The Detroit Lions have more depth than they've had in recent years at the cornerback position, but coach Jim Caldwell said he doesn't necessarily think that will make for a tougher decision when rosters are trimmed to 53 players next month.

"My old basketball coach used to say, ‘Cream always rises to the top,'" Caldwell said last week. "They’ll have an opportunity. We’ll see who’s best."

The Lions currently have seven cornerbacks who can make a solid case for Week 1 roster spots: Darius Slay and Nevin Lawson are the starters, Teez Tabor and Jamal Agnew are rookie draft picks, Johnson Bademosi is one of the team's better special-teams players, and Quandre Diggs and DJ Hayden are vying for the nickel job.

Diggs has looked good in his return from a torn pectoral muscle and has taken most of the first-team reps through eight practices of training camp.

But five months after he signed a one-year deal as a free agent, Hayden is starting to open some eyes, too.

On the final public practice of training camp Monday, Hayden, playing with the second-team defense, had some impressive moments. He blanketed Jace Billingsley in coverage in the first team period of the day, and had a near interception of Jake Rudock towards the end of practice.

Hayden still was kicking himself for the near pick after practice, though in typical cornerback fashion, he said his short-term memory kicked in on the field.

"I dropped the ball," he said. "I should have caught it. Got to make the play."

As for his spot with the second-team defense, Hayden didn't seem too bothered by his spot on the early August depth chart – a spot everyone knows could change in the weeks ahead.

"That’s just where I’m at right now," Hayden said. "Still going to make plays."

The Lions have an off day Tuesday before hosting a morning practice Wednesday that's closed to the public. They'll take part in joint practices with the Colts on Thursday and Friday before Sunday's preseason opener.

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Here are some more observations from practice Monday:

• Maybe it's because of the new media perch away from fans (though I doubt it since two out-of-town writers shared a similar sentiment to me), but I didn't sense much buzz at camp this year. The Lions added music a few days into practice and there were the usual games and face-painting stations on the walk in to the outdoor fields, but there wasn't much energy at camp this summer. I'm not talking about the players, who did a good job signing autographs and interacting with fans, just the environment itself left something to be desired.

• Not practicing Monday: T.J. Lang, Eric Ebron, Brandon Copeland, Jordan Hill, Paul Worrilow, Bruce Gaston, Mike James, Cornelius Lucas and Brandon Barnes. Lang has practiced sparingly this summer as the Lions work to keep him fresh for the regular season. Ebron did some running on the side and appears to be gearing up for a return (perhaps after the Colts game).

• Joe Dahl took some first-team reps at guard for the second straight day, ahead of Laken Tomlinson, and took some backup reps at center. Graham Glasgow surely would slide over to center if something happened to Travis Swanson in a game, but best to have Dahl ready just in case.

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• In one-on-one pass-rush drills, Jeremiah Ledbetter blew past Tomlinson on the final snap of the period, sending the defensive line into celebration. Tomlinson, meanwhile, was looking for an offsides flag. From my perch 130 or so yards away, no idea who was right.

• Undrafted rookie Storm Norton was a mixed bag in one-on-ones. Anthony Zettel beat Norton wide around the edge at left tackle, then Norton switched sides and stonewalled rookie Pat O'Connor. O'Connor had his way with tight end Cole Wick in his other pass-rush rep, and Alex Barrett continues to show good quickness of the edge (though Nick Becton got the better of Barrett in their rep).

• Bademosi made the play of the day Monday, making an over-the-shoulder interception on a Rudock pass to Jared Abbrederis. Bademosi has his ups and downs in coverage, but on that play he showed really nice ball tracking down the field.

• Ameer Abdullah showed his big-play ability in the first team session of the day, when the Lions backed their offense up to their own goal line. Abdullah had a gaping hole on the left side of the line to run through, though Glover Quin tracked him down about 50 yards downfield.

• Keshawn Martin had a nice catch towards the end of practice, when he hauled in a Brad Kaaya pass that appeared to be tipped by Agnew.

• And the Lions' defense ended with a few strong reps. O'Connor forced Matthew Stafford out of the pocket with a nice rush against the first-team offense, he beat Norton for a would-be sack against the third-team offense, and Miles Killebrew got to Rudock for a sack on a blitz with the second team.

• Lastly, linebacker Nick Bellore, who returned to practice earlier this week from an apparent calf injury, walked off the field with trainers for an undisclosed injury.

Contact Dave Birkett: dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett. Download our Lions Xtra app for free on Apple and Android!