Pads on: It finally felt like real football Monday morning at the Meijer Performance Center as the Detroit Lions took part in their first padded practice of camp. The competition and physicality always ramps up when the pads come on. It's the first time we can really start evaluating the line play.

I thought defensive lineman Tyler Lacy (6-4, 300) put together another nice practice. He completely wrecked one play at the end of an early team period getting pressure on a Jared Goff bootleg pass, forcing Goff to just throw the ball into the ground. The effort earned Lacy a pat on the helmet from run game coordinator/defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers.

Pass rush drills: I wasn't going to miss the one-on-one pass-rush drills between the offensive and defensive lineman on the first padded practice. Here are a few highlights:

• Aidan Hutchinson got the better of Penei Sewell on the first rep of the period with a nice inside move. Sewell came right back the next rep and stonewalled Hutch.
• Christian Mahogany is in a competitive battle to win the left guard spot. He said the other day after practice that his big focus this offseason was working on improving his pass pro. I had him winning both his reps vs. Alim McNeill Monday.
• Rookie right tackle Blake Miller won his first rep against Lacy, but lost to DJ Wonnum on a nice outside rush by Wonnum on his second rep.
• Right guard Tate Ratledge won both his reps against Mekhi Wingo and Levi Onwuzurike. Ratledge has had a nice start to camp as he's picked up where he left off the second half of last season.
• Center Cade Mays split his reps. He lost the first rep to Tyleik Williams, who got good leverage and bull rushed Mays back into the quarterback. Mays anchored well on a second rep, a bull rush attempt by Chris Smith, and won the rep.
• Some players who also won a couple reps included: Edge rusher Ahmed Hassanein, edge rusher Anthony Lucas and guard Melvin Priestly.

Hype man: In a WR blocking drill Jameson Williams had to get by Amon-Ra St. Brown and knock over a tackling dummy. St. Brown and Williams are two of the better blockers at the receiver position in the league, and St. Brown ended up winning the rep after Assistant wide receivers coach Bruce Gradkowski got the crowd riled up in anticipation for it.

Physical corner: One of the things Lions general manager Brad Holmes touted after drafting Keith Abney II in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft was Abney's physicality. We saw it Day 1 in pads. At nickel, he did a good job identifying a run play and shot the gap to put a nice hit on the running back for a tackle for loss. That got a rise out of the defensive players watching behind the play as Abney stood up and flexed to the crowd.

Working on the side: We've seen All-Pro safety Kerby Joseph getting in good workouts off to the side of practice a few times now over the last week. That looks to be a good sign as Joseph rehabs a knee injury that kept him out of the last 11 games of the 2025 season and has prevented him from taking part in practice so far this offseason and training camp. Also working out for the first time on the outdoor field was safety Brian Branch, who tore his Achilles in December. He looked to be moving pretty well. Reserve tight end Tyler Conklin (calf) was also working off to the side.

TE depth: While Conklin has been absent from practice so far in camp as he rehabs the calf injury, Detroit has also suffered injuries to tight ends Miles Kitselman (leg) and Anthony Firkser (leg). The Lions signed tight end Nick Muse on Monday as Muse, Jackson Meeks and Thomas Gordon are the current depth behind Sam LaPorta and Brock Wright. It's a good opportunity for that trio to get quality reps and make an impression for the No. 3 tight end role.

WR distribution: When an offense is really humming in the passing game, they distribute the football around and get everyone involved. That was the case for Detroit's first-team offense in the final team period. Goff completed passes to St. Brown (2), Williams and Isaac TeSlaa in a four-play sequence, getting all three of their top receivers into the action.

Injury report:  Running back Sione Vaki left practice early after getting his eye poked on his first carry of the first team period of practice. Also leaving Monday's practice due to injury were wide receiver Lawrence Keys (leg) and Firkser (leg).