The Detroit Lions are expecting big things from their rookie class this season, and particularly their first three draft picks.
Aidan Hutchinson has drawn glowing praise from coaches and teammates this spring while learning the Lions’ defense. He single-handedly destroyed one two-minute drill during an organized team activity practice earlier this month and finished minicamp by getting first-team reps at defensive end.
Jameson Williams won’t be ready for the start of training camp as he rehabs his torn ACL, but is exactly the kind of difference-maker receivers coach Antwaan Randle El lobbied for earlier this year.
And second-round pick Josh Paschal missed all of minicamp with a lower body injury, but defensive line coach Todd Wash said Paschal should join Hutchinson, Charles Harris and Romeo Okwara, once he’s healthy, in the Lions’ edge rush mix this fall.
As for the rest of the Lions rookie class, early returns are positive, though it’s far too soon to say which if any of the team’s other five draft picks will play a significant role this fall.
As the Lions wrap up their offseason program this week, here are a few lingering thoughts on the rest of the rookie class:
Kerby Joseph
A third-round pick out of Illinois, Joseph tied for the NCAA lead with five interceptions last season and his ball skills should translate to the NFL. Joseph got his hands on a few passes during the Lions’ six open workouts and had an interception on a Tim Boyle pass during OTAs early this month.
Joseph worked primarily with the second- and third-team defense this spring and is tracking toward being a special teams contributor early this fall with the potential to carve out a rotational role in the secondary. Tracy Walker and DeShon Elliott are the favorites to start at safety, and Brady Breeze, Ifeatu Melifonwu and C.J. Moore are among those in the mix for backup jobs.
“The things that we’ve seen a lot out of him is really just improving a lot as a communicator,” Lions safeties coach Brian Duker said this week. “Always really knew he was a really rangy safety. When he’s playing deep and the ball’s in the air, he’s the same guy he was in college. He’s awesome at that. He goes and gets the ball.
“And now for us it’s just learning, OK, how do you fit the run in our system? How do you play bunches in our system? How do you do all those kind of things? And he’s done a really good job and he’s ahead of where I thought he would be, to really be honest with you.”
James Mitchell
Mitchell did not take part in spring workouts as he continues to recover from the torn ACL that cut short his final season at Virginia Tech. Still, the fifth-round pick is well- positioned to emerge as the Lions’ No. 2 tight end before the season is done.
The Lions took a cautious approach with Mitchell this spring, but the gloves should come off early in training camp. After T.J. Hockenson, Mitchell is the most talented tight end on the Lions roster and offers the most dual-threat ability as a receiver and blocker.
The Lions signed Devin Funchess to add depth to their tight end room this week, and they have to sort through backup options Garrett Griffin, Brock Wright and Shane Zylstra this summer. But barring any setbacks, Mitchell should be a lock for a roster spot.
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“I can’t say enough good things about James so far,” Lions tight ends coach Tanner Engstrand said. “He’s done a phenomenal job in what we’ve asked him to do, and really that’s in rehab and in the classroom. He takes it upon himself. He’s doing a really nice job of learning the offense in a couple different areas and just trying not to fall behind mentally, which can be easy when you’re not getting those physical reps.
“So he’s doing a really nice job and then you go back and watch his tape and shoot man, the guy just, he averages a ton of yards per catch in college and so he’s shown some of those abilities and he’s shown the ability to block on the perimeter or running some different zone scheme type of plays and be effective in the run game, too. So we’re excited to get him out here in training camp and see what he’s got.”
Malcolm Rodriguez
No position seems less settled entering the summer than linebacker, where Alex Anzalone and Chris Board have taken the majority of first-team reps but no one on the roster has a distinguished history of playmaking in the NFL.
Rodriguez, a sixth-round pick out of Oklahoma State, projects initially as a core special teams player, but he’s smart enough that he could work his way into a rotational spot at linebacker this fall.
Linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard indicated Rodriguez is playing primarily weakside linebacker for now and said he is “definitely a green dot-type linebacker, a guy that has the capabilities to take control of the defense.”
“He’s the type of player where I say I can close my eyes and just put him out there,” Sheppard said. “Now, there’s an execution piece to that, but as far as from above the neck, the mental standpoint of the linebacker position, he is a joy to coach.”
James Houston
Like Rodriguez, Houston’s surest path to playing time this fall is on special teams, though the Lions have spent the spring getting him ready to play a variety of roles on defense.
A sixth-round pick out of Jackson State, Houston was a blur of an edge rusher last season after starting his career as an off-ball linebacker at Florida. In Detroit, he is playing the strong-side linebacker spot in base defense and as a rush edge in some sub packages.
Julian Okwara projects as the Lions’ starter at the position, and while Houston is not guaranteed a roster spot — Jarrad Davis and Derrick Barnes also have the skill sets to fill that role — he has enough pass rush ability for the Lions to want to keep him around as a developmental prospect.
“He’s strong and physical,” Wash said. “We see a lot of lean and bend with his pass rush, but at this point in time you don’t see it down in and down out ’cause he’s thinking. So we got to really calm his world down. When he knows what he’s doing, he’s a really good athlete and we’ll be able to see that now by limiting him a little bit. We had him at three positions. That was too much right away, so we’ve calmed it down to two and you’re starting to see the athleticism that we drafted.”
Chase Lucas
The Lions have a young, potentially deep secondary with a lot of moving parts. Jeff Okudah and Jerry Jacobs are returning from serious injuries, Ifeatu Melifonwu is learning a new position (safety) and Will Harris is a sort of Swiss Army knife who gives the Lions the flexibility to keep the best mix of backup defensive backs based on how they perform in training camp.
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Lucas, a seventh-round pick out of Arizona State, is one player whose performance will be under scrutiny this summer. The Lions have plenty of options at Lucas’ primary position of slot cornerback (including Harris, AJ Parker and Mike Hughes), so he will need to separate himself on special teams, where he should compete for a role at gunner and on kick team.
“On the job experience, especially at a nickel position only helps you,” Lions secondary coach Aubrey Pleasant said. “That’s where we see home (for him). We’ll have to practice a little bit more to see where that secondary position could be, but right now as a home spot at nickel he’s done a good job this offseason.”
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.