3 Things to Watch with Lions Donning Pads

Here's what you should watch for as the 2023 Detroit Lions don the pads for the first time during training camp.

On Friday, the Detroit Lions, at their Allen Park practice facility, will work out in pads for the first time this summer. And, to no surprise, there are questions aplenty regarding what Dan Campbell's highly-anticipated squad will look like when it takes the field.

Without further ado, here are three things to watch for, as the Lions don the pads for the first time this training camp.

How will Detroit's rookie class fare 

The Lions' 2023 draft class has had a strong start to training camp. The first-year pros also looked good during OTAs and minicamp in the offseason. So, now let's see how they look with the pads on. 

The eyes of fans and pundits alike will especially be focused on Detroit's first-round picks, Jahmyr Gibbs and Jack Campbell, and the team's second-rounders, Sam LaPorta and Brian Branch. All four of the aforementioned rookies are expected to log snaps in 2023, and both Campbell and LaPorta are trending toward being Week 1 starters. 

Even seventh-rounder Antoine Green has a chance to make the Lions' 53-man roster out of camp, due to Marvin Jones Jr. presently being on the non-football injury list and Jameson Williams being suspended for the first six games of the regular season.

So, now it'll be interesting to see if the above players look as fluid and impressive when they don the pads for the first time Friday.

Jared Goff's chemistry with pass-catchers

Goff looked more and more in tune with his pass-catchers as the 2022 campaign progressed. Now, let's see if that carries over to the 2023 season, Goff's third year under center in Detroit.

We know that Goff has already established a tremendous rapport with Lions No. 1 wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown. Now, let's watch if he can do the same with Williams, a second-year receiver, LaPorta, a first-year pass-catcher, and the rest of his receiving corps. I believe that doing so will be ultra critical to Goff sustaining the success he experienced in the second half of last season.

Graham Glasgow vs. Halapoulivaati Vaitai

Who will emerge as the winner of the right guard battle? Vaitai might have the upper hand currently. But, remember, he's failed to consistently stay healthy during his tenure with the Lions, and missed all of last season due to injury. 

It's why Glasgow, now in his second stint with Detroit, was brought in as competition for Vaitai and the right guard job. 

I expect the two of them to continue to share the first-team RG reps. And, as long as Glasgow and Vaitai both stay healthy during camp, I think the winner will be decided by who performs better at the position. 

Right now, I'll go with the incumbent in Vaitai. But, I wouldn't be surprised if Glasgow, with all his years of experience on the interior of the offensive line, emerges victorious by the end of camp.