ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- The next time the Detroit Lions will be together on a football field will be late July. Preparations will be more focused then. The upcoming NFL season will be weeks away. Everything will become a little more serious. A little more focused.
When pads come on and true preparation begins, everything has a little more urgency to it. And with it, players who had made strong strides during the offseason workouts will need to build on those non-padded performances.
But there's no question a few players definitely helped themselves throughout the spring when it comes to making the Lions -- either via the 53-man roster or, in some cases, the practice squad.