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TIM AND MIKE: Minicamp Day 1 observations

Tabor time: Second-year cornerback Teez Tabor has been receiving a lot of reps opposite Darius Slay at the outside cornerback spot with the first-team defense during the parts of practice open to the media this offseason. During Tuesday's mandatory minicamp practice, Tabor made a terrific interception off quarterback Matthew Stafford that he returned for a touchdown. – Tim Twentyman

A lonnnnng line: There was a new look at the start of practice for the offensive linemen before they broke to do position drills. They all lined up in their stance, and the three quarterbacks behind them – Matthew Stafford, Jake Rudock and Matt Cassel – took snaps from centers spaced out at intervals. At the snap, the linemen fired out. They repeated it several times. And with no false starts. – *Mike O'Hara

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Heads up: While some team assistants were setting up a special teams drill on one of the fields (the Lions have two outdoor fields next to one another), Sam Martin was booming punts from the end zone in the direction of the assistants setting up. Martin got ahold of one particular 60-yard moon shot that, unfortunately, landed right on one of the unsuspecting assistants. Both assistants stopped, looked over at Martin, who put his hand up as a 'my bad' gesture, and then went right back to punting. – Tim Twentyman

Dual roles: The nice thing about players like veteran Quandre Diggs is that they can play many roles. That was certainly the case during the first day of the mandatory minicamp Tuesday. Diggs played both safety and the nickel cornerback spot. Jamal Agnew also got a lot of run at slot cornerback Tuesday. – Tim Twentyman

Versatility: It might have meant nothing, but defensive end Cornelius Washington worked briefly with the linebackers and defensive backs in a passing drill. And in an offensive drill, tight ends Luke Willson and Levine Toilolo lined up in the backfield. – Mike O'Hara

Left guard again: First-round pick Frank Ragnow was again getting reps with the first-team offense at left guard. Veteran Graham Glasgow was at center. Ragnow was also playing left guard in the open OTA practice two weeks ago. – Tim Twentyman

Out of place: Ryan Santoso looks the most out of place of anyone at Lions practice. The backup punter stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 258 pounds. He has a big leg, but he looks like he should be working out with the tight ends and not the specialists. – *Tim Twentyman

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Paddle game: Some assistant coaches were using large paddles in drills against the quarterbacks to simulate rushing defensive linemen with their arms up. It seems like a good way to simulate the lanes quarterbacks have to find to get ball to their targets. The paddles got one of Matt Cassel's passes that I saw. – Tim Twentyman

Golladay in stride: Wide receiver Kenny Golladay was impressive as a rookie last year – 28 catches, three TDs, and 17.0 yards per catch in only 11 games – and he looked like a veteran on the first day of minicamp. His routes were sharp, and he cut and accelerated after catching the ball with power and no hesitation. - Mike O'Hara

Participation report: Defensive end Ziggy Ansah again didn't do much during practice as the Lions are taking it slow with him as he navigates through the rehab of some injuries that bothered him last season. Veteran safety Glover Quin was back after dedicating the last couple months of the offseason training program to spend more time with his family in Houston. He forced a fumble in his first team rep. – Tim Twentyman

QB reps: Cassel took a lot of second-team reps today. The competition between him and Jake Rudock to be Stafford's backup should be an interesting competition to watch all training camp. – Tim Twentyman

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