Detroit Lions Training Camp Observations Day 5: One player is looking a lot better than we thought he would

The pads are on, and now training camp is officially in full swing for the Detroit Lions. This was a pretty solid day in the rain, and some hits went down for sure. You could feel the energy out there. Here are some of my biggest observations from the day.  Terrion Arnold is fine Concerns […]

Mike Payton — Detroit Lions Beat Writer
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The pads are on, and now training camp is officially in full swing for the Detroit Lions. This was a pretty solid day in the rain, and some hits went down for sure. You could feel the energy out there. Here are some of my biggest observations from the day. 

Terrion Arnold is fine

Concerns were coming out of camp on Thursday when Arnold left the field and was evaluated for a leg injury. It was later reported that Arnold had a calf strain. On Frida, you'd never know that was a thing. He wasn't even wearing a calf sleeve. 

Then, in one-on-one drills, he hit Jameson Williams so hard that Williams' helmet flew off, and everyone went crazy. He participated in everything on Friday. It's safe to say he's ok. 

Movement at center

Early on, it seemed like center was Tate Ratledge's job to lose. Now it would seem that he's going to have to do a little bit more earning with it. Lions head coach Dan Campbell did say on Friday that the Lions wanted to give Ratledge some looks at right guard, so this isn't something where Ratledge was so bad they had to move him. He's actually looked pretty good there. But it looks like this one might come down to the wire. That's a good problem to have.

Kyle Allen is looking better than anyone thought he would

When the Lions signed Kyle Allen in free agency, there was a thought that "sure, he would compete with Hooker, but that Hooker was taking this job no matter what." That hasn't been the case so far. 

Allen has been with the second team while Hooker has been with the third, and while Allen is not showing QB1-type stuff out there, it's all been clean. There have been no mistakes from him yet. It's catching everyone's eye early on. Don't be shocked if he starts the Hall of Fame game next week. 

Keep in mind that Nate Sudfeld looked good early in camp last year, too, but once he got in a game, it was bad. Allen looks better than Sudfeld did, and at least he has a history of being an NFL starter. We'll see how he does Thursday against the Chargers. 

Hooker is not out of it, though

Friday was a nice day for Hooker. He has some really good moments. In particular, he scrambled for a first down on one play and then stood in the pocket under pressure and hit Ronnie Bell. The coaching staff really loved that. There were a lot of "That a way 2" type chants. This wasn't the first good day of Hooker's camp, but he hasn't jumped Allen yet, and the staff seems to trust Allen more. We'll see where it goes.

Hutchinson looks ready to go

You can't hit the guy in red during these practices, and Jared Goff has to be super happy about that. Hutchinson came in on Goff's blind side, and Goff dead to rights on what would have been a sack fumble in a live game. Goff never saw him coming. Hutchinson doesn't look like a guy who broke his leg last year. 

Jameson Williams should stay far away from punt returns

We all know that Williams is super fast and can make a lot of guys miss. That's why it seems like having him as a return man makes sense. But after today, he should just stay away from it because catching the punts looks like something he struggles with. 

In one instance, he muffed a catch, and it was picked up by the gunner. In the two others, his form just looks weird, and he's almost reaching out for the ball instead of trying to secure it and pull it in. I can't fully explain it, but it looks clunky and therefore terrifying in live games. Kalif Raymond should keep this gig. 

Dominic Lovett is turning heads

I've been open about not understanding the pick when it came to Lovett, but he's showing stuff on special teams that puts him in position to get that sixth receiver spot. In speed drills, he was beating his man to the pad every single time as a gunner. It makes you notice that every time you look at him, he's where he's supposed to be. On offense, he was with he third team, but he was making catches and getting open. Jackson Meeks is still going to give him a challenge, but Lovett is really standing out. 

Davenport is the real deal, and it's scary

Man, this guy is out there getting pressure and getting stops and doing everything you want him to do. It's really scary because you want it to work so badly, and you're going to be worried about him and injuries all year long. But if it works out, an apology is going to be needed for Brad Holmes. 

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