Ennis Rakestraw is going to win the starting cornerback job and yes I know how that sounds
Look, I already know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking I’ve lost it. You’re thinking I drank the offseason Kool-Aid and forgot that Rakestraw has barely been on the field since Brad Holmes drafted him in the second round. And you know what, fair.
But here’s the thing. He only has to beat one veteran cornerback. That’s it. One guy. And when Rakestraw has actually been healthy enough to play, he’s looked pretty damn good. There was a reason he was projected as a first-round talent before injuries knocked him down the board. The talent is there. The health has not been.
If he can stay healthy through training camp, I think he beats out the competition and starts opposite DJ Reed in Week 1. I’m not saying he’s going to light the world on fire. I’m just saying he’s going to have a strong summer and take that job.
Skyler Gill-Howard is going to show he belongs in the rotation
This is a rookie out of Texas Tech who did a kip-up with a 45-pound plate on his chest this offseason. Yeah, I may have overreacted when I saw that video. But I also watched the tape.
Gill-Howard didn’t get a ton of playing time at Texas Tech because that defensive line was arguably the best in college football last year. Pretty much everybody he played alongside got drafted on Day 1 or Day 2. But when he was on the field, he showed legitimate pass rush ability. Go watch his tape from Northern Illinois. The juice is real.
I’m not saying he’s going to start. This is Alim McNeill and Mekhi Wingo’s defensive line. But I think Gill-Howard works his way into that third rotational spot and takes over the role Detroit has been trying to get from guys like Levi Onwuzurike. He’s going to be someone worth watching.
The Jackson Meeks tight end experiment is going to work
This one could actually change the roster. Meeks has already bulked up from 210 pounds to 235 pounds. If he can show he can block even a little bit, you almost have to put him ahead of Tyler Conklin and Brock Wright at that point. His receiving ability already exceeds both of them.
Right now he’s the fourth tight end behind Sam LaPorta, Conklin, and Wright. But if he can hold up in the blocking department, it changes what the offense can do. Picture this: Detroit lines up in 12 or 13 personnel, Meeks is at tight end, then he motions out to receiver. Suddenly you’re back at something that looks like 11 personnel and a linebacker in the secondary is going to be thinking what the hell are we covering here. You can do that all day long.
And I’m not alone here. Kerby Joseph posted on Twitter that Meeks is somebody to watch. So don’t call me crazy. I think this guy shows up in a big way.
D.J. Wonnum is going to feast off Aidan Hutchinson’s attention
Go back and look at how Wonnum played with the Minnesota Vikings across from Danielle Hunter. He was the cleaner. When Hunter drew double teams and chips, Wonnum ended up in one-on-one situations and he won. He got cleanup sacks.
We know Aidan Hutchinson is going to get doubled, tripled, and chipped all season long. Everybody is going to focus on what Hutchinson is doing. That’s where Wonnum can shine, and that’s where we’ve seen him shine before.
If he’s getting sacks, I don’t care how he’s getting them. I think Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes and defensive line coach Kelvin Sheppard feel the exact same way. Derrick Moore is what they want for the future, but that’s not something that happens right away. Moore will play a lot this year, but Wonnum is going to show this summer that he can be a reliable cleanup man opposite Hutch.
Brian Branch is going to play Week 1
There have been no setbacks in Branch’s rehab. He’s been out on the field doing some work after practice. Nothing too intense, but he’s been doing athletic work, running, building back up. That’s a good sign.
Then there’s what Dan Campbell said or more importantly didn’t say. Campbell was asked if Branch could return by mid-training camp and he definitely did not say no. There was also a comment about December that got blown way out of proportion. Campbell made a joke. He laughed, the media laughed, and somewhere along the way somebody took it seriously. That idea spread and now a chunk of the fanbase thinks Branch won’t be back until the end of the year. That’s not the reality.
We don’t know exactly how severe that Achilles tendon tear was. There are different levels to this type of injury, and Branch may have had a partial tear, which would allow for surgeries with a five to seven month recovery timeline. Training camp at this point sits right at about six months from the injury. The math works.
I’m not a doctor. I want to be clear about that. But based on everything we’ve seen from Branch’s rehab progress, the lack of setbacks, and Campbell’s refusal to shut the door on a mid-camp return, I think there’s a legitimate chance he’s back on the field by mid-August and starting Week 1 opposite Kerby Joseph.
Which one of these predictions is going to age like milk and which one is going to make me look like a genius? Drop your take below.
