1. CB Starling Thomas
With Emmanuel Moseley (knee) opening camp on the PUP list, Thomas has seized an early opportunity. He got some reps with the starters, and some with the backups. The undrafted rookie out of UAB may pay off the notion he'll make the Lions' 53-man roster, perhaps as the No. 4 outside cornerback once Moseley is healthy enough to practice.
Albert Breer of SI.com named Thomas as a camp darkhorse after spending some time at Allen Park this past week. That backs up the early observations from Lions' beat writers. A three-year starter at UAB, and he registered 23 pass breakups over his last two seasons (15 last season, fourth in FBS). He didn’t nab a ton of interceptions, but he clearly has good ball skills to go with being tabbed a "feisty, fast-paced competitor by Pro Football Network as they named him the UDFA with the best chance to make the Lions roster.
The Lions coaches love players who have an edge and fight to them, "grit mentality" if you will, and Thomas has shown that during camp. He had what can can best be called a weird scuffle with 330-pound offensive tackle Germain Ifedi, which was surely viewed favorably. He has been working as a top gunner on special teams, which is his clearest path to a roster spot.
Thomas may not stay under the radar for long. But right now, he is.