will split up carries and targets throughout the season. That’s what we’re attempting to ascertain this spring.