Welcome to the Lions, Kid. Here’s Your Torn ACL.
Dan Campbell delivered the news Thursday morning with his typical blend of compassion and cold reality: rookie receiver Kendrick Law tore his ACL during a non-contact drill this week at OTAs. Just like that, a promising young player’s first season is probably over before it started.
“Hate it for him,” Campbell said. “The kid was doing a good job, but that’s… it’s part of it. It’s a harsh reality, but he’ll get that out of the way early, have his whole career in front of him.”
And yes, I know what you’re thinking. Only the Lions would lose a draft pick to injury during voluntary workouts. But honestly? This one hurts a little more than usual.
Holmes Saw Something Special
Law wasn’t just another late-round flyer. The Lions traded a sixth-round pick to move up 13 spots and grab him at 168 overall. Brad Holmes doesn’t make moves like that without conviction.
“I was fired up about just what he did offensively,” Holmes said about seeing Law play in person for the first time. “I had no idea about his special teams ability. That’s what really elevated him even more, and not just a return like a Leaf, but this guy can play gunner. He’s four-phase special teams player. He’s another one, he’s a dog, man. He’s a football player.”
A four-phase special teams player who can actually contribute on offense? Those don’t grow on trees. Holmes saw Law as more than just the gadget player he was at Kentucky. Now we’ll have to wait a year to see if that vision was right.
The Room Is Still Deep
The good news, if you can call it that, is Detroit’s receiver room can absorb this hit. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and Isaac TeSlaa are locked into the top three spots. Behind them, Greg Dortch, Dominic Lovett, Tom Kennedy, Jackson Meeks, Malik Cunningham, and Cedrick Wilson Jr. will battle for whatever scraps remain.
It’s not like the Lions are suddenly thin at the position. But losing a guy Holmes specifically moved up to draft stings regardless of depth. Especially when it happens during OTAs.
Law will likely hit injured reserve when the Lions make it official, but Campbell’s right about one thing. The kid will get this injury out of the way early and have his whole career ahead of him. In Allen Park, that’s about as optimistic as it gets.
Is this just another classic Lions injury or are we overthinking a routine football setback? Drop your take below.
Man this sucks but honestly the way Brad talked about what he saw in Law tells me he’s got a real eye for talent. Four-phase special teams guys are hard to find and Law will come back from this. Campbell’s right that at least he gets the injury recovery done early now.
I get why Holmes made the move, the kid had potential, but man trading up for a guy in OTAs to just lose him during drills hits different. Still trust Brad’s process but stuff like this makes you wonder about injury luck in this building.
Been through enough heartbreak with this team to know ACL tears at OTAs aren’t new pain but at least we got Campbell and Holmes running things now instead of the circus we had before. Kid’s got his whole career ahead like Dan said, and that’s actually the right way to look at it.