Underdog WR Dylan Drummond is quickly proving he belongs with Detroit Lions

Dylan Drummond thought his NFL dream was over, the first leg of it at least.

Drummond took part in Detroit Lions rookie minicamp in May on a tryout basis, one of the unsigned, undrafted players who needed an impressive weekend to stick around for organized team activities the rest of the spring.

Camp ended, the Lions gathered their dozen so invites on the field, thanked them for coming and said they’d be in touch with their agents if anything came up.

Drummond, a wide receiver from Eastern Michigan who took part in the Lions’ local day before the draft, grabbed lunch in the team cafeteria, hit the shower and was about to get in his car for the long drive back to his home in Cleveland when he got a text from Lions manager of football executive operations, Liz Laux.

LIONS OBSERVATIONS: Bringing Ford Field’s controlled scrimmage to Allen Park

Are you still in the building, the text asked? And do you want to be a Lion?

Drummond didn’t think twice before answering, and three months later he’s emerged as one of the most pleasant surprises of training camp.

On Thursday, Drummond beat No. 1 cornerback Cam Sutton for a touchdown in the Lions’ controlled scrimmage, and two weeks into camp he’s on pace to, at a minimum, earn a practice squad spot.

“We see it,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said Thursday. “He makes plays every day. He really, mentally, can play all the positions. He competes in special teams and I would say he’s hard to ignore. He’s just hard to ignore. He just — he’s continuing to climb the depth chart, so he’s doing exactly what a guy like him has to do. He’s doing everything right. He rarely messes something up and if he does, he learns from it, he grows and it doesn’t happen again, so he’s doing a good job.”

A four-year starter for the Eagles, Drummond flew so far under coming out of college that he spent his draft day golfing 36 holes at two Cleveland-area courses.

ANOTHER ROOKIE: Lions OL Colby Sorsdal ‘proud of where I’ve come so far’

He played well, carding 86s at both Signature of Solon Country Club and Bob-O-Link Golf Course, and had his phone with him just in case an NFL team called. But after a bumpy senior season, Drummond was realistic about his route to the pros.

He suffered a collapsed lung in the first quarter of Eastern Michigan’s Week 2 loss to Louisiana Lafayette, missed the next three games and finished with just 33 catches for 525 yards on the season, a steep drop from the 64 catches he had one season before.

“Just took a big hit across the middle,” Drummond said. “Pretty much just thought it was like rib contusions, it ended up being a collapsed lung. I ended up being in the hospital for a few days. Had a chest tube. … It felt like the wind got knocked out of you, it just never came back.”

Drummond played well late in the season, catching seven passes in a November game against Kent State, but no NFL teams called with free agent offer after the draft and the Lions were the only team to invite him to rookie minicamp.

As pressure-packed as rookie camp was, his one and only chance to prove he belonged, Drummond said he felt a sense of calm on the field with the Lions.

ANOTHER WIDE RECEIVER: Amon-Ra St. Brown dropped a pass and it ‘(bleeped) up’ his day

“While it was, like you said, my only opportunity, me knowing that I was a good enough player to be at this level, it wasn’t as stressful as you think,” he said. “I just knew that I had to come in and show that I do belong here and I knew I could do that, so that just worked out.”

Drummond entered the summer as a long shot to make the roster, but he’s worked his way from third-team reps to run regularly with the second-team offense, and he’s taken advantage of injuries to the Lions’ in-flux receiving corps to showcase his ability to get open and catch the ball.

Amon-Ra St. Brown and Kalif Raymond have been the Lions’ top two receivers this summer, and Jameson Williams will be in the rotation once he returns from a six-game gambling suspension. The Lions also traded for Denzel Mims and have veterans Marvin Jones and Josh Reynolds on their roster, but Jones missed the start camp with a back injury, Tom Kennedy is on injured reserve with a shoulder injury and Trinity Benson left practice Wednesday with a knee injury.

“Once you get him here and you see the movement skills with your own eye, and then it sure helps because you can find out — you’re not able to get everything, but we knew pretty quick like, this is a pretty sharp guy,” Campbell said. “You had a gut feeling he’s going to be able to get this pretty quick, and so, hey man, let’s give him a look, bring him into camp and he is not disappointing.”

Along with his movement skills, the Lions have been impressed with Drummond’s work ethic.

Since the start of training, he has routinely been one of the last players off the field, staying with Raymond to field punts, run routes and catch passes off the JUGS machine.

Raymond took Drummond under his wing at the behest of his former agent, John Pace, who is Drummond’s current agent, and the two have developed a close bond that Drummond said is almost like brothers.

“Kalif’s been nothing but the best taking me under his wing,” Drummond said. “Just boosting my confidence, telling me that I belong here and what not, and after practice, like you saw, it’s always getting work in. So I really appreciate him.”

A part-time punt returner at EMU, Drummond, the son of Cleveland police chief, Wayne Drummond, likely will have to earn a roster spot on special teams. He played on the Lions’ second-team kick cover and kick return units Thursday and should get plenty of opportunities in those roles this preseason.

“I definitely have that feeling that I do belong here and I just want to keep reminding myself of that,” Drummond said. “It’s easy to like look up and see some of the guys, like for example, Amon-Ra, the way he plays ball is unbelievable. I’ve never played with anybody like him, and it’s easy to look at that and be like, ‘I got to get to that level,’ but right now it’s just worried about taking it one step at a time.

“I try not to put too much pressure on myself. I just know that each day is just about doing something better, so if I mess up something today, I know I won’t mess it up again so it’s just continually doing that day after day and things will work out.”

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.