Which Lion could be this years camp darling?
Every year the Lions get on the field for training camp with the goal to get ready for the upcoming season. Some Lions fans usually have a different goal every year though. Their goal is to find the one player that barely has a shot to make the 53 man roster and become that players […]
Every year the Lions get on the field for training camp with the goal to get ready for the upcoming season. Some Lions fans usually have a different goal every year though. Their goal is to find the one player that barely has a shot to make the 53 man roster and become that players biggest fan.
It's called the camp darling and there's a different one every year. Names like Carmen Messina, Matt Willis, Jace Billingsley, Havard "Kickalicious" Rugland and Tom Kennedy are all names that come to mind. Sometimes these players do wind up making it and other times they don't
Who will be the camp darling in Allen Park this year? We've got three candidates that can fill the role.
Mohamed Ibrahim
Here's a guy that I'm a fan of already. I wrote about him not too long ago when I was still with Pride of Detroit. I do believe that of everyone we're talking about today, Ibrahim has the best chance to make the Lions 53 man roster.
The reason that everyone is going to fall in love with him is the way he runs the ball. Ibrahim is a wrecking ball out there. He's the kind of guy that it takes more than one man to take down. That's if you can get him down. I mean look at this.
If Ibrahim can show some of this type of running in the NFL, he's going to go places in this league. The reason he works out for the Lions is that he fits what the team is doing at running back better than Craig Reynolds does.
Whereas David Montgomery is your bell cow back and Jahmyr Gibbs is your space guy, Ibrahim is a perfect compliment as a goal or short yardage back. If you're looking for a reason to watch that third preseason game that everyone usually likes to skip because nobody is playing in it, here's your reason.
Chase Cota
It wouldn't be a camp darling article without the inclusion of a wide receiver. Most of the guys we named above were receivers. Detroit loves them some pass catchers.
Cota has some tools the Lions could utilize. He's a 6-foot-4 receiver that has a lot of athleticism. He scored a 9.34 Relative Athletic Score after his pro day. He has the agility to accelerate well and go up and get the contested catch. Take a look.
The thing that holds Cota back is that he's not the quickest and lacks separation. He can accelerate well, which helps him gain some separation if he's running straight down the field. If he has to do much else, he struggles. Maybe these are things that can be coached up.
The good thing is the Lions don't need him to be much more than an X type receiver that can go done and make the catch. He might also be a good candidate to work in the red zone where he can go up and get the ball with his 37.5 inch vertical.
Brandon Jospeh
Notre Dame's Jospeh probably should have had his named called in the draft this year, but he did not. The Lions were able to steal him afterwards when they signed him as an undrafted free agent.
The Lions are pretty set at safety when it comes to guys who will start, but there's some issues with depth. Especially after the team released C.J. Moore after he was suspended by the league for gambling on NFL games at an NFL facility. Joseph can fill that role for the Lions. He can be a special teams guy as well as a guy that can flex in when needed.
Joseph didn't show it at Notre Dame his senior year, but he was a ball hawk at Northwestern before he entered the transfer portal. He grabbed nine interceptions while he was there. Including this one on Bears quarterback Justin Fields.
While Joseph won't be as exciting as Cota or Ibrahim, he'll be the guy that probably has the best chance to make the Lions 53 man roster when its all said and done.
Featured image by Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK
