When the Detroit Lions finished OTAs in the spring and headed to their summer break before the start of training camp, defensive assistant and safeties coach Jim O'Neil told veteran cornerback Rock Ya-Sin to look over some of the safety position because they might give him some safety reps in camp.
Ya-Sin studied up and his time to jump into some safety reps came during Sunday morning's practice at the Meijer Performance Center.
The last time Ya-Sin played safety was in high school, he said with a smile after Sunday's practice. He's shown some versatility in both the run and pass games the first two weeks of camp and the Lions want to continue to see what else he can do.
"Just being multiple and being a versatile guy," Ya-Sin said. "Just trying to show them what I can do, show my teammates what I can, being an asset to the team in any way that I can help this team win."
Ya-Sin signed a one-year deal with the Lions in free agency this offseason after stints in Indianapolis (2019-2021), Las Vegas (2022), Baltimore (2023) and San Francisco (2024). He's played in 79 career games with 39 starts and gives the Lions good experience and depth in the secondary.
He's had a really nice start to camp which is likely why coaches feel comfortable moving him around from both cornerback spots to now safety.
"Yeah, I like Rock," Lions head coach Dan Campbell said Sunday. "We all like Rock. His work ethic, man. He's pretty tough, he's physical, he's headsy, and he's versatile. There's a number of things he can do. I just like this guy. He just can do a lot. He's the same guy every day and just goes to work."
Ya-Sin loves the aggressive scheme and versatility in Detroit. He compared this version of Detroit's defense to the one in Baltimore he was on in 2023.
"The last time I saw it like this was when I was in Baltimore in 2023," he said. "Kyle Hamilton would play a lot of nickel, play safety, down safety, middle safety. He was playing man to man and blitzing playing zone and playing everything. That's the first time I saw a guy do it.
"Now seeing BB (Brian Branch) do it. Seeing Avonte (Maddox) do it. It's really cool because it opens up the playbook. You can call a lot more defenses. You can blitz. You can do a lot of different things, and it makes you very multiple and very hard on the offense. So, I understand the idea behind it."
View photos from Day 9 of Detroit Lions training camp on Sunday August 3, 2025.
Detroit Lions defensive back Brian Branch (32) and Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback D.J. Reed (4) and Detroit Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone (34) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback Tyson Russell (35) and Detroit Lions wide receiver Jackson Meeks (83) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (5) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams (1) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Ronnie Bell (10) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions offensive lineman Graham Glasgow (60) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions offensive lineman Trystan Colon (67) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Malik Taylor (86) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback D.J. Reed (4) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson (97) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (0) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions offensive lineman Graham Glasgow (60) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions linebacker Grant Stuard (15) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Tim Patrick (12) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback Amik Robertson (21) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions tackle Taylor Decker (68) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone (34) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions offensive coordinator John Morton during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Malik Taylor (86) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (87) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Fans during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions edge rusher Marcus Davenport (92) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions linebacker Trevor Nowaske (53) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback Dicaprio Bootle (17) and Detroit Lions wide receiver Jackson Meeks (83) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Tim Patrick (12) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Dominic Lovett (19) and Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph (31) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback D.J. Reed (4) and Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams (1) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback Tyson Russell (35) and Detroit Lions wide receiver Malik Taylor (86) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone (34) and Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (0) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback D.J. Reed (4) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions center Kingsley Eguakun (65) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Kalif Raymond (11) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Jakobie Keeney-James (80) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions tight end Brock Wright (89) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions running back Jacob Saylors (48) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions safety Erick Hallett (36) and Detroit Lions wide receiver Dominic Lovett (19) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone (34) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions linebacker Derrick Barnes (55) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback Avonte Maddox (29) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Ya-Sin played in 15 games with one start on that Ravens defense in 2023 and they finished No. 1 in the regular season in points allowed and No. 6 in total defense.
The play of Detroit's secondary through the first couple weeks of training camp has been one of the highlights, with players like Ya-Sin and Maddox providing terrific depth and versatility behind starters D.J. Reed, Terrion Arnold, Amik Robertson (nickel), Branch and Kerby Joseph.
"I think I fit in well," Ya-Sin said of his place in Detroit's defense. "It's an aggressive defense that plays a lot of man and does a lot of different things. It's aggressive as hell. I love that part about it. It's a technically-sound defense. It's just a really good defense and Shep (DC Kelvin Sheppard) is calling it really well. It's a good system here."
