The undrafted free agent rookie is vying for a spot on the 53-man roster, and has shown considerable potential since joining the Lions. One potential sleeper to keep an eye on is Detroit native Chris Smith. “The violence comes from teaching the technique that way…We definitely want to play violent, and with our hands, and physical,” he said. Despite missing time in past seasons due to injuries, these players showed promising signs of playing fast and violent, as described by defensive line coach John Scott Jr.Ĭoach Scott emphasizes coaching aggression while remaining disciplined. Veterans Charles Harris and Levi Onwuzurike, and 2nd year lineman Josh Paschal, are also expected to contribute significantly this season. The elevator was taking too long for Brodric Martin on Draft Night □ /Fu3f8Yd7gl He’s got to drop his pads, he plays too high right now, but you can see a guy who’s working through it.” “Yeah, he’s young, he’s raw, and we knew that when we got him,” Campbell commented. He showcased flashes of dominance but also signs of a player still finding his feet at the pro level. Rookie Brodric Martin, a third-round draft pick, saw plenty of action with the first team on Friday. McNeill, in particular, commanded attention in practice, showing potential to be a consistent force in the middle. Alim McNeill, Aidan Hutchinson, and James Houston, among others, are expected to elevate the entire defense. Once the pads came on, the defensive line demonstrated aggressive play and significant depth, despite being pitted against one of the NFL’s top offensive lines. And then you go from there, you build from there…the fundamentals need to show up, our hands, our pad level, our strike, our shed, the violent shed.ĭetroit #Lions head coach, Dan Campbell on his comfortability level with their depth at the defensive line position. It’s one of the reasons why we’ve got (Lions Defensive Line Coach) John Scott (Jr.) here…everything starts with the fundamentals of how you play the position inside-out and stopping the run. The fundamentals, the technique need to show up. Yeah, I think more than anything… do your job. When I asked head coach Dan Campbell about this, he emphasized the importance of the fundamentals for each player to perform their role to the best of their ability. The Lions also re-signed veteran contributors Isaiah Buggs, John Cominsky and Benito Jones, while adding rookies Cory Durden, Zach Morton, and Chris Smith as undrafted free agent signings. The selection was a bold move that indicated their faith in the defensive tackles already on their roster, versus targeting amateurs like Jalen Carter, Calijah Kancey, and Keeanu Benton in the draft. The Lions’ biggest splash was drafting defensive tackle Brodric Martin in the 3rd round at pick 96 overall. So, naturally, it was difficult to take my eyes off the defensive line.Ī peek into the Lions’ strategy reveals that they focused on in-house talent development this off-season, rather than making any splashy additions to the defensive line. Day five of Detroit Lions training camp was the day of the big boys.įriday’s practice marked the first of the offseason where the players got to put the pads on and hit somebody.
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