Lions' Rock Ya-Sin stayed ready so he didn't need to get ready for first meaningful start in 3 seasons

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Allen Park — Sharing a room with some of the roster’s biggest personalities on the roster, Detroit Lions cornerback Rock Ya-Sin is as even-keeled as they come.

The veteran cornerback embodies the idea of not getting too high or too low, even with a long-awaited opportunity on the horizon this weekend, when the Lions travel to Kansas City to battle the perennial Super Bowl-contending Chiefs.

Ya-Sin, a former second-round pick turned journeyman, hasn’t started a meaningful game in nearly three years. Sure, he got the call in the final week of the 2023 season, but only because Baltimore, the middle of five stops the past five years, was resting many of their top players ahead of the playoffs. In reality, Ya-Sin last made a meaningful start with the Raiders in 2022.

Ya-Sin already saw a spike in playing time last week, after DJ Reed landed on injured reserve with a hamstring strain. Now, with Terrion Arnold expected to be down at least a few weeks with a shoulder issue, Ya-Sin is tracking toward being an every-down fixture in the back end of Detroit’s defense.

“I feel like I come in and prepare as if I were a starter every week,” Ya-Sin said. “I come in, take care of my body, and I work hard. Whatever reps I get, if it’s on defense, on the scout team, whatever it is, I treat it like a game.

“I’m always focusing on getting better,” Ya-Sin said. “Watching the film, making corrections, listening to the corrections that other guys get. I feel like, even last year in San Fran, all throughout this season here in Detroit, I feel like I always prepared as if I was a starter, so I don’t think anything changes for me.”

In his audition last week, Ya-Sin didn’t take long to show what he can do, breaking up two passes intended for Bengals receiver Tee Higgins. On two very different plays, Ya-Sin demonstrated his ability to play with physicality, as well as the speed to turn and run downfield.

On a slant, the defender played through the receiver’s ability to push off, staying tight enough to poke the ball away.

“That’s just knowing who you’re going against,” Ya-Sin said. “He’s a bigger, stronger. He’s really, really good player. I’ve got a lot of respect for that guy. I think he’s one of the best receivers in the league. Him, using his length and his strength and stuff. I knew one of those inside slants he would try to push off. He tugged, I tugged, and it just fell into place.”

On the deep throw, Ya-Sin smoothly flipped his hips and ran stride for stride with Higgins, leaping as the ball arrived to again knock it away. That downfield coverage is something that’s consistently shown up on his film over the years.

“I feel like that’s the number one thing for every corner, man, just don’t get beat deep,” Ya-Sin said.

If there’s one thing that has Ya-Sin excited, it’s getting an expanded opportunity to play alongside safeties Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch. Ya-Sin has spent most of the season admiring the tandem from the sideline, so he knows what kind of value they bring to an outside corner.

“When you have those kinds of erasers behind you, you play more free,” Ya-Sin said. “You know they’ve got your back. It’s so fun playing with guys like that. They’re really, really, really talented players.”

Ya-Sin is thinking far less about what this opportunity means for him. He’s not the type to be motivated by the doubt of others, but rather draws from intrinsic motivation to deliver for his teammates.

That mentality runs counter to teammate Amik Robertson, who wears his chip on his shoulder like a badge of honor. The odd couple is in line to carry the Lions’ secondary for the next few weeks.

Interestingly, this isn’t the first place they played together. They also shared a locker room with the Raiders in 2022, and like Robertson has had to scratch and claw for each and every opportunity, he’s enjoyed Ya-Sin overcoming some similar hurdles now that they’ve been reunited in Detroit.

“I call him Brother Man Rock,” Robertson said with a huge smile breaking across his face. “He’s a highly competitive guy. He loves to work, and you never hear him complain.

“When you line up with a guy that’s going to give it his all and do his job at a high level, you’re always going to have a chance to win,” Roberson said. “I — no, we have no doubts with Rock.”

If Sunday goes anything like the last time Ya-Sin started against the Chiefs, Lions fans will be thrilled. While with the Raiders in 2022, he was targeted in coverage three times, allowing one reception for 2 yards.