Veteran presence: We usually see a few veterans taking part in rookie minicamp, mostly players who spent a lot of time on the practice squad a year ago or were injured and see the weekend as a good opportunity to stand out. This year we’ve got edge rusher Isaac Ukwu, linebacker DaRon Gilbert, center Kingsley Eguakun and safety Erick Hallett, who were part of the Lions team last year and are taking part this weekend.
We also have a few veterans here on a tryout basis, including cornerback Duke Shelley, wide receiver Malik Taylor, defensive lineman Trevis Gipson and defensive lineman Breiden Fehoko.
New coordinators: We got a look at new defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard and new offensive coordinator John Morton in action for the first time in their respective roles. Sheppard, as expected, wasn’t shy about correcting and praising his defensive players. We’re used to that with the linebackers, but now it extends to the entire defense. Morton’s style is a little less vocal and he stuck pretty close to quarterback Cole Snyder (tryout from Eastern Michigan) all practice.