Lions Training Camp Week 1 Stock Watch

Which Lions' defenders have rising stock?

Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams. / Eric Seals / USA TODAY NETWORK

The next time the Detroit Lions take the practice field, they will do so in shoulder pads.

Contact practices officially begin Monday, although the team has been getting physical throughout their four non-padded practices. The team has a competitive nature, and neither side of the ball was willing to back down.

Several players have popped early in camp. While non-padded work often makes it tough to genuinely gauge where the team and its players stand, there are certain players who appear to be ascending ahead of the start of the season.

Here which players have rising stock, and which players have falling stock, after one week of training camp.

Stock up

Jameson Williams

Jameson Williams has gotten into a rhythm since the spring. The wide receiver has an opportunity for a much bigger role within the offense in his third NFL season, and judging by the way he's looked at the start of training camp he's taking it very seriously.

The Lions have been loud in their praise of the strides he's made this offseason. After last season featured mostly tempered expectations for the talented pass-catcher, this year teammates and coaches have spoken about the potential for a big year.

He looks physically stronger and faster as well. If Williams can remain healthy and available, there's potential for him to be quite dangerous in 2024.

Emmanuel Moseley

Moseley has been the unheralded member of the Lions' new-look secondary ahead of 2024. While Carlton Davis and Terrion Arnold get plenty of shine, Moseley has been grinding to rehab a knee injury suffered in his Lions' debut last season.

He's healthy and has been solid in his first four training camp practices. He's also showing some versatility, which has to be a welcome sight for Aaron Glenn and the defense. With the ability to play on the boundary or kick inside to the slot, he opens up several possibilities for the secondary.

Detroit has the chance to be much improved against the pass from last year, and it will be encouraging to see how Moseley can contribute to that.

Levi Onwuzurike

It has been an encouraging start to the summer for the fourth-year defensive tackle. Onwuzurike had a good spring, in which he revealed to have packed and kept on weight while also getting fully healthy. After lingering back issues and struggling to stay on the field, he appears ready for his chance in 2024.

The Lions may ultimately find unique ways to use him, too. He took some first-team reps at defensive end, as the Lions experiment with utilizing different players in that role. While the start of Onwuzurike's career has been somewhat disappointing due to injuries, there is still a path to a significant role in 2024.

Stock down

James Mitchell

Mitchell is in a battle for the third tight end spot ahead of his third NFL season. With Sam LaPorta and Brock Wright locked into the first two spots, he's fighting for the third spot with a trio of veterans.

He had a miscommunication with Hendon Hooker earlier in the week and has been inconsistent. Meanwhile, Sean McKeon's name popped up a handful of times over the first four practices during his reps with the third team.

Mitchell still has plenty of potential and is an exciting talent, but he needs to show more when the pads come on starting Monday.

Isaiah Williams

Williams has not necessarily been bad in the first week of training camp, and he made a nice play on Saturday. However, his stock is dropping currently simply because he hasn't stood out while other pass-catchers have to this point.

While the Illinois product has been quiet throughout the start of camp, players like Kaden Davis, Daurice Fountain and Maurice Alexander have popped. With roster spots being so thin, standing out will be important as the room is so crowded.

Davis and Fountain continued right where they left off in the spring, with each also getting sprinkled in with the top offensive unit at points. Time will tell if they can keep up that momentum, but the Lions have plenty of options to choose from at receiver.

Zonovan Knight

Knight is in the same boat as Williams early in training camp. At a position with limited roster spots, Knight has struggled to stand out while others have had strong showings.

With Jahmyr Gibbs limited in team drills throughout the week, the Lions leaned more on Craig Reynolds at points. The veteran delivered, hauling in passes and once again showing his reliability within the offense.

There's also rookie Sione Vaki, who is still learning the nuances of the position early in camp. However, he has exciting potential. With these two leading the charge for the depth spots behind Gibbs and David Montgomery, Knight faces an uphill battle.