The Detroit Lions are back in the thick of things, as they reported to the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, Michigan, for training camp. The Lions look to bounce back in 2026, and they believe the moves they made will help in that direction.
One area of focus was on the defensive line, which is why they drafted defensive end Derrick Moore in the second round. With the hope that he can boost this pass rush, Moore ended his first week of training camp on a high note.
Colton Pouncy of The Athletic reported on Friday that Moore was one of the three top players during this practice session.
"Moore had a pressure in a team period and won cleanly in OL/DL one-on-ones," Pouncy wrote.
And even though pads aren't on yet, this is the kind of update you want to see from your second-round pick.
Derrick Moore just gave Lions fans another reason for optimism
The fact that Moore stood out to reporters shows that he was an impactful player on the field. Edge rushers do have the advantage against offensive linemen right now with no pads, but at the same time, finding ways to get past them is a positive sign.
Moore winning one-on-ones, in addition to getting pressure in the team period, will give him some extra confidence going into next week, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reported that Detroit will have an off day on Saturday, August 1. The Lions were very high on Moore, which is why they sent picks No. 50 and No. 128 to the New York Jets to snag Moore at No. 44.
General manager Brad Holmes even expressed that he was the team's No. 1 option on their board going into round two. That shows how highly they viewed him, so seeing him make plays this early into camp is ideal.
Considering Al-Quadin Muhammad is no longer around, there are 457 defensive snaps from last season at edge up for grabs. Moore seems to be in prime position to snag a nice chunk of those. D.J. Wonnum is his biggest competition in that area, but he's not known for being a pass rush specialist.
Moore can quickly get off the ball and has power in his hands to get past offensive linemen. He can set up blockers with different moves, but he can also set the edge in the run game. In 53 games at Michigan, Moore finished with 95 total tackles, 24.5 TFLs, and 21 sacks, including a career-best 10.5 sacks in 2025.
Moore has the tools to be an impactful edge rusher in the league, and that's a big reason the Lions drafted him in the second round. And after one week in camp, Moore is already standing out.
Add us as a preferred source on Google