Steven Gilmore has learned a lot over the years from his brother, Stephon, a two-time first-team All-Pro cornerback and the 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. But the most important lesson Gilmore, an undrafted rookie out of Marshall, learned was something he experienced first-hand Saturday with the Detroit Lions.
Gilmore got beat on a 48-yard pass early in the Lions’ 25-7 preseason loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars but bounced back to make a key pass breakup on the goal line a few snaps later, then intercepted a C.J. Beathard pass later in the first half.
“Having a brother who played corner for 11 years, he tells me all the time, ‘Keep it in the past, keep it in the past,’ ” Gilmore said. “So I just try to have that same mentality out there. Don’t get down, don’t get too high. Even when I make a play, good play, just try to stay level-headed and just make the next play, be ready for the next moment.”
Gilmore started opposite fellow undrafted rookie Starling Thomas V at corner Saturday, and with most of the Lions’ regulars sitting for the second straight week, made a bid to earn spot on the 53-man roster.
He had three tackles and had two pass breakups while playing into the second half, and impressed Lions head coach Dan Campbell with his resilience.
“You give up a big one and then you go right back, and you don’t bat an eye, you get a big knock down in the red zone and then he gets a ricochet interception, those are big,” Campbell said. “That’s encouraging, and I think it kind of tells you it’s not too big for this guy. He doesn’t get frazzled, he doesn’t lose confidence, he just goes back for more and those are the type of players you want.”
Gilmore gave up a long catch to Jaguars receiver Tim Jones on second-and-11 midway through the first quarter, when he was late turning his head to make a play on the ball.
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Jones’ catch put the Jaguars in field goal range, but Gilmore helped keep Jacksonville out of the end zone when he made a one-handed deflection on a third-and-9 pass to Jacob Harris four snaps later.
On Jacksonville’s next offensive series, Beathard overthrew Kevin Austin Jr. on a pass with Gilmore in tight underneath coverage. Austin dislodged a would-be interception by Tracy Walker, but Gilmore caught the ricochet before it hit the ground and returned it 13 yards.
“I think those are the type of things you’re looking for, from these young players is, these things are going to happen,” Campbell said. “You’re going to get hit on a play. Something bad’s going to happen, and you may get a flag thrown on you. It’s all about what happens next. You want to know if these players have, they’re resilient. And I would say Gilmore, that was encouraging.”
Gilmore has had a solid training camp while playing mostly alongside Thomas with the second-team defense.
Cam Sutton and Jerry Jacobs are penciled in as the Lions’ starting outside cornerbacks, Emmanuel Moseley should be the Lions’ top backup once he returns from summer knee surgery and Will Harris has split his time between outside and the slot. But both undrafted rookies could have roles in the secondary to start the regular season.
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Gilmore said he’s happy with what he has done in camp so far and feels like he’s heading into the last week of the preseason on an upward trajectory.
The Lions played a lot of man-to-man coverage Saturday, and as angry as he was at himself for giving up that long pass, Gilmore said he walked away with “a great feeling” about how he played.
“I feel like I’ve been putting good things on tape, just getting better each day,” he said. “Just trying to focus on that. Just try to take in every moment, work hard, just do the things they ask me to do and just be in the right positions. So I feel like I put a lot of good things on tape.”
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.