Last week the Detroit Lions wrapped up their mandatory mini camp and OTA's. Now it's time for the Lions to go on their last vacations before it's time to get things going at training camp. 

Until then, we'll be talking about the guys who shined at OTA's and mandatory mini camp. We'll also talk about the guys who have things to work on. There were a decent amount of both, but we'll be carving it down to the three that stood out the most on both sides. 

Here's the three guys that shined the most for the Lions during their offseason activities:

C.J. Gardner Johnson

The Lions went out and brought in a decent amount of free agents this offseason. None of them have acclimated to being in Detroit as well as Gardner-Johnson. 

Gardner-Johnson immediately came in and formed a bond with other members of the Lions secondary and his style of play, as well as his style of trash talk, has already rubbed off on the rest of the guys around him. 

The Lions  secondary had a really great camp as a unit, it feels like Gardner-Johnson is a big reason for that. 

Derrick Barnes

Derrick Barnes' time in Detroit has been interesting. Early on in his rookie year, it seemed like Barnes was going to pop and be a big part of the Lions defense going forward. Things wound up cooling off. In year two it felt liek they cooled off even more. 

That's not to say that Barnes has been a bust or anything. He's been fine. There's been moments when he's flashed that play that made Lions fans fall in love with him during the preseason of 2021, but he's otherwise been fine. 

Things have perked up for Barnes lately. He's been working with the first unit in OTA's and mini camp. I think most expected Jack Campbell to be there. That's no slight at the rookie. The Lions have the luxury to not have to start all their rookies right now. They have time to develop them into their best selves before they throw them into the deep end. 

It's a good sign for Barnes though. It shows that he's stepped up enough to impress Kelvin Sheppard and that the Lions have trust in him. It also helped that he delivered during his time with the first unit. 

Jahmyr Gibbs

Who's ready to be excited? Jahmyr Gibbs looks like he's everything he was advertised to be and maybe more. The speed is there, the agility is there, the playmaking skills are there. It's all there. This guy is putting up highlights as mini camp. Nobody is supposed to care about highlights right now, but look at this cut. 

Jahmyr Gibbs showing off what he can do from WR. The cuts are going to be fun to watch. Detroit got a good one? pic.twitter.com/0a8b3IKkrm

— College Football Alerts  (@CFBAlerts_) June 15, 2023

The footwork has really been on display since Gibbs has hit the field. it's been quite a sight to see. 

What we've really gleaned from Gibbs performance at mandatory mini camp is what the Lions can do with Gibbs on their offense. There's been plenty of talk abotu all that the Lions can do with him, but now we can see that the possibilities are endless.

Gibbs can be quite the playmaker for the Lions in 2023. Especially the receiving game. If he keeps things up this way at training camp next month, the excitement for what Gibbs can do in his rookie year might be too much to handle.

Which Lion could be this years camp darling?

Here’s three candidates

Featured image Ryan Garza / USA TODAY NETWORK