All business and even-keeled, Lions CB Whiteside delivering early playmaking in pursuit of roster spot
Allen Park — Cornerbacks can’t afford to arrive late. A step slow is often the difference between a completion and a pass breakup. With that obsessive mindset, it’s not surprising that Nick Whiteside knows his commute to the Detroit Lions’ practice facility is exactly 38 minutes.
It’s during those quiet morning drives, before traffic congestion swells, that Whiteside clears his mind and mentally prepares for the day ahead.
That’s the other thing about playing corner. It requires a short-term memory. You have to flush the previous play ahead of the next snap. What’s worse than giving up a catch? Letting that throw beat you a second time because you weren’t locked in on the present moment.
That’s not just a snap-to-snap mentality. It applies to days, too. Whiteside is quick to admit he hasn’t always been good at being focused on the here and now. He’d get lost overthinking and would “psych himself out.” He’s certain it was a factor that cost him his job with the Washington Commanders a year after he was signed by the franchise as an undrafted free agent out of Saginaw Valley State in 2023.