{"id":35115,"date":"2022-06-03T15:00:32","date_gmt":"2022-06-03T15:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/detroit-lions-ota-stock-report-10-standouts-from-thursdays-practice\/"},"modified":"2022-06-03T15:00:32","modified_gmt":"2022-06-03T15:00:32","slug":"detroit-lions-ota-stock-report-10-standouts-from-thursdays-practice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/detroit-lions-ota-stock-report-10-standouts-from-thursdays-practice\/","title":{"rendered":"Detroit Lions OTA stock report: 10 standouts from Thursday’s practice"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Detroit Lions are five practices into their organized team activities, with two of those being in front of the media. We only have a small taste of what this 2022 Lions team may be, but with two data points, we can deduce which players are headed in the right direction, and which are trending downwards. <\/p>\n

This early in the process, though, it’s mostly positive. Players improve as they get their sea legs back and grow more comfortable with their teammates and the scheme. <\/p>\n

Today, I’d like to highlight 10 of the most notable performances from Thursday’s practice \u2014 often compared to last week’s OTA session \u2014 to see who is progressing and who is not. So here are seven players who are trending in the right direction and three who are struggling. <\/p>\n

Stock up<\/h2>\n

Jared Goff<\/h3>\n

Thursday was one of the most confident sessions I’ve seen from Goff on the practice field. During individual drills, he was throwing 40-yard bombs with perfect spirals and hitting each receiver in stride as the crowd of season ticket holders ooh’d and ahh’d. In full 11-on-11s, Goff had the confidence to laser a few passes into tight windows. <\/p>\n

There were a couple of occasions of him holding onto the ball too long, but far fewer than we’ve been accustomed to seeing. He’s so much farther along than he was at this point last year. <\/p>\n

Trinity Benson<\/h3>\n

In defense of his trade for Trinity Benson, Lions general manager Brad Holmes said he believed Benson was more of a developmental move that could pay off down the line. <\/p>\n

\u201cKnowing that he was young, the intent on Trinity was not 2021,\u201d Holmes said. \u201cIt was like, ‘If he could contribute, great. If he needs a little more time to learn a new system kinda coming in late, then that’s what he’ll do. ‘”<\/p>\n

Benson had an impressive Thursday, displaying some of the short-area quickness that we expected to see early on \u2014 and some solid hands, to boot. He also got some looks on special teams. The highlight of his day by him, however, was a diving grab on an out-route that would’ve picked up 20-25 yards. <\/p>\n

There’s no clear path to the 53-man for Benson, but if he can continue this upward trajectory, it could land him on the practice squad and give him an opportunity to play should the injury bug hit the team.<\/p>\n

Josh Reynolds<\/h3>\n

Last week, it was clear Goff was developing some serious chemistry with DJ Chark. This week, his long-standing chemistry di lui with Reynolds was on full display. During team drills, Reynolds had at least three catches, two of which were tight-window receptions of at least 20 yards. <\/p>\n

The Lions may have to rely on Reynolds early in the season if Jameson Williams isn’t fully recovered from his ACL tear. But with the way Reynolds played with Goff last year and the way he has started offseason workouts, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. <\/p>\n

Jashon Cornell<\/h3>\n

Last week, Cornell got some time with the first-team defense because Michael Brockers was out, and he made a couple of nice plays, including a batted down pass or two. This week, Brockers returned, and Cornell still saw some looks with the first team. Again, he managed to make an impression \u2014 this time notching a drive-ending sack against Jonah Jackson during a one-minute drill. <\/p>\n

Cornell has a realistic shot at making the roster, too. The Lions don’t have a ton of depth at defensive tackle beyond Brockers, Alim McNeill, and Levi Onwuzurike, and Cornell’s sneaky-explosive, short-area speed could actually be a pretty decent fit in this scheme.<\/p>\n

Kerby Joseph <\/h3>\n