Jamal Agnew Fully Embraces Position Change

Read more on how Jamal Agnew's transition from defensive back to wide receiver has gone so far

Jamal Agnew is willing to do whatever it takes to help the Lions win. 

This season, he'll have a chance to make an impact on the team that drafted him in 2017 through playing wide receiver. 

The fourth-year pro was drafted as a defensive back out of the University of San Diego. 

But, since the padded practice portion of training camp kicked off Monday, the 25-year-old has been getting a healthy dose of reps at receiver. 

It means he's been going head-to-head in one-on-one drills with players that he once played the same position as, as was the case Sunday when he went up against veteran slot cornerback Justin Coleman. 

It led to a fun, physical battle for the two on the Allen Park practice field. 

"I always used to mess with JC (Coleman), like if I play receiver, I'd rout you every time," Agnew said Sunday during a video conference with Detroit media. "We kind of banter like that all the time. But, I mean, JC's a great player. So, being able to learn from him last year and then, being able to compete against him this year has been great and has been helping me a lot with the transition." 

Agnew didn't have the luxury of participating in OTAs due to the virtual nature of the offseason, which he says cost him hundreds of reps at receiver -- something he was informed of by Lions receivers coach Robert Prince. 

It also cost Agnew valuable time in learning offensive formations. 

All of which puts him behind the eight ball when it comes to making the transition to the opposite side of the field. 

Yet, he hasn't shown many signs in training camp up to this point of the position change being difficult for him. 

And it's something he believes can be attributed to having experience playing on the defensive side of the ball. 

"It's definitely helped me a lot with the transition, just from understanding defensive concepts and everything, attacking leverage and everything," Agnew said.

It doesn't mean that he didn't have his fair share of struggles behind the scenes getting used to the semantics and concepts involved with the position. 

"It definitely was a challenge learning, you know, different type of play calls. Obviously, the playbook is a little bit different. The huddle call's a lot different. I think that's what got me at first was the huddle calls," Agnew explained. 

Luckily, he's had some great veterans to learn the ins-and-outs of the position from in Danny Amendola, Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones Jr. 

"You know, I've got some great vets in the (receivers) room," Agnew commented. "So, you know, I'm just learning day by day, getting better every day and you know, I'm having fun with it." 

Agnew clearly loves the new challenge that the Lions have presented to him.

And if he continues to build upon the progress he's already made in training camp, the Lions might just end up loving what they get out of him in the passing game in 2020, too.