Detroit Lions rookie Da’Shawn Hand impresses in his debut

The Detroit Lions rookies showed up in the preseason game against the Oakland Raiders. Because of the strong debuts of other the rookies, Da’Shawn Hand is getting overlooked.

The Detroit Lions 2018 rookie class put up an impressive showing against the Oakland Raiders. Frank Ragnow looked every bit like a first-round draft pick. Kerryon Johnson slashed his way through defenses and looks to be the Lions starting running back. Tyrell Crosby got extensive work on the offensive line and had great results. The one rookie that was one of the lone bright spots to unspectacular defensive line performance was Da’Shawn Hand.

The Lions defensive line was mediocre in the preseason opener. The Raiders were able to run all over them to the tune of a 147 rushing yard performance. Without their premier pass rusher Ziggy Ansah, the quarterback had all day to find an open receiver. The players that everyone hoped would stand up seemed to disappear. To say it was lackluster is an understatement.

Da’Shawn Hand was able to bring a much-needed spark to the defensive line when he came out late in the first half. Hand played a healthy 29 snaps in his debut. From all accounts, he took advantage of those snaps and made his presence known by disrupting play after play. His biggest play came on a third-and-1 stop where he tossed the fullback like a rag doll and made a strong tackle.

Hand provided an impressive debut where PFF noticed it. He was able to hold double teams allowing the linebackers to make the plays and was a disruption in the running game. From the suspected scheme implementation from Coach Patricia that is exactly what he wants his defensive lineman to do. He had three tackles overall, but he provided more work than what the stat sheet shows.

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Coach Patricia also gave Hand some praise in his press conference by saying “I thought he did a really good job for a young guy. Stepped in and made some plays, was in some good positions. Good situational football, too. There were a couple of plays out in the game, situationally, that there was some awareness that he had to play with, so he did a good job.”

Based on his strong performance against the Raiders, Hand earned some looks on the first team defense as a 4-3 defensive end in Day 12 of camp. He was on second team majority of practice, but this might something to keep your eye on for the duration of training camp if he continues the way he is heading.

The way Hand stepped up in the preseason opener has to bring confidence to the young rookie. Being the first preseason game we have to temper expectations, but Hand made a strong first impression. If he continues his upward trajectory, he’s on his way to becoming an essential part to the defensive line.