Amik Robertson made immediate difference in Lions' debut

Amik Robertson is a somewhat overlooked piece of the Detroit Lions' cornerback overhaul this offseason, but it's clear he was looking forward to an opportunity to assert himself.

Against the New York Giants in the preseason opener, Robertson didn't see the field a lot. But when he did, he made a big impact. He was targeted twice, forcing a pair of incompletions.

Pro Football Focus had a deeper review of Robertson's work against the Giants. Robertson earned the highest overall grade among Lions defensive players in the game (87.4), over 15 coverage reps.

Dan Campbell praises work of new Lions' cornerbacks in preseason opener

Head coach Dan Campbell praised the work of all three new Lions cornerbacks against the Giants, starting with rookies Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw.

"It was encouraging from all those guys. I thought (Terrion) Arnold had a good week of practice, got some really good reps outside and he's a competitive guy which we already know. He just continues to grow every day. For what he got in the game, he really wasn't targeted, and he did a good job. I thought Ennis (Rakestraw) really showed up. He got a lot of reps defensively and (on) special teams and I thought he competed in all of them. He's just another one of these young guys that continues to get better. The game's not too big for him. We like where he's trending right now. He's just got to keep stacking them up."

Emmanuel Moseley's injury has narrowed the competition for the Lions' nickel corner role a bit. Robertson could now be considered a front runner, not that any Lions cornerback outside of Carlton Davis will be profiled into a single role.

Campbell did not forget about Robertson.

"Amik (Robertson) went in there and did a nice job for us, played the nickel and that was good to see. All those guys are really stepping up and did a good job. So we like where we're at at the corner position right now."

The early returns for the Lions' cornerbacks are encouraging after Week 1 of the preseason. Robertson arguably stood out most with his fantastic debut.