Training camp is in full swing at the Meijer Performance Center as the Detroit Lions completed their first three acclimation period practices.

The pads come on next week and that will ramp up both the competition and the evaluation process.

Here's a look at some players who have stood out to me during the first few days of camp:

1. Wide receiver Jameson Williams

The fifth-year wide receiver has had a nice start to camp, proving to be an early playmaker in Drew Petzing's offense. We already knew Williams' ability to make plays down the field with his speed, and we saw that Day 1 of practice on Wednesday when he made a terrific catch deep down the field over cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. and safety Chuck Clark.

Williams has become a more complete receiver over the last year and he's made plays at every level to begin camp. He does all the little things right with his route running to gain separation, and quarterback Jared Goff looks to have a ton of confidence in him right now. Williams made another great catch on Day 2 along the sideline, gaining a little bit of separation on the top of his route from cornerback D.J. Reed. Williams made a diving catch on Day 3 in one-on-one drills against the defensive backs. He is showing off his full repertoire so far in training camp and if his early play is any indication he's poised for a monster season.

2. Cornerback Nick Whiteside

No one in the defensive backfield has gotten their hands on more footballs through the early part of training camp than Whiteside. He had three pass breakups during Day 1 of practice and recorded another pass breakup and an interception off quarterback Teddy Bridgewater on Friday.

Whiteside played in nine games for the Lions in 2025 and showed some good things. He has good size at 6-foot-1, 200 pounds. He's giving Detroit's defensive coaches a lot to talk about.

"We get him back with us here and look, he's all about business," Lions head coach Dan Campbell said of Whiteside this week. "It's not too big for him, he's all about business and he's going to maximize everything he's got. And he looks like he wants a spot and he wants a job, that's what he looks like. He made more plays than anybody out there. So that's encouraging, it's good to see."

3. Defensive lineman Alim McNeill

Campbell said when the coaches sat down this offseason and looked at McNeill's reps before the ACL he suffered at the end of the 2024 season and the reps from when he returned in the middle of last season, they could tell he was favoring that leg and didn't have the same explosiveness. Now more than a year removed from the injury, McNeill has looked more like his old self to start camp.

His combination of power and speed has been a lot to handle early on for interior offensive linemen, and they haven't even put the pads on yet. McNeill and second-year defensive lineman Tyleik Williams have looked solid in the middle of Detroit's defense to start camp. That duo will be critical for Detroit's success in stopping both the run and pass this season.

4. Tight end Sam LaPorta

The Lions missed LaPorta down the stretch last season when he missed the final eight weeks of the season due to a back injury that required surgery. Now back and full go to start camp, he has picked up right where he left off before the injury.

He's such a mismatch piece for this offense with his size/speed combination. LaPorta's presence opens more lanes for everyone else to operate because he's a player defenses have to adjust their coverage for - he can't be covered one-on-one by a linebacker. To start camp, LaPorta has made several good plays. It's good to see 87 back to being a big part of this offense again.

5. Linebacker Derrick Barnes

Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard has asked Barnes to do a little bit more in the passing game as Detroit looks to fill the role in nickel defense left vacant by the departure of Alex Anzalone in free agency. Barnes has made some early plays in that role, recording an interception off Goff in Thursday's practice.

Barnes is a player who can wear a lot of different hats in Sheppard's defense. He can play on the ball as the SAM and provide some pass rush (four sacks & five quarterback hits last year). He also chipped in 78 tackles and six tackles for loss. Barnes is playing a lot in the nickel alongside fellow linebacker Jack Campbell and has made some early improvements in that part of his game.