Allen Park — Here are some notes and observations from Wednesday’s Detroit Lions’ training camp practice.
▶ Let’s talk about Detroit’s rookie class. Slowly, but surely, that group is coming on, earning additional opportunities on the practice field. At this stage, the potential impact of those younger players is looking more and more realistic.
The anticipated contributions of the early-round draft picks have been obvious almost from the moment their selections were announced. Running back Jahymr Gibbs, linebacker Jack Campbell and tight end Sam LaPorta came to town with lofty expectations and more or less obvious paths to playing time. The best thing that can be said about the three is so far, so good. Each has seen his fair share of reps with the first-team offensive and defensive units and hasn’t looked out of place in the slightest.
But the opportunities higher up the depth chart haven’t been limited to that trio. On Wednesday, whether in actual full-team segments or in walkthroughs preparing for future opportunities, defensive tackle Brodric Martin, wide receiver Antoine Green and undrafted cornerback Starling Thomas V all saw a handful of snaps with the top groups on their side of the ball.
That’s not to say any of them is a threat to crack the starting lineup any time soon, but each is answering the bell of expectations and earning those opportunities through steady strides with early development.
▶ One rookie not mentioned above is defensive back Brian Branch. That’s not because he hasn’t had some positive moments during camp — and he has — but he was unexpectedly sidelined by an unknown injury during this morning’s session.
Also sitting out were defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson, wide receiver Jameson Williams and guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai, who exited the previous day’s practice after getting shaken up.
Also worth noting, Tom Kennedy wasn’t able to finish Wednesday after Campbell landed hard on top of the receiver when attempting to break up a pass across the middle of the field.
▶ After an atrocious showing by the defense the previous day, there was more competitive balance on Wednesday between the two sides. That said, starting quarterback Jared Goff continued his sharp first week of camp. His best throw came to who else, but Amon-Ra St. Brown, when the two connected across the middle on a deep crossing pattern with Goff threading the throw around one defender and over another.
▶ Both field-goal kickers experienced hiccups while attempting five kicks between 33 and 47 yards. Riley Patterson, the favorite in the competition, pushed his opening effort from 33 yards out wide right before narrowly squeaking kicks from 38 and 44 yards inside the right upright. Parker Romo also went 4-of-5, clanging a 38-yarder off the right upright.
▶ Third-string rookie quarterback Adrian Martinez has had a rough go of it to begin his professional career. Yes, it’s the most challenging position on the field, and he’s playing with other third- and fourth-string offensive players, but his decision-making and accuracy have both left plenty to be desired. That said, he had some of his better moments during Wednesday’s practice, connecting on some downfield throws with good pace and accuracy. Of course, there was also an awkward, floating shovel pass that probably won’t go over well in the review of the day’s film.
All things totaled, if he can be more consistent, it will help management better evaluate the other offensive players getting reps with the third-team grouping.
▶ The team worked some one-on-one special-teams reps, with a defender attempting to get an angle on a ball carrier in confined space, simulating kick coverage. Some of the better reps were LaPorta coming to a dead stop and reversing gears, causing Campbell to lunge at air, safety Kerby Joseph proving impressively sticky when mirroring the shifty Gibbs, and Kennedy burning No. 1 cornerback Cam Sutton twice, on back-to-back reps.
The Lions ended the drill with a role-reversal rep, as cornerback Jerry Jacobs juked past wide receiver St. Brown, drawing a spirited reaction from the players surrounding the action.
▶ During a seven-on-seven drill, Green, the rookie receiver out of North Carolina, got the business from multiple coaches for giving up on a play where all the receiving options were covered and Goff rolled out of the pocket looking for any of his targets to adjust.
▶ Trinity Benson came away with the day’s best grab, leaping up to snag a high ball from Martinez in that seven-on-seven segment.
▶ Defensively, Chase Lucas had a nice stretch during that drill, forcing two incompletions with tight coverage and causing the quarterback to move to a second read because of his positioning on a third.
▶ Earlier in the week, coach Dan Campbell said he wanted to see Malcolm Rodriguez show some improvements in coverage. It was admittedly just one snap, but the second-year linebacker came up with a nice, diving pass breakup while covering a tight end.
▶ Practice ended with a situational, end-of-half drive, pitting the second-team offense and defense against each other. The offense started at their own 38-yard line with 1:02 remaining and holding one timeout. Running back Craig Reynolds was key on the series, catching three passes, including one for 22 yards when linebacker Derrick Barnes lost his footing in coverage, leading to a 45-yard field goal for Patterson.
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Justin_Rogers