7-on-7: The team ended practice with some 7-on-7 work with the first-team offense and defense getting two sessions and 12 total reps against one another. The first series of six reps went to the defense. Safety Kerby Joseph and cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. nearly recorded interceptions, and quarterback Jared Goff was just 2-for-6 on the drill set up to simulate a 3rd & 5.
Goff and the offense came back strong on the second session. Wide receiver Kalif Raymond found some open space over the middle twice for first downs, and tight end Sam LaPorta, wide receiver Jameson Williams and running back Craig Reynolds also had first-down grabs as Goff completed 5-of-6 passes in the second session against the No. 1 defense.
Hutchinson returns: Friday was the first time we've seen Aidan Hutchinson on the field since he suffered a broken leg Oct. 13 of last season. He had a couple nice rushes in team periods and looks to be just as disruptive as ever. It's going to be huge for this defense to have him back on the edge.
O-line shuffle: One of the best competitions to keep an eye on once camp starts will be for the starting right and left guard spots. Second-round pick Tate Ratledge was moving between center and right guard with the first-team offense as Frank Ragnow was not taking part in practice Friday. He rotated spots with veteran Graham Glasgow, who was also playing some center and right guard. Second-year player Christian Mahogany was almost exclusively playing left guard with the first team. Veteran Kayode Awosika also mixed in with the first team at right guard. That will be a fun competition to watch all camp long.
No contact: NFL rules prohibit contact during OTAs, but sometimes it just can't be avoided. The offense was running some skeleton pass routes on air with LaPorta running a crosser over the middle and he ran right into offensive coordinator John Morton. LaPorta laughed, removed the towel tucked into his pants and threw it in the air to call an illegal contact penalty on Morton. It was a funny moment the two joked about off to the side a little later.
Opportunity: When someone is playing opposite Hutchinson along Detroit's defensive line, there's a great chance they're going to see a lot of one-on-one blocks with plenty of opportunity to make plays. That should be the case for veteran Marcus Davenport if he can stay healthy. Davenport missed 15 games last year due to injury. Friday he had a couple nice rushes in a team period and got his hands on a Goff pass intended for an open pass catcher in the flat that would have been a good gainer. It's good to see him back making an early impact.
Trash talkers: Who would have thought the two biggest trash talkers on the field Friday would be defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard and running backs coach Tashard Choice. Actually, that's not that hard to believe if you know both coaches. The two were chirping back-and-forth all practice during offense vs. defense team and 7-on-7 periods. Shep was also getting into it with a group of Lions receivers standing close to him.
Sheppard is going to bring the energy and he's going to let people know when his defense makes a play. Same goes for Choice on offense. There should be some fun exchanges between them as the competition ramps up this summer. It's early, but it's already evident after just one open practice the defense has taken on the personality of their leader because there were definitely the more vocal unit Friday.
View photos from Day 2 of Detroit Lions OTA practice on Thursday, May 29, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich.
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson (97) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) and Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (0) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams (1) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions linebacker Derrick Barnes (55) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Tim Patrick (12) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions kicker Jake Bates (39) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions offensive coordinator John Morton during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson (97) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. (9) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Marcus Davenport (92) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions tackle Taylor Decker (68), Detroit Lions tackle Penei Sewell (58), Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16), Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (0) and Detroit Lions wide receiver Tim Patrick (12) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions linebacker Mitchell Agude (50) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams (1) and Detroit Lions wide receiver Malik Taylor (86) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Ahmed Hassanein (61) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions tackle Penei Sewell (58) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions long snapper Hogan Hatten (49) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Roy Lopez (51) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (0) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (87) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams (1) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Malik Taylor (86) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions kicker Jake Bates (39) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions safety Erick Hallett (36) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Kalif Raymond (11) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions running backs coach Tashard Choice during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions running back Craig Reynolds (13) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions linebacker Zach Cunningham (52), Detroit Lions linebacker Ezekiel Turner (47) and Detroit Lions tight end Shane Zylstra (84) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (0) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Jackson Meeks (83) and Detroit Lions cornerback Stantley Thomas-Oliver III (38) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Dominic Lovett (19) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Malik Taylor (86) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions running back Craig Reynolds (13) and Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (87) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 29, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Standing out: Rakestraw, Detroit's second-round pick last year who only played in eight games because of injury, has a great opportunity to make an impact this spring with fellow second-year cornerback Terrion Arnold not taking part in practice. Rakestraw was with the first unit opposite D.J. Reed at outside cornerback and he made a couple plays. He was also the first-team gunner on punt. He got a shoutout after practice from linebacker Jack Campbell, who said Rakestraw is one of the youngsters who has caught his eye this spring. That's great news for Detroit's depth at the position.
Backup rushers: A couple edge rushers who caught my eye with some good rushes Sunday were Isaac Ukwu and rookie Ahmed Hassanein. Ukwu was in on a number of plays in the backfield and even got some love from Sheppard for his efforts. Hassanein had a nice rush where quarterback Kyle Allen would have paid a serious price trying to make a deep throw with Hassanein bearing down on him. It will be fun to see who emerges behind Hutchinson and Davenport for playing time on the edge.
