Not all good performances can be quantified by the statistics in the boxscore. Sometimes, it's not until you go back and watch the film again that certain performances stick out.

That was the case with Detroit Lions rookie defensive lineman Da'Shawn Hand after last Friday's 30-17 preseason loss to the Giants.

In the final boxscore Hand finished with one tackle. That's rather unassuming. On film, he was a player that was powerful, and spent a lot of time pushing New York offensive linemen back, and playing in the opponent's backfield. He didn't always come up with the tackle, but there were times where his penetration and pressure impacted the play or allowed teammates to make plays.

"I would say, probably a couple weeks in a row here, he's played with good leverage, good technique, good hand placement, and done a good job of playing in different positions," head coach Matt Patricia said of Hand.

"We move him around a little bit, too. The techniques and the fundamentals, I'd say he's progressed in a positive (way) so far.

"Hopefully, we can continue with that, but when you watch it on tape you really see the coaching points that we're teaching, and the hand placement and the extension and all that stuff. It's been good."

It's earned Hand a promotion to the first-team defense, at least it did Friday night vs. the Giants. He played both inside and outside with the first unit.

The Lions' fourth-round pick has stepped right in and looked comfortable playing both spots for this defense. Teammates have taken notice of the rookie's consistent performance so far in camp.

"He's played well," veteran safety Glover Quin said of Hand. "He's made some plays. He's been disruptive upfront. He's a good, young talent, and that's what you want. That's what the league is, you know, a lot of young talent.

"He's definitely one of those guys who is big, strong, athletic, and so he's had a pretty good camp and I expect him hopefully to continue to get better continue to work at it continue to hone in on details in his craft and make some big plays for us."

As for Hand, he has a rather simple approach. He doesn't get too high or too low.

"I'm keeping my head low and working," he said. "All I'm doing is just doing my job. Just trying to go out there and be a positive influence (on the defense). I'm simple, I'm just going out there and giving it my all."

It's a perfect attitude for a rookie to have, and through the first few weeks of training camp and two preseason games, it's been serving Hand well.