Two Detroit Lions Rookies Disappoint against Seattle Seahawks

Dan Campbell provided an honest assessment on two rookies who play on defense during his weekly radio appearance on 97.1 The Ticket.

General manager Brad Holmes has received positive reviews for his first draft class and its performance throughout the 2021 NFL season. 

Right tackle Penei Sewell and wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown are poised to be solid contributors for the next several seasons. 

The same cannot be said for linebacker Derrick Barnes and defensive end Levi Onwuzurike, who both were part of a defense that gave up a whopping 51 points in a disappointing Week 17 road loss.  

Seattle's offense was able to score on nine consecutive offensive drives, and took advantage of the many youthful mistakes made by Detroit's rookies. 

Speaking during his weekly radio appearance on 97.1 The Ticket, Lions head coach Dan Campbell provided an honest assessment of two rookies he felt have struggled recently. 

“He’s (Barnes) got to play better. He’s got to play better, and I thought he took a step back," he said. "We need more from our stack-backers. You asked me, and I would say, yeah, he’s improving. He’s learning, he’s growing, and not that he’s not (growing), but after last week, he took a step back.”

For the young linebacker, continuing to learn from each and every play will aid in his development moving forward. 

“I think with Derrick, there’s things that he learns from that he doesn’t have to make a mistake to learn from. But, then there’s enough of these where, honestly, he’s got to stick his hand in the fire before he realizes that it is hot," Campbell said. "You can’t just tell him. He’s got to figure it out himself.”

Onwuzurike has been inconsistent throughout his rookie campaign, and has been all but absent from the stat sheet in the last month. 

According to USA Today LionsWire, "Onwuzurike has not recorded a single QB pressure in the last month, and his run defense and tackling have been disturbingly bad."

Detroit's struggles stopping the run and tackling woes surfaced again in an abysmal defensive performance Sunday in Seattle. 

Missed tackles, poor containment and rookie mistakes have drawn the attention of the coaching staff, due to Onwuzurike's inexperience.

“Levi is kind of what he’s been. He’s been up and down. He flashed. Man, he shows out, and the next play, it’s a learning experience. Next play, he shows out. Next play, it’s a learning experience," Campbell explained “So, there’s just some inexperience there that he’s still having to get over bumps in the road -- which he will.”

© Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

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