1. TE Brock Wright
This one is obvious, as rookie Sam LaPorta instantly became the Lions' best tight end the moment he was drafted. All signs point to be him being the TE1 immediately, though of course he'll have to earn it. All signs say that is happening during OTAs, and observations from Day 1 of minicamp this week could not ignore the rookie.
Via Lions.com, comments from Jared Goff about LaPorta after Tuesday's practice.
"He gets himself open, he's able to separate, he's got great hands," Goff said of LaPorta after practice Tuesday. "He's done a hell of a job.""
Also from Tuesday's practice, evaluating LaPorta against his position peers, here'sErik Schlitt of Pride of Detroit:
"
Once again, rookie Sam LaPorta stole the show. When comparing him against his fellow tight ends during routes and individual drills—a true apples-to-apples comparison—he was smoother, faster, and more consistent in his routes and catches."
If Week 1 were this coming Sunday, Wright would probably still be the Lions starting tight end or the proverbial "TE1" if the team came out with two tight ends for the first snap. But he's been vulnerable to losing that job since about 7:30 p.m. ET on April 28, roughly the time LaPorta became a Lion with the 34th overall pick early in the second round.
If it doesn't happen, as in LaPorta clearly taking the reigns as the No. 1 tight end for the Lions from Wright, something went wrong.