The Detroit Lions are finally in full practice pads as the Lions enter the 6th day of Lions training camp. Rookies got into a fight today involving Amon-Ra St. Brown versus Ifeatu Melifonwu. Jared Goff looks real sharp on offense scoring a nice pass for a touchdown. Austin Bryant is finally back from being injured and practiced for the first time this training camp. Penei Sewell looked strong on the offensive line going up against Romeo Okwara. The Detroit Lions secondary looked well in coverage. MicroMike breaks down observations for Lions training camp day six.

Sewell is off a decent, but not perfect, start as the starting right tackle in the first few days of camp. His biggest strength as a player is his strength as an athlete, however, and he hasn’t really been able to show that just yet.

With the pads on, Sewell will get a chance to fire out and run block, where he can be devastatingly effective. He’ll get challenged by power rushes from Romeo Okwara and Trey Flowers, but also speed rushes and stunts. None of that has really happened yet. Sewell should be ready for it all, but there will be some inevitable losses in reps, too.

How Sewell responds to the losses in camp reps and the coaching he gets is something to definitely watch.

Flowers has transitioned back to the stand-up, pass-rushing OLB role that he often played in New England before coming to Detroit. It’s been some time since he played there, and in the prior Lions regime he was at his best working the inside shoulder of the offensive tackle, using his quickness and strong shoulders to beat slower-footed guards and weaker tackles in close quarters.

Now he’s in a different role, one the Lions desperately need him to thrive in right away. Flowers is one of the smartest and hardest-working players on the team, but there could be some transition pains. His battles against Sewell will be very telling for both players.

With Monday’s roster move to sign free agent veteran Evan Boehm, the Lions now have three guys named Evan competing for reserve spots on the interior offensive line. Boehm joins fellow Evan’s Brown and Heim.

It can be easy to overlook the impact of putting the pads on for the perimeter guys, but we’ve seen guys who just don’t run with the same burst or conviction with the pads on at cornerback before, both in Detroit and elsewhere. It’s true of wide receivers as well, and one of them in particular — Damion Ratley — is someone who has started off his first Lions camp looking pretty good.

The goal is to see if the speed alters significantly, but also the play style. Pads mean defensive backs can be more physical, more assertive. We’ve got the baseline established from the first five days. I’m curious if I notice any change in the way guys in the secondary play.

The Lions drafted Levi Onwuzurike in the second round and Alim McNeill in the third with the intention of both playing significant roles as rookies. Without the pads on and with a lot of the line play at half-speed so far, it’s been nearly impossible to gauge exactly what the Lions have in their rookie linemen.

Now we get to see Onwuzurike’s ability to get off blocks and his work with his hands. We also will see where he fits on the depth chart. That’s true of McNeill too, who is battling with John Penisini for the nose tackle spot. Detroit doesn’t necessarily need either rookie to start right away, but they each need to prove they can handle their business and be trusted in game situations.

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