The Detroit Lions wrapped up Week 1 of training camp on Tuesday with their second padded practice, and it turned into a longer session that offered a few clear winners.
Some of the biggest flashes came from familiar names. Alim McNeill set the tone early, Nick Whiteside earned a bump in responsibility, and Sam LaPorta looked more like himself as the day wore on. There was also strong work from a few players trying to carve out larger roles, including Jabari Small and Damone Clark.
McNeill was the most disruptive force on the field from the jump. He blew up back-to-back runs right away, first by swimming around Cade Mays to get into the backfield and meet Rock Ya-Sin for a tackle for loss, then by beating Blake Miller’s down block on the very next snap to get his hands on the ballcarrier again.
That kind of activity didn’t go unnoticed. Starting right guard Tate Ratledge was asked after practice for the defensive player who stood out most to him, and McNeill was the only name he mentioned.
“Man, Alim,” Ratledge said. “I told somebody the other day how excited I am to get a full camp against him when he’s 100 percent, because he’s really good.
Obviously what I saw from him last year at practice, he’s a completely different player now. He’s explosive, strong.
So he’s getting me better every day.”
Whiteside had one of his busier days of camp in a different way. In 1-on-1 work, he drew some of Detroit’s top receivers.
Amon-Ra St. Brown got him on one rep by creating late separation and high-pointing the ball over his back, but Whiteside answered with a clean win against Isaac TeSlaa to finish the drill.
He also picked up some first-team defensive snaps later in practice during the final situational period. There, he helped stop an offense trying to steal a late score, sticking with Jameson Williams on a fourth-and-10 play. Williams got both hands on the pass and should have finished the catch, but Whiteside was in solid position.
Jabari Small is making the most of the situation in the running back room. Before practice, Campbell talked about the opportunities opening up with Jahmyr Gibbs still sitting and Sione Vaki out with a broken nose, and he made sure to mention Small.
“Small is doing some things and he’s doing some things on special teams too, man,” Campbell said. “Low to the ground, center of gravity, he’s stout, he’s strong. He’s got lateral quicks.”
Small backed that up once practice started. He mixed in with the first-team offense alongside Isiah Pacheco and Saylors, then showed burst in 11-on-11 rushing work with a sharp cut and acceleration through the hole for the first notable run of the period. He also flashed some wiggle with a few jump cuts.
His day ended with another meaningful assignment, as he paired with Tom Kennedy as the kick returner in the final situational drill.
Clark kept showing why he’s worth tracking in the linebacker competition. He has spent much of camp with the second-team defense, and that was still the case Tuesday, but he made his presence felt downhill. He tracked down Jacob Saylors on one run with good athleticism, then diagnosed a gap quickly enough to force a lineman into an obvious hold while dragging him out of the hole.
He also came through in coverage, closing fast on a Greg Dortch curl route and making the tackle a yard short to force fourth-and-1. On top of that, Clark continued to see heavy special teams work and was part of the first-team punt coverage unit.
That matters because the linebacker room is getting crowded. Devin White and Troy Reeder are both in the mix now, and Clark has work to do if he wants to hold onto his roster spot.
LaPorta’s camp had been quiet through the first week, even if part of that seemed tied to a perceived pitch count. He also hadn’t looked especially explosive in 1-on-1 drills. Tuesday, though, brought a much better showing.
He opened with a clean win in individual work, beating Chuck Clarks to the flats for a short gain. Later, he finally flashed the kind of burst people expect from him, finding the soft spot in zone coverage on a corner route for a 30-yard gain in 11-on-11s. He got open again shortly after on a crossing route against Clark, but Jared Goff overthrew him.
LaPorta finished the day on a high note. On a 55-yard drive by the first-team offense, he ran a mesh concept and slipped free in the flats for a 5-yard touchdown, with D.J. Reed unable to get a play on the ball.
It hasn’t been a loud start to camp for LaPorta, but Tuesday was a solid step forward, and that’s enough to make Week 1 feel a little more encouraging.
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