ALLEN PARK, Mich. — In their three prior NFL Drafts together with the Detroit Lions, general manager Brad Holmes and coach Dan Campbell spent premium picks on everything but cornerback.
That changed last month.
Why?
“Because the best player was there this time,” Lions assistant GM Ray Agnew said Friday ahead of the team’s rookie minicamp.
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The Lions traded up for Alabama corner Terrion Arnold in the first round before taking Missouri corner Ennis Rakestraw Jr. in the second. Detroit’s plan here is obvious: Improve one of the weakest areas on last year’s NFC Championship Game squad with guys who can help immediately. The Lions do not see Arnold or Rakestraw as project players and both figure to be immediate factors once pads come on later this summer.
At least, the Lions hope so.
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Both Arnold and Rakestraw were on the field Friday. Each began 11-on-11 drills as outside corners before Rakestraw slid inside to play some in the slot. Shortly after practice, during Rakestraw’s first meeting with reporters, Arnold snuck up behind Rakestraw in the media scrum to get an early question in.
“How was your first day of practice?” Arnold asked with a smile.
“It was good. Got the blood going a little bit. Got out there with Terrion,” Rakestraw replied with his own smile. “Y’all have to meet him. He’s a bit of a clown out there.”
Rakestraw will wear No. 15. There’s no significance behind that. He simply preferred it to the rest available. Arnold picked No. 0.
Why?
“Because there’s nobody like me,” Arnold said. “It fits me.”
First look: @ArnoldTerrion hits the field 👀 pic.twitter.com/VxK285kVL2
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) May 10, 2024
It has been just one workout, but the Lions expect both of their new corners to be instant fits. Agnew said every player the team took this year plays like “a Lion” from a toughness standpoint. Not just Arnold and Rakestraw, but also running back Sione Vaki, offensive linemen Giovanni Manu and Christian Mahogany and defensive tackle Mekhi Wingo.
They also seem to fit together personally.
After Arnold got a question in during Rakestraw’s availability, Rakestraw ran back to return the favor.
“They drafted both of us,” Arnold said, standing next to Rakestraw minutes later. “We’re going to be here a long time. We’ll grow together. Win together … this is my brother, right here.”
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Will there be competition for playing time between the two this year? Absolutely. That’s also one reason why Detroit went back-to-back at corner — especially with these corners: to heat up the competitive waters in the secondary.
“If my mom were a receiver,” Arnold said, “I’d jam her in the dirt. And she knows that.”
It has been just one day — but it’s safe to say the Lions are all smiles right now with their top two 2024 picks.
“I’m sure Rakestraw thinks he’s better. I’m sure Terrion thinks he’s better,” Agnew said. “That’s a great thing for us.”
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Long way from British Columbia
The Lions turned heads last month when they drafted University of British Columbia’s Manu in the fourth round.
Manu lined up at left tackle Friday morning. And while Manu hasn’t had any conversations with the staff about playing inside yet, Agnew confirmed the Lions will cross-train him at guard and tackle moving forward.
The long-term belief is that Manu can play offensive tackle in Detroit, but both offensive line coach Hank Fraley and Campbell believe he’s athletic enough to play guard. He did play both spots in college.
The path from Canadian college football to the NFL is rare. But for Manu, it was the right one. He moved to British Columbia from Tonga at age 11, leaving his parents to live with his aunt before staying in Western Canada for college. Manu’s parents still have yet to see him play a football game in person.
He says that will change this year.
“I think they’re going to try to surprise me,” Manu said, laughing. “When it happens, it’ll mean even more to me than being drafted.”
Manu said he intentionally picked No. 59 for his jersey because Penei Sewell, a fellow Polynesian player, wears No. 58. Also: 1959 was the birth year of his father, John.
“And today was his birthday,” Manu said.
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Happy birthday, Mr. Manu.
Running back or safety?
The decision about where to play Vaki, a former Utah safety and running back, will ultimately be made by the Lions coaching staff. The front office definitely saw Vaki as a running back, however, when it drafted him last month.
Agnew confirmed as much Friday, saying there no plans to work Vaki on the defensive side of the ball. He spent all of Friday’s workout with the offense. His presence on special teams could be where his real value lies, though. Expect him to be part of the Lions’ new-look kickoff and kick-return teams, as well as both punt coverage and return groups.
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More Canadian flavor
Manu wasn’t the only Canadian on the field Friday. Mathieu Betts, the 2023 CFL Defensive Player of the Year, is also in camp as an undrafted free agent. Betts picked up 18 sacks last season with the British Columbia Lions as a 6-foot-2, 259-pound edge rusher. The 29-year-old Montreal native had a shot with the Chicago Bears out of college in 2019 before being selected No. 3 in the CFL Draft that year by Edmonton.
Betts played two years with the Eskimos before spending the last two in British Columbia. The Lions’ current plans for him appear to be at rush end, possibly in third-down situations.
“I just hope he gets 18 sacks here, too,” Agnew said, laughing.
Betts, who ran a 4.70 40-yard dash at his pro day in 2019, plays with terrific agility off the edge at nearly 260 pounds. He posted a three-cone time of 6.77 seconds and a short shuttle of 4.29 seconds. The three-cone time is in the 99th percentile for defensive ends.
More notes from Friday
Campbell will miss rookie camp for personal reasons, but all of Detroit’s draft picks were present and accounted for Friday. The Lions will go through workouts with this group — no signed veterans — for the remainder of the weekend. Veterans are expected back for OTAs later this month. … The only quarterbacks in rookie minicamp are Theo Day (formerly of Michigan State and Northern Iowa) and Cade Peterson (Grand Valley State). Day and Peterson rotated snaps evenly throughout Friday’s non-padded practice. … Detroit has three undrafted free-agent centers in camp, including former Florida standout Kingsley Eguakun. Eguakun had some trouble early in practice, though, fumbling two snaps. He also saw some snaps at guard. Detroit reportedly gave Eguakun a $225,000 UDFA bonus, one of the largest payouts to any of its undrafted players this year.
(Photo of Terrion Arnold: Carlos Osorio / Associated Press)