With some strong showings last week against the Texans, this 22 rookies on the Lions return to Detroit to face the Buffalo Bills in their third preseason game.
Here’s what to expect from these young players in Friday night’s game:
Running back Ty Johnson
Johnson took the more snaps in the backfield than any other Lions running back, but only gained 11 yards on a mere four carries. He also made one catch for nine yards.
The sixth-round pick out of Maryland secured his spot on the team after big plays in practice and in the first preseason game, and his spot is likely still safe despite an underwhelming performance against the Texans.
Given his snap counts so far this preseason, expect Johnson to be getting his share of snaps in the offensive backfield.
Wide receivers Travis Fulgham, Tom Kennedy and Jonathan Duhart
This group, with the help of quarterback David Fales, put on a show as they had a collective six receptions for 103 yards.
Fulgham, Kennedy, and Duhart were all able to make some big plays on offense for the Lions, with each of the three rookies showing their ability to make some crucial – and spectacular – catches. Their longest receptions were 35, 28 and 19 yards, respectively.
With this trio of rookies competing against Chris Lacy, Deontez Alexander, Andy Jones, Brandon Powell, Tommylee Lewis and newcomer Jordan Lasley, they’ll have to have repeat performances to stand out in the crowd.
With some fierce competition ahead of them, expect these rookies to try and recreate their success in the passing game from the week before.
On special teams, Kennedy did let a punt go right through his hands as a return man, so don’t expect much from him there this week.
Tight ends T.J. Hockenson and Isaac Nauta
It only took one catch for T.J. Hockenson to show why he’s worthy of his first-round status.
Hockenson only took 15 snaps on offense versus the Texans and only recorded that one catch. Don’t expect him to do much more than that on Friday night.
Nauta, on the other hand, has a lot more to prove against Buffalo.
The seventh-round pick out of Georgia has not impressed much this preseason, and though he did have one catch for 17 yards last week, he also dropped a pass in a crucial fourth-quarter drive that could have led a potential comeback.
With Nauta getting the highest number of tight end snaps last week, expect about the same this week, hopefully with more production on the field this time.
Offensive lineman Beau Benzschawel, Matt Nelson, Ryan Pope and Micah St. Andrew
Benzschawel showed a lot of improvement in his second bout of preseason action, but still has a long way to go to prove that he’s more than just a practice squad candidate. The undrafted guard out of Wisconsin was on the field for more than half of the offensive snaps last week, so expect more of the same from Benzschawel on Friday.
Nelson and St. Andrew both took 17 snaps on offense against Houston with the backups. Their roles have been solidified with the third-team, so expect that to be where they play again this week against the Bills.
As for Pope, don’t expect much from the undrafted rookie who the Lions expected the most out of heading into this preseason.
The tackle out of San Diego State didn’t take the field on offense last week and had a grand total of two snaps on special teams. Pair that with his two snaps in Week 1, and it’s safe to say that the rookie lineman won’t be seeing the field much in this week’s matchup.
EDGE rushers Austin Bryant and Malik Carney
Bryant has yet to see the field this preseason and Carney has taken 27 snaps without recording a single stat. Even with the backup pass-rushers struggling so far, don’t expect too much from these two rookies.
Interior defensive linemen P.J. Johnson, Kevin Strong, Ray Smith and Fred Jones
No player -rookie or otherwise- has fought harder to make the final roster than Kevin Strong. Though his stat sheet has just one tackle logged from last week’s performance, the rookie out of UTSA created some solid pressure from the interior defensive line. Expect big things from Strong this week.
Johnson struggled last week and things haven’t looked too good for the Lions’ seventh-round pick. He’ll be getting reps at nose tackle along with Jones. Jones, on the other hand, has had an impressive preseason so far, and had three tackles from the interior last week. He has been a force against the run and you can expect him to help shut down the Bills’ running game on Friday night.
Smith has yet to take the field this preseason.
Linebackers Jahlani Tavai and Anthony Pittman
Tavai has been improving steadily and looks to be ready for a starting role in Detroit’s defense. The rookie out of Hawaii looked great last week, amassing four total tackles in 21 snaps. Tavai has impressed every time he’s on the field, so expect something big from the second-round pick.
Pittman has looked better every time he’s touched the field. The rookie out of Wayne State has proved himself to be successful in coverage and as a pass-rusher, recording three tackles and a quarterback hit last week while taking more snaps than any other linebacker in the game – on either team.
Expect Pittman to see multiple roles on defense on Friday night as he once again takes the field for a majority of defensive snaps.
Cornerback Amani Oruwariye
The rookie out of Penn State showed some major improvement last week and even helped contribute in one of the biggest plays of the game, making the tackle that lead to a forced fumble by Romeo Okwara that fellow rookie Will Harris picked up for six points.
Still competing with players like Mike Ford, Dee Virgin, Andre Chachere, Jamar Summer, and Johnathan Alston, the Lions’ fifth-round draft selection will have to make some big plays to stand out from the rest of the group.
Expect the team to take more of a look at the rookie cornerback as we enter the second half of the preseason. With the back end of the position group getting crowded, the rookie has a big opportunity ahead of him this week.
Safeties Will Harris and C.J. Moore
As mentioned above, Harris had the play of the game, scooping up the fumbled football and taking it to the endzone for the Lions’ first score of the preseason.
On top of that, the third-round pick tied for team-lead in tackles with six and had one pass defense.
His snap counts have stayed pretty consistent this preseason, seeing the field for more nearly two-thirds of the defensive plays. Hopefully, he can keep this momentum going in Week 3 and prove that he can be a playmaker in Matt Patricia’s defense.
Moore has been used primarily as a special teamer, and you can expect to see him in that role again this week.
The Detroit Lions will face off against the Buffalo Bills on Friday, August 23rd at 8:00pm EST.
