Lions General Manager Bob Quinn worked for the Patriots before heading to Detroit and he wasn’t part of too many free agent spending sprees during his time in New England.Quinn showed that he’s not averse to blazing his own trail this offseason Levine Toilolo Jersey , however. The Lions gave defensive end Trey Flowers the biggest deal in this year’s free agent class and quickly signed Flowers, cornerback Justin Coleman, tight end Jesse James and wide receiver Danny Amendola to contracts totaling over $160 million. They’ve since added cornerback Rashaan Melvin to the haul as well.Quinn acknowledged that spending the money doesn’t guarantee results, but said their goal heading into free agency was to “improve all aspects of the team.” He said on Monday that he feels the team has done that.“There鈥檚 not a lot of sure bets in free agency,” Quinn said, via the . “Certain years you can be more aggressive than others and I think with the money that we paid those guys, the contracts speak to what we think of them. and we think they can help us win games. And that鈥檚 the bottom line is we want to get as many players into our team and our scheme that can help us win more. And that鈥檚 my goal.”Flowers, Coleman and Amendola all played for the Patriots while head coach Matt Patricia was there and Quinn said the “culture part of it was important to us” when it came to bringing in those players. He also said that their ability to help on the field was more significant after a 6-10 start to Patricia’s tenure. How have the Lions’ rookies fared through 3 weeks of the preseason?" Detroit Lions Training CampDetroit Lions AnalysisRookie check-in: Tracking the progress of the Detroit Lions’ 9 2019 draft picksNew,57commentsHow have the Lions’ rookies fared through 3 weeks of the preseason? EDTShare this storyShare this on FacebookShare this on TwitterShareAll sharing optionsShareAll sharing options for:Rookie check-in: Tracking the progress of the Detroit Lions’ 9 2019 draft picksTwitterFacebookRedditPocketFlipboardEmailPhoto by Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesThe Detroit Lions 2019 draft class has some high expectations to live up to. Last year, the Lions’ rookie class was nothing short of great. The team got solid contributions from the top four picks, and two others could make big strides this year.General manager Bob Quinn bought some good will with that draft class, but will he be able to do it in back-to-back years? After one week of the preseason, we’re far from knowing the answer to that, but let’s take a look at the progress of the Lions’ nine draft picks. Round 1. TE T.J. HockensonPreseason Game 1 stats: 6 snaps played, 0 targetsHockenson didn’t play much against the New England Patriots and Tom Savage never looked his way once. Hockenson did get a few snaps as a blocker, and he flashed a little in that area:Though his preseason game was underwhelmingly short Christian Jones Jersey , his performance in training camp has been nothing short of stellar. His ability to catch balls in tight coverage have displayed his strong hands and extreme focus when targeted. Round 2. LB Jahlani TavaiPreseason stats: 4 snaps, 0 stats recordedTavai barely saw the field against the Patriots, but according to color commentator Chris Spielman, on one play he had bad pad level, on the next he had good pad level. So there you go.Overall, Tavai is still a relative unknown. He’s made some plays in training camp—including at least a couple interceptions—but he’s also shown some of the inconsistencies you’d expect from a rookie: misreads, coverage issues, things of that nature (Get well soon, Caldwell). So far, Tavai’s play has exceeded the expectations of a skeptical fanbase, but it’s too early to make any sweeping judgements. Round 3. S Will HarrisPreseason stats: 57 snaps, 4 tacklesHarris has had a rough camp, struggling in man coverage in particular. In zone, he also looks a step late. The more I see of him, the more it looks like Detroit shouldn’t have any immediate plans for him in the lineup. Lucky for them, they have the safety depth to accommodate that.Obviously Devon Kennard Jersey , the Lions felt he could use the in-game reps, as only three other Lions played more last Thursday against the Patriots. Though Harris finished with four tackles, he didn’t stand out much in the preseason opener. Round 4. EDGE Austin BryantPreseason stats: Did not playBryant suffered an injury in the first week of training camp and has not returned since. A couple weeks ago, head coach Matt Patricia called his situation “day-to-day,” but Bryant looks like he’s at least a couple weeks away from returning. There’s a good chance we don’t see him at all this preseason. Round 5. CB Amani OruwariyePreseason stats: 57 snaps, 6 tackles, 2 passes defended Oruwariye’s preseason performance was a perfect example of what we’ve seen from him in camp: flashes of great coverage and ball-hawking abilities, but with a ton of poor coverage mixed in between. Oruwariye gave up one touchdown on Thursday, and while he was in decent position to make a play, he made the poor mistake of turning the wrong way:The key to playing cornerback is consistency, and it’s no surprise Oruwariye doesn’t have that yet. Injuries have given Oruwariye the opportunity to get some first-team reps in training camp, which is invaluable experience for the rookie.Round 6. WR Travis FulghamPreseason stats: 24 snaps, 1 target, 0 receptionsIt’s been a fairly quiet camp for the Old Dominion product. As the Lions continue their search for receiver depth in the wake of Jermaine Kearse’s season-ending injury, Fulgham has a great shot at making the final roster. And with some veteran players taking days off, he’s even gotten a crack at some first-team reps.Fulgham has shown that he’s great at the point of catch and can outjump some of the smaller corners in practice. However Isaac Nauta Detroit Lions Jersey , he’s still a raw route runner, and that has really slowed his production at camp.Round 6. RB Ty JohnsonPreseason stats: 13 snaps, 3 rushes, 22 yardsIf there was a Player of the Game to be chosen on Thursday night for Detroit, it was Ty Johnson. The speedy running back had two 10+ yard runs against the Patriots, though one was called back due to an iffy holding call. Johnson’s quickness is easy to spot on the practice field, and his vision seems good. After Detroit released Theo Riddick, Johnson’s path to the 53-man roster looks like a near-certainty. It’s unclear what kind of role he would have in this offense, though, and it doesn’t look like he’s getting serious consideration as the team’s starting kick returner. At the very least, he’ll be an exciting guy to watch for the rest of the preseason. Round 7. TE Isaac NautaPreseason stats: 14 snaps, 0 catches, 1 dropMuch like Ty Johnson, Nauta has a much clearer path to make the team after the Lions cut Michael Roberts. There’s no guarantee the former Georgia Bulldog makes it, though. He’s made a handful of plays in camp, including a phenomenal catch during the scrimmage at Ford Field Isaac Nauta Jersey 2019 , but like many rookies, Nauta has been plagued by inconsistency.He had a bad drop over the weekend—and another in the preseason game—and his blocking has, quite literally, been hit or miss. The promise is there, though, and he certainly seems like he’s currently headed for a roster spot.Round 7. DT P.J. JohnsonPreseason stats: 36 snaps, 2 tackles, 1 QB hitAs a nose tackle, it’s hard to get noticed in any way. Often, your job is to simply occupy blockers. You don’t rack up a ton of sacks. You don’t get tally a ton of tackles for loss. You just maintain the middle gaps and try to free up space for the other defenders.How has Johnson done at accomplishing that goal thus far? Not bad, by any measure. But given all of the injuries on the Lions’ defensive front, you’d hope Johnson would be getting more first-team reps by now. Instead, the Lions are relying on guys like 2018 UDFA John Atkins or even 2019 UDFAs Fred Jones and Kevin Strong.