The Detroit Lions have a plethora of players entering their second NFL season who are expected to contribute at a high level this season.
The 2023 draft class, which included Jahmyr Gibbs, Sam LaPorta, Brian Branch and Jack Campbell, became integral in Detroit's run to the NFC Championship game last season.
Some NFL pundits even believe that if Gibbs continues his development and has the expected jump from his rookie season into his sophomore campaign, the talented running back could be in the league MVP conversation.
With Antoine Green, Hendon Hooker and Brodric Martin expected to continue their development, this week's mandatory minicamp will provide another opportunity for Detroit's young players to showcase why they should earn more playing time and trust from the coaching staff.
Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was asked if the team targeting defensive players early in the draft this year would impact the success of the offense.
“The Draft, you just never know when you go into it how it’s going to unfold. There were a number of guys that we certainly felt like we had a vision for that would have fit us nicely. We ended up with a couple of really good defensive players," Johnson said. "How that affects us offensively, we already have plans for the guys that we had on the roster. We spend all of the springtime talking about, ‘How can we get them a little bit better?’ Honestly, we started the offseason talking about who we felt like our bell cows were going to be and how we want to help develop and grow them into other roles as well."
Most notably, Gibbs and LaPorta are expected to become even bigger parts of the offense. Each has All-Pro potential in their second year in Johnson's offense.
"We’ve got a lot of good, young players on this team, ones that contributed for us last year, and ones that are still learning that maybe not everyone knows about yet," Johnson explained. "There were some guys on scout team last year that – we don’t draft a guy, maybe that’s an opportunity for them to show what they can do. I think more than anything, it just opens some windows for some guys that are really talented. They just haven’t had their number called yet.”
Unfortunately, it is not expected that Branch will participate this week at minicamp as he recovers from offseason surgery on his left foot.
