Big day: It was a heck of a day for backup quarterback David Blough in the first minicamp practice of the week Tuesday. During one competitive period the offense was tasked with starting on their own 19-yard line with just 29 seconds on the clock and needing to score. Blough hit wide receiver Trinity Benson for a 25-yard gain along the left sideline that stopped the clock. He hit wide receiver Quintez Cephus for a 32-yard gain, then hit Cephus again for a 23-yard touchdown on a nice one-handed catch by Cephus. He was 3-for-3 for 81 yards and a TD and had nine seconds to spare. Blough was crisp all day running the second-team offense. – Tim Twentyman
Smooth Swift: If one word can describe how running back D’Andre Swift operates on the field, it's smooth. He showed that on two catches in a passing drill. First was a ball he caught just below knee level in the left front corner of the end zone. Next was a cut over the middle where he reached back to catch a ball on his right hip without breaking stride. Swift makes plays look easier than they really are. – Mike O'Hara
Playing up: Second overall pick Aidan Hutchinson started the first team period Tuesday with the first-team defense playing up on the edge. Head coach Dan Campbell has brought rookies along slowly in the past, playing them with the second or third teams early in the spring as they learn the defense and get their feet wet, but Hutchinson is going to be a key part of this defense, and that's evident already with him getting early first-team reps. – Tim Twentyman
Catching on: Competition is tight at wide receiver, and Cephus continues be in the thick of it. He made a leaping catch over two defenders on a deep ball down the left sideline, then came back with a catch on a sharp cut over the middle from left to right. – Mike O'Hara
All five together: It was nice to see veteran left tackle Taylor Decker taking part in the walkthrough portion of practice Tuesday as he manages a foot injury that isn't expected to limit him at all come training camp. What was really nice was seeing Decker, Jonah Jackson, Frank Ragnow, Halapoulivaati Vaitai and Penei Sewell lined up together for that team walkthrough period. Those five staying healthy and playing together is going to be the key on offense. They could be one of the best units in football if they stay healthy. They didn't play a single game together as a five-man unit last season. – Tim Twentyman
Off the field: There's more to what goes on at minicamp than what we see on the field. As Campbell explained, the practice days are longer under NFL rules governing offseason workouts. The Lions use the extra time after practice for meetings and film study to make corrections to help eliminate mental errors. – Mike O'Hara
7-on-7 stats: The Lions ran an extensive 7-on-7 red zone period to end practice Tuesday. Jared Goff finished 3-of-7 with touchdown passes to tight end Shane Zylstra and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. Tim Boyle was 6-for-7 with five touchdown passes. Blough was 3-of-5 with three touchdowns. Also catching touchdowns in the period were: Tight end Brock Wright, running back Godwin Igwebuike, wide receiver Trinity Benson, wide receiver Corey Sutton, wide receiver Kalil Pimpleton and wide receiver Tom Kennedy. Defensive backs AJ Parker and Will Harris made a couple nice plays to break up passes in the period. – Tim Twentyman
Catch of the day: Cephus' 23-yard TD catch mentioned above got strong consideration, but linebacker Anthony Pittman had a nice one-handed catch on a linebacker coverage drill during an individual period. Pittman dropped back and went high with one arm to snag the ball. It stuck to his hand like glue, garnering some praise from his fellow linebackers. – Tim Twentyman
Returning punts: Detroit worked through a punting period Tuesday, and they had Kalif Raymond, Pimpleton and Josh Johnson back returning punts. – Tim Twentyman
