Aidan Hutchinson came ready to go ahead of the Detroit Lions' first padded practice of the 2024 training camp and his impact was evident.
Hutchinson, a fan favorite who could frequently be seen waving his arms at the packed bleachers in Allen Park to pump up the crowd, was on his feet dancing to Kendrick Lamar before stretching finished, seemingly ready to hit someone for the first time this year.
Hutchinson has been a key as one of the most disruptive players on the Lions' defense since he was drafted No. 2 overall in 2022. He kicked off offense vs. defense practice by stuffing a run to the left edge of the offensive line and lived around the ball. In 1-on-1 drills with offensive linemen, he was mixing up his speed and power rushes from the edge to pose problems for the Lions' tackles.
"That's self-explanatory, honestly," defensive tackle Alim McNeill said about Hutchinson's growth coming off his Pro Bowl season. "Aidan has been doing his thing times two this year. You could come out here every day and you are going to see a better Hutch."
Once practice was over, the former Michigan football standout greeted the screaming fans and signed autographs then went off to the side of the field to get some extra work in with other defensive linemen, as the group has done after each practice so far in training camp.
Full contact practice 'felt like Christmas'
Rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold was so giddy about being able to hit someone, he compared Monday's practice to both Christmas and his first day as a freshman at Alabama.
"Practice is really fun," Arnold said. "That's why I said it felt like Christmas coming out here. It didn't feel like I was at work, it felt like I was in Little League all over again. Just going out there and having fun with my brothers."
The first padded practice brought with it the traditional "oohs" and "Ahhs" from the Lions faithful in attendance as the Lions players crashed into each other at full speed for the first time.
One of the first drills pitted wide receivers and running backs against defensive backs and linebackers in a 1-on-1 drill to simulate open-field tackling. Newly-signed cornerback Amik Robertson was one of the first ones to set the tone with a strong hit, fully wrapping up the receiver and pile-driving him into the ground in front of coaches and players watching.
"That's who I am," Robertson, who is competing for snaps at slot cornerback, said. "I just want to go out and show people that I'm one of them."
Linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez delivered another big hit on running back Sione Vaki during the 1-on-1's and David Montgomery got Jack Campbell to the ground with a stiff arm. Also during the 1-on-1's, Donovan Peoples-Jones was nearly impossible to bring down, whether it was a juke or just running through a person. Offense versus the defense allowed the offensive line and defensive line to face off against each other, creating battles such as Hutchinson vs. Sewell or McNeill vs. Frank Ragnow in live action.
"The intensity goes up and you get a real feel of where you are as a player," Ragnow said about the intra-squad battles.
Gibbs works outside, RB3 battle rages on
Running back Jahmyr Gibbs was not working with the running backs during individual position drills at the beginning of practice. The other ball carriers worked with each other on pass blocking technique while Gibbs lined up with the wide receivers.
Gibbs worked on quick routes using an outside release without going up against a defender as Jared Goff, Hendon Hooker and Nate Sudfeld fired off throws to each pass catcher on the training camp roster. During full team drills, Gibbs returned to playing out of the backfield where he was primarily used as a runner.
Head coach Dan Campbell said before practice that the third running back spot was one of the competitions he is keeping an eye on right now along with battles in the secondary at every spot. He said that Jermar Jefferson and Craig Reynolds have both had good practices while fourth-round pick Sione Vaki continues to get carries in practice.
"Speaking of that, certainly the running back position behind David and Gibbs is — that whole thing’s sorting it out, that’s a good competition that we’ve got going on. Look, Jefferson’s had a good week, certainly we know what Craig is, he’s as steady as they come. So, look, there’s just, we have a number of positions here where we’re going to find a lot out.”
Ragnow feels 'pretty good,' and for him – that's great
Frank Ragnow isn’t the most loquacious talker on the team and he’s far from the flashiest. But few Lions are better at their position than Ragnow is playing center. His coaches think he’s the best center in the NFL. His fellow lineman do, too.
You’d never catch him carrying himself like an All-Pro, even though he is. That modesty and relative quiet are partly why his coaches and teammates like to poke at him occasionally during interviews.
Playful pokes, of course, like when Jared Goff was asked last week who the loudest player on the offense was:
“Frank,” he said, smiling.
He was joking, obviously, as was Dan Campbell earlier this summer during minicamp, when he was asked who had transformed their body the most during the off-season.
“I want to say Frank just to say Frank,” Campbell said, grinning.
Everyone in the media room laughed, and so did Campbell. The point was Frank didn’t need to change his body, or anything, really, about the regimen that’s made him the center of the Lions’ formidable offense, if you’ll excuse the pun.
“Frank’s the same old Frank,” Campbell continued that day. “He just – he looks great and all that, but I can’t say that he’s lost 30 pounds and he’s got an eight-pack, but certainly in great shape.”
He’s in even better shape now, and when he met with reporters after practice Monday, was grateful to feel as healthy as he has in a long time.
“I feel pretty good,” Ragnow said in his typical understated fashion.
Translation: he feels great, as much as anyone can feel great after six seasons in the NFL.
“I tell ya, the pain is one thing, but the feeling of not being out there? I don’t know, (it’s) almost like you’ve kind of got it easy because you're not out there every day – (that’s) frustrating. And so, I feel like one of the guys, going day in and day out. Really refreshing.”
Refreshing, too, for his coaches and teammates, who haven’t seen him practice this many consecutive days since oh, before the Lions were entering training camp with title expectations. So, yes, he feels pretty good.
And the Lions feel pretty good about him feeling pretty good. Just don’t expect them to stop having a little fun at his expense when they’re in front of a microphone.
