Reiff settling in at Lions' rookie minicamp

Wide receiver Ryan Broyles, a second-round pick out of Oklahoma, was on the field but wore a baseball hat and didn't do much. He's coming off major knee surgery.

"He's not ready to do any of this stuff yet, but he is working very well," Schwartz said. "I think we have a very good situation for him, because we don't have to put him out there the very first rookie camp practice and expect him to be making plays."

Detroit's top three draft picks last year — defensive lineman Nick Fairley, receiver Titus Young and running back Mikel Leshoure — were all limited to varying degrees by injuries. Having a healthy draft class is important, maybe more than it used to be.

"I think it's a fact of life in the NFL now that you need contributions from rookies. I remember a long time ago when I first started being a fan of the NFL, there was a common thought that every rookie you had on the field equaled one loss," Schwartz said. "I think those days are gone. I think college players are ready."

The Lions have high hopes for Reiff, even if he isn't doing all that much on the field at the outset. He's still impressed coaches with his work behind the scenes.

"Walkthroughs, meetings, things like that," Schwartz said. "You can tell that he's an experienced, smart, confident player, and he's going to do well for us."