Detroit — Here’s a look at who is trending up and who is trending down coming out of the Detroit Lions’ preseason loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Friday night.
► Stock up: Quarterback David Blough
It was far from a flawless outing, and included one brutal blunder — a lost fumble on a botched exchange — but when comparing and contrasting Detroit’s backup QBs, Blough clearly had the better performance.
More accurate, responsible for making better decisions and showing a greater ability to make plays with his feet, Blough completed 18 of his 28 throws for 141 yards. He also led the team with 22 rushing yards, including a nifty 9-yard scramble where he beat a defender one-on-one in the open field with a pump fake.
After splitting second-team reps on the practice field since the start of camp, Blough earned the right to run the second-team offense in the team’s next preseason game.
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► Stock down: Quarterback Tim Boyle
Boyle had his moments, namely an on-target, 45-yard bomb to Kalif Raymond and a well-placed fade to Devin Funchess for a 1-yard touchdown. But there were far more negative moments, including several missed throws to open receivers.
Boyle’s worst moment came when he threw an ill-advised jump pass that was intercepted deep in Lions territory. Unfortunately, this outing was a continuation of an inconsistent camp.
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► Treading water: Linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez
It’s felt like Rodriguez has had a rocket strapped to his back since arriving in camp, and for good reason. On the practice field, his mental approach and football IQ are advanced for a rookie. Combine that with a player eager to lower his shoulder to deliver a big hit and it’s no wonder he’s popular with the coaching staff.
Rodriguez got the start in this one, in place of Alex Anzalone, who was only defensive starter given the night off. On top of that, Rodriguez saw action with the top kickoff coverage and return units, where he’ll undoubtedly be asked to play a big role this season. And while he didn’t record any stats during his defensive snaps, he did come up with a nice tackle covering a kickoff.
► Stock up: Wide receiver Tom Kennedy
Kennedy has had to play a bigger role the past few days with multiple injuries within the receiving corps. During Wednesday’s practice, he was taking reps with all three of the offensive groups and producing, catching at least one downfield pass from each of the team’s quarterbacks.
That success ported over to Friday’s game where the small, but speedy pass-catcher hauled in eight of the 12 throws his direction for a game-high 104 yards. It’s a not-so-subtle reminder that he belongs in the mix for a roster spot, despite Detroit’s impressive depth at his position.
► Stock down: Running back Jermar Jefferson
The Lions gave Jefferson and extended opportunity as he pushes to be the third running back on the depth chart, handing the ball to him more than double anyone else. But with nine carries and two targets in the pass game, last year’s seventh-round pick mustered just 22 total yards. That’s not going to help him close the gap on Craig Reynolds, who continues to do all the little things right in the competition for that job.
► Treading water: Wide receiver Trinity Benson
Benson missed a few days of practice last week, but looked to be moving fine against the Falcons. He only caught one of the three passes his way, a 24-yarder, but he was open on another only to see Boyle sail it beyond his reach. As for the third, the young receiver dropped it, plain and simple.
In addition to his offensive role, Benson also got first crack at returning kicks. He was steady, but not spectacular, averaging 25 yards on his three attempts.
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► Stock up: Tight end Devin Funchess
The former Michigan standout hasn’t done a whole lot on the practice field since signing with the Lions, but he flashed the talent that made him a second-round pick several years back, catching a touchdown and hurdling a defender to pick up a first down. All together, he caught all four of his targets for 19 yards and the score.
► Stock down: Defensive end Charles Harris
Listen, Harris’ stock coming into this year is an all-time high, so he can afford to absorb a little criticism. And in many ways he’s taking one for the team here, representing the first-team defense’s inability to set a consistent edge, which allowed Atlanta to score several chunk gains on the ground around the perimeter.
► Treading water: Linebacker Derrick Barnes
Barnes got the start and missed a third-down tackle on the opening drive that would have forced the Falcons to punt. He didn’t make the same mistake again, contributing on two stops, including one behind the line of scrimmage with an aggressive downfield filling of his gap assignment.
► Stock up: Defensive lineman John Cominsky
Speaking of making a tackle in the backfield, the athletic, high-motored Cominsky burst into the backfield from an interior alignment to drop an Atlanta running back for a loss on third down in the second half. Seeing more playing time with the second-team defense than he has in camp practices, Cominsky continued to show some promise as a rotational piece up front.
► Stock down: Wide receiver Kalil Pimpleton
Pimpleton saw six targets in his preseason debut, but the former Central Michigan standout’s limitations were on display. He had no shot on a back shoulder ball to the far corner of the end zone (a questionable play call, to be sure) and he failed to make a man miss in the open field when thrown a quick pass to the outside.
He finished with three grabs for 15 yards. As a returner, Pimpleton brought back a kickoff 30 yards on his lone attempt, but appeared to lose a ball in the lights the one time he was asked to field a punt.
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Justin_Rogers