Which Detroit Lions player has impressed most through 6 weeks?

It’s easy to be negative now. The Detroit Lions are 0-6 and have had their worst game of the season. From top to bottom, the team just isn’t playing very well right now, and while most of us knew a bad season was coming, no low expectations can really prepare you for the feeling of being the last team without a win.

We have covered the Lions’ weaknesses in abundance over the past 48 hours, so let’s try to focus a little on the positives. Head coach Dan Campbell pointed out some of the players he believes have shown progress in the first six weeks of the season.

“Look, Derrick Barnes is doing pretty well,” Campbell said without prompting. “He’s improving. Alim McNeill is doing better. Tracy Walker begins to climb this hill. He plays better. I thought Jonah Jackson did some good things. Austin Bryant, he wasn’t in it much, but I thought he did some good things. ”

Now it’s your turn to choose a Lions player who has impressed you so far in 2021. Today’s question of the day is:

Which Lions player impressed you the most in week 6?

My answer: I have to go with Tracy Walker. For the last three years of his Lions career, we’ve all talked about how he appears to be a breakout contender to position himself as one of the best collateral in the league and every year we seem to be disappointed with his game.

But as Campbell mentioned on Monday, it really looks like it’s really clicking on Walker. Last week against the Vikings, Walker jumped a route that forced an interception. This week he basically did exactly the same thing – but this time with an expensive “sneering” flex about the recipient.

It’s not just his instinct in reporting, however. Walker also did a fantastic job crashing into the box and helping out as a running defender. Per PFF he has the highest run defense grade in the team and is the third among all NFL safeties. He’s also third on the team in overall tackles but only has two missed tackles per PFF in the season, giving him one of the lowest missed tackle rates on the team.

Just by watching him out there it’s obvious he’s playing with a lot of confidence and the work he’s doing in the movie room is clearly paying off. His soccer instinct seems to be going through the roof right now, and when combined with an impressive athletic profile, the Lions suddenly have a pretty valuable high school member who can make sales. This team has forced an interception in four games in a row and Walker is a big reason for that.

It’s your turn.

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