The Detroit Lions had their first day of rookie minicamp on Friday and each of the team's 2024 NFL Draft picks took part, on top of a slew of undrafted free agents and tryout players.
Cornerback Terrion Arnold spoke to the media after the session and was responsible for easily the best quote of the day that shows the kind of dog he has in him.
"I'll never forget one time my mom kicked my tooth out because we was just going at it so hard so if my mom was out here right now and she lined up across me as a receiver, I would jam her into the dirt," Arnold said, per ESPN's Eric Woodyard.
"That's my mindset and my mom knows that right now. I just mean it in the simple aspect of like football-wise, that's just the way that I think and the way that I was brought up."
With the first day in the books, here's one takeaway for each of the team's 2024 NFL Draft picks.
Takeaways from Lions draft picks
Terrion Arnold plays outside, shows swagger, burst
According to Jeremy Reisman of Pride of Detroit, the first-round pick received starters reps on the outside, which doesn't come as much of a surprise considering that's where he's projected to end up.
First day on the job @ArnoldTerrion pic.twitter.com/SHAn6yi7l7
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) May 10, 2024
Jeff Risdon of Lions Wire noted that Arnold has an "outward swagger" and is very talkative. Risdon was also impressed by the Alabama product's burst.
Ennis Rakestraw Jr. limited, played slot
Rakestraw saw his workload limited, likely because of his core muscle surgery he had earlier this offseason that was still impacting him during his pro day in March. He says the injury is no longer a concern.
"That’s just the plan they already had set for me," he said, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. "I was trying to go, but they was like, 'Nah, you trying to exceed your reps we already had for you.' But what I got to do a great job of is sticking to the plan. They’ve been here, they’ve got a ton of experience and just keep it like that."
"I feel fine from my injury, they just still want — I tell them I'm fine but they want to 100% know I’m fine so I’m going to stick to their plan moving forward," Rakestraw added.
When he did get reps, the Lions had Rakestraw working from the slot, where he says he feels comfortable.
“That’s how I played my freshman year as a starter,” he said. “I started at nickel and I started at corner, so to me, that’s just my home.”
Of course, in order for Rakestraw to earn the starting slot job, the Lions would have to use Brian Branch at safety, which is a possibility in 2024. The Missouri product should also get a look on the outside, but nickel is his best avenue to significant snaps.
Giovanni Manu looks raw, shows promise
Risdon pointed out that while Manu was impressive in terms of his physical stature, "raw might not even be strong enough for his relative skill level," citing some bad holds and hand placement the rookie displayed.
But Manu did have a perfect rep during the session and that left Risdon thinking about how good he can be if his potential is ever realized.
"There’s a lot of work needed before Manu could ever be trusted in a game, but if he comes even close to fulfilling the athletic promise he showed on that glorious rep, the NFL won’t be ready for him," Risdon wrote.
Sione Vaki shines in special teams
Per Birkett, Vaki had a hiccup with a fumble during the special teams period, but was "easily the team's most impressive player during special teams drills."
Vaki shined in particular in kickoff coverage, where Risdon said how he was "unblockable." Birkett also noted, however, that he had a bad rep as a blocker himself
"I feel like (specials teams is) catered to my skill set," Vaki said. "Just being closer to the box and things like that, being able to be explosive right off the bat. We’re only 5 yards away (from the blockers), so yeah, I don’t know. We’re going to watch this tape and see how good I did."
Mekhi Wingo also lines up at DE
There wasn't a ton of information out there on Wingo, but we do know he took some reps at defensive end, per Risdon, who also noted that the LSU product got the better of and disrupted UDFA center Kingsley Eguakun on one rep.
Christian Mahogany played at RG
Take this for what it's worth, but Mahogany saw reps at right guard on Friday, according to Risdon, who adds that the Boston College product has "fast foot frequency while engaged and it allows him to unleash power even more than what he naturally has in wide-chested upper body."
