Observations: St. Brown, LaPorta Dominate

1-on-1 tackling standouts

The Lions conducted early 1-on-1 tackling drills. David Montgomery was matched up with linebacker Jack Campbell early, and Montgomery made him look silly with a sharp juke move two separate times.

The defense held serve for a significant portion of the drill, showcasing some solid open-field technique. Grant Stuard, Derrick Barnes, Rock Ya-Sin and Loren Strickland each won both of their opportunities.

Ya-Sin stood out when he levied a big hit on rookie wide receiver Jackson Meeks, lifting him off his feet and pummeling him into the grass.

St. Brown surges

The Lions know they have a bona fide top wide receiver in Amon-Ra St. Brown, with the USC product having earned First Team All-Pro honors in back-to-back years. On Monday, the receiver reminded the fans in attendance why he is such a force.

With the emphasis being on red-zone execution Monday, quarterback Jared Goff was targeting St. Brown early and often. In 1-on-1 drills, he beat Brian Branch for a touchdown. When the team transitioned to 7-on-7, he caught another score.

St. Brown again popped in red-zone team drills, catching a touchdown with cornerback Terrion Arnold flying in late.

Arnold remains on upward swing

Despite a scare with a calf strain early in training camp, Arnold has remained steady and one of the best defensive players in camp to this point. While he did give up a touchdown to St. Brown, he had multiple big plays working in coverage.

Arnold had a nice pass breakup on Jameson Williams, and had a swat to knock down a pass intended for rookie Isaac TeSlaa during red-zone 1-on-1s. Arnold never lacks confidence, but appears to be playing with even more at this stage of camp.

Red-zone offense efficient

The Lions as a team were efficient throughout the red-zone periods. Goff hit St. brown for two touchdowns in 7-on-7, then Sam LaPorta for a score with Zach Cunningham in coverage.

In the team period, Jahmyr Gibbs started the action with a touchdown scamper. After Goff hit St. Brown for a score, he followed it up with a play-action pass that fooled the defense, leaving Tim Patrick wide open on the left side of the end-zone.

Hendon Hooker accounted for two touchdowns during his series of team reps, the first being a touchdown pass to Shane Zylstra. He concluded his time on the field during that session with a scramble to the right for a score.

Kyle Allen had some struggles in the red-zone with the third-team. He dropped the ball on two consecutive snaps, with the first being a busted play that ended up in the hands of Craig Reynolds for what appeared to be a score.

LaPorta thrives

With the emphasis being on red-zone work, it's only right that Sam LaPorta had a big day. He caught the score against Cunningham during 7-on-7, hauling it in in the back of the end zone on a well-thrown ball by Goff.

The theme continues from previous days, as LaPorta has been a steady and consistent target of Goff's. Having missed significant time last year in training camp due to an injury, LaPorta's offense has steadily elevated Detroit's production throughout this year's camp.

Veteran DB impresses

One veteran defensive back who impressed throughout the day Monday was newcomer Rock Ya-Sin. An afterthought to some given his lack of defensive snaps last year and veteran status, Ya-Sin showed serious physicality and made a statement for earning a big role.

For starters, he was solid in the early tackling drills. He executed a big hit on Meeks during the tackling drills, then locked up rookie Dominic Lovett in 1-on-1 passing.

Ya-Sin also logged a pass breakup on Tim Patrick, and has been one of the most steady run defenders in camp.

Skipper interrupts mini-scuffle

With all the tension rising in recent practices, the Lions have been relatively cooled off since putting the pads on. It's still been physical and competitive, in fact even more so, and at one point in practice there was a mini-scrum that came to a halt quickly.

Linebacker Derrick Barnes got aggressive after the whistle on a run play, but it was quickly brought to an end when left tackle Dan Skipper came over to intervene.

Situational drills

Each of the three units had situational drills to compete in prior to the conclusion of practice. For the first-team offense, it was a tie game starting from the 30-yard line with 1:12 remaining. After facing a fourth-and-7, Goff hit Sam LaPorta for a first-down.

However, the drive would stall out from there. Goff and Jameson Williams couldn't connect on a deep ball, then Brian Branch sacked Goff to force a third-and-16. Goff's next pass was incomplete with Terrion Arnold in coverage, and as a result the offense was forced to settle for a field goal.

For the second-team offense, Kyle Allen led a touchdown drive in a situation that began with the offense down four. He converted a third-and-11 with a strike to Isaac TeSlaa over the middle. Facing a second-and-9 with nine seconds left, Allen tossed a touchdown on an out route to Tom Kennedy.

Quick hitters

1.) Super Bowl-winning head coach Jon Gruden was in attendance for practice. Having worked with John Morton with the Raiders, Gruden has familiarity with the coaching staff and is viewed as a mentor by Detroit's new offensive coordinator.

2.) In anticipation of the Hall of Fame Game, which will be broadcast on NBC, play-by-play broadcaster and Michigan native Mike Tirico was also in attendance. Tirico and Gruden used to call games together for Monday Night Football.

3.) Jack Fox had a solid day punting in special teams drills, reminding many why he's in the conversation of best in the league despite not being utilized as much as others due to Detroit's high-powered offense.