Pushing his developmental pace with offseason approach, Lions looking for Manu to take consistency up a notch

(Photo courtesy the Detroit Lions)

Allen Park — In professional sports, it's easy to become enamored with potential. But at some point, typically sooner rather than later, potential needs to transform into production.

With Detroit Lions offensive tackle Giovanni Manu, we remain within the grace period. The Tongan native, who came to the NFL directly from the Canadian college football ranks, was drafted as a project and remains in the heart of his early development. However, the effort he's putting into accelerating that process only adds to the excitement of what he can eventually become.

"If you watched the film of Gio in OTAs (as a rookie) and you watched the film of Gio in practice (at the end of the season), I mean, it literally was night and day," general manager Brad Holmes said earlier this year. "That's credit to (offensive line coach) Hank (Fraley) and (assistant offensive line coach) Steve Oliver and all those guys just working with him. And credit to him, because he was conscientious of making sure that he improved."

In the months between the end of the 2024 season and the start of this year's OTAs, Manu has continued to put in the work. He's set up shop in Arizona, working with one of the premier offensive line trainers in the country, former NFL center LeCharles Bentley.

If the name sounds familiar, that's because Bentley's been working with college and NFL linemen for years, including Detroit's Taylor Decker, who has spent every offseason with Bentley since coming into the league in 2016.

"With LeCharles, there are a lot of (trainers) out there who do a really good job with these guys, and I know what kind of shape Decker is in," Fraley said. "We have a bunch of guys that go to LeCharles that are on our roster here. I know this, Decker always comes in ready to play, in shape, and ready to go. I know LeCharles a little bit. We played in the same era a little bit there, so I like what LeCharles is about and how he gets the guys ready to play."

The seriousness with which Manu has approached the offseason also hasn't been lost on his teammates.

"It's always good to see," Penei Sewell said. "Obviously, social media is a thing, so everyone can kind of see what he's got going on over there in Arizona. And it's always good to work with a teammate. So he's out there with Big Dog (Decker), just holding his own.

"He's just coming back, trying to build upon what he was kinda doing before the season's end," Sewell continued. "He was doing some great things, so just building upon that technically. Right now, I think the mental aspect is where he's got to grow."

The public won't have a grasp on Manu's improvements for a couple more months. There's only so much that can be learned during the early offseason practices. It's not until the pads come on during training camp and the preseason that you can properly assess a lineman's performance.

Curiosity will remain high until then.

"The one thing he does have (is) a physical presence about him, and he can exert his physicality on the field," Fraley said. "That's what I think you got to see later in the year (on the practice field). Now, it's can he take that next step?

"It's a huge step," Fraley continued. "It's no longer, 'Hey, we're trying to get all your base and balance right.' There was a lot we changed with him. I told him when we drafted him, there was going to be a lot that I was going to change how he did things. But it's the same way (with rookies) every year. You're coached four or five years once way, you're coming to a new coach that might want you to do this, tweak that foot there, turn your toe out, place your hands here, all that. All these little things he's heard me a whole year saying it, and it's can I take this, and now, without thinking of all these little things that come into play, can I keep playing fast? I think that's what we're going to see."

Manu's potential is rooted in his rare size and athleticism. Prior to being drafted by the Lions, he measured in at 6-foot-7, 352 pounds. He's taller than Sewell, 40 pounds heavier than Decker was entering the league, and Manu has longer arms than both of Detroit's starting offensive tackles.

On top of that, Manu has similar athletic traits to Sewell, who is considered one of the elite athletes at the position. Manu came into the league faster and more explosive, but not as strong or agile as Detroit's right tackle.

How Detroit deploys Manu this offseason is also intriguing. At the league meetings in early April, coach Dan Campbell talked about potentially working the young lineman more into the guard rotation. Three weeks later, the team drafted a pair of interior linemen, Tate Ratledge and Miles Frazier. That should allow Manu to continue concentrating on playing tackle.

Recently asked if that was the plan, Fraley declined to put his project in a box.

"He's a football player," Fraley said.

Obviously, when you're a backup, versatility is an asset. Wherever Manu lines up, Fraley is only looking for one thing.

"The biggest thing for o-line, you don't have to be the most talented, you don't have to be the strongest, you don't have to be the fastest, you have to be the most consistent," Fraley said. "If you're consistent, you'll play."