Detroit Lions Training Camp Stock Report 8/2

Photo by: Dona Keast and Kent Lee Platte

Stock Up!

Jonte Green

Green had a solid day yesterday, but a phenomenal one today.  At one point, I tweeted that he was the best CB on the field today, and it held true throughout.  Green was consistently blanketing his receivers, preventing catches and deflecting passes that came near.  He had moments like that the past two seasons, but consistency was a massive problem.  Not so today as he took charge of every play he was in on and made something out of it.

Green sits ahead of fellow 2012 picks Bill Bentley and Chris Greenwood as well as UDFAs Seisay and Hester.  He’s still a bit leaner than you want a full time starter at CB to be, but he likely won’t be pressed into that kind of duty unless injuries hit those above him.  At this point in camp, he’s contending with Cassius Vaughn for the 3rd outside cornerback spot.

Stock Down…

Bill Bentley

It’s been a roller coaster of a career so far for Bentley who saw himself starting as a rookie on the outside only to be relegated to slot duties in 2013.  He was alright in the slot last season, but apparently not good enough that the Lions weren’t looking to upgrade.  They picked Nevin Lawson in the 2014 draft to contend for slot duties and Bentley hasn’t been up to the challenge yet.  Lawson had a sort of bounce back day today after an awful outing yesterday, while Bentley seemed to lose his receivers more often than he found them.

Bentley has the speed and general athleticism to be an inside/outside cornerback, but losing his slot duties would be a huge blow to his roster chances.  If Bentley can’t beat out Nevin Lawson for starting slot, he’ll be battling with the aforementioned Jonte Green and Cassius Vaughn to backup the outside, and he’s well behind both at this point.