Sunday open thread: Who will be the Detroit Lions’ 2023 training camp darling?

Welcome to the first day for 2023 Detroit Lions training camp. If you’re like us, you’re not only excited for the huge amount of information that is about to flow into your eyeballs, but the potentially huge season ahead for Detroit. The first practice of camp begins early in the morning on Sunday, and our coverage is going to be all over it.

But before things kick off, let’s ask one more question of our audience.

A “training camp darling” doesn’t have a formal definition, but it generally means a player who is being overlooked performing at a high level during camp. It usually comes with a negative connotation, because it implies that player only performs in camp, but I don’t think we should necessary hold the term to that definition.

In my opinion, a training camp darling is someone who simply emerges from the pack with a strong, consistent performance in training camp and the preseason.

So with that in mind, today’s Question of the Day is:

Who will be the 2023 Detroit Lions camp darling?

My answer: My mind first goes to undrafted rookie cornerback Starling Thomas V, but I’m not sure he can qualify for this title. He’s already in rarefied air as a UDFA who we all currently have “IN” in our roster projections. To me, this guy has to be a little more under the radar right now.

So, instead, let be throw out a name we don’t talk about much right now. I could see undrafted rookie receiver Dylan Drummond have a solid month or two. Drummond already impressed the coaching staff once by landing a roster spot following rookie minicamp tryouts. And he’s already more on the media’s radar because of his local connections as a former Eastern Michigan player.

He’s also an interesting football prospect. He could get involved with the team’s returner jobs, which is always a way to get a leg up in a positional battle. He’s also coming off two pretty productive seasons at EMU.

Drummond is still very much a long-shot to make the roster—especially after the trade for Denzel Mims—but he’s also the kind of player I could see having a strong preseason in the second half of those games, which can turn some heads late in the evaluation process.

Who do you think will be this year’s training camp darling? Scroll to the bottom of this page and sound of in our comment section.