Last week we heard from offensive coordinator Drew Petzing. This week it was defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard's turn to take questions from the media before Thursday's final OTA practice of the offseason.

Sheppard is entering his second season running Detroit's defense. There's a comfort level that comes with having one season under his belt and there's an expectation that unit will be better in 2026 given the additions and competition developing on that side of the football.

"He is just much more comfortable," Lions head coach Dan Campbell said of Sheppard entering his second season as DC. "I think he is much more comfortable, I think he's got a much better grasp of how he wants it to look, now he's coaching all of it, he's coaching the front, he's coaching the backers and he's coaching the back end, he sees it all.

"And that's what happens when you're able to do it, you go through a season, you go through the practices, you kind of key and diagnose yourself as a play caller and as a, 'Hey this is where we can get a little bit better'. I love where Shep is at right now."

Here are my five biggest takeaways from Sheppard's media session Thursday:

1. It's tough to evaluate the trench play along the offensive and defensive lines until the pads come on in training camp and the physicality ramps up. That said, Sheppard likes the early makeup along the edge of Detroit's defensive front.

He said it was important this offseason to add length on the edge. GM Brad Holmes certainly did that with players like DJ Wonnum (6-5), Payton Turner (6-6) and Anthony Lucas (6-5). All-Pro Aidan Hutchinson is 6-foot-7. Even rookie Derrick Moore has long arms and good length at 6-foot-3.

Sheppard said the competition in that room is going to be fierce come training camp. He thinks six or seven players are legitimately competing in that room for final roster spots heading into camp.

2. Sheppard is convinced watching and listening to veteran defensive lineman Alim McNeill this spring that McNeill will be back closer to the 2024 version of himself and not like late last year when he was returning from an ACL injury.

McNeill said last week he feels great and is ready to provide the consistent quarterback pressure from the interior of Detroit's defensive front they need.

3. The Lions could utilize the nickel position more than they did last year, Sheppard said, and he's looking forward to the competition there. For the last two seasons that nickel role was Amik Robertson's. He moved on in free agency and now veteran Roger McCreary has gotten the most run there with the first-team defense in nickel situations.

"We are planning to utilize the nickel position more," Sheppard said Thursday. "We have a lot of candidates that we've been logging into that role. Who is that going to be? There's a lot of question marks right now."

McCreary is a crafty veteran with extensive experience playing both in the nickel and on the outside. He's logged over 3,000 career NFL snaps. Izien and rookie Keith Abney II will get looks too.

Sheppard talked about the overall depth and versatility among the cornerback group as an early strength on defense.

4. Sheppard said Petzing is doing a good job this spring showing his defense a lot of different offensive looks and some of those have put his defense in unfamiliar and uncomfortable positions they've had to navigate through both on the field and in the meeting room.

"I'll tell you right now Drew Petzing has come in here this spring and has shown us so many different looks," Sheppard said. "Things that I'm telling you we did not even begin to discuss (last year) until we got to the season. There's conversations being had right now in the spring because of what they've presented offensively."

Sheppard said he loves how his defensive coaching staff has come together this spring to become problem solvers.

5. There are a lot of question marks in Detroit about the safety position with the injury uncertainty with Kerby Joseph (knee) and Brian Branch (Achilles). When healthy, Joseph and Branch are arguably the best safety duo in football.

Sheppard talked extensively Thursday about the depth Detroit has built at the safety position with players like Chuck Clark, Izien, Thomas Harper, Dan Jackson and Loren Strickland. He believes the defense is in a much better spot this season to handle any potential time Joseph and Branch might miss.