ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions featured one of the worst cornerback corps in the NFL last year.

Yet they did not add a starting-caliber cornerback in free agency, and waited until the third day of the NFL draft to select a defensive back of any kind.

While Detroit's willingness to stand pat has frustrated some, it also seems to be an expression of faith in Darius Slay. He is considered a forerunner to start as soon as this season, with Chris Houston's future unknown due to continued toe problems and Rashean Mathis reaching his mid-30s.

And Slay intends to make the most of his opportunity.

After enduring some rookie growing pains last season, Slay set out to Pleasonton, Calif., this offseason to spend a few days living with Rod Woodson. Yes, that Rod Woodson.

The Hall of Fame cornerback poured over film from each of Slay's games last year, then spent several days giving Slay notes and working his game.

"His big slogan now is everything is getting too technical," Slay said. "He said back in his days, you'd just line up across from a guy and played ball. He says nowadays, they teach ya to do this, or do that, to be correct.

"He says to go out there and just play ball. So he wasn't teaching me technique so much as he was teaching me concepts, my tackling angles and stuff like that."

[Related: Rod Woodson explains to MLive why he's working with Darius Slay]

Those lessons seem to be paying off. Slay was among the most impressive players during OTAs on Wednesday, which were open to the media.

He was burned a couple times by Calvin Johnson, but otherwise was sticky in coverage against just about everyone else. He was particularly impressive on one deep pass intended for Kevin Ogletree in the end zone.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford was forced to go long because Slay was in lock-step with Ogletree and the ball was uncatchable through the back of the end zone.

"He had to throw that one out the end zone because I was about to pick it off," Slay said.

With Houston sitting out practice as he recovers from toe surgery, Slay was running with the starters opposite Mathis. That could be a preview of how Detroit will open the season if Houston doesn't make a full recovery.

Slay opened last season as a starter, but was benched in Week 3 and played sparingly over the next two months. He did start two late games, on Thanksgiving against Green Bay and in the season finale at Minnesota, and showed improvement in both games.

Slay allowed quarterbacks to post a 118.1 rating when targeting him, and he finished the year ranked 92nd at the position according to ProFootballFocus.

What happened?

Woodson noticed on film that Slay developed a habit of looking too much at the quarterback as the ball was thrown. That sometimes caused him to be a step slow despite that 4.36 speed.

"So he said to play the man more," Slay said.

Woodson also had some pointers for dealing with bigger receivers, after Slay had some of his worst moments against the likes of Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall.

He said Slay must be more physical at the top of the route.

"He said be more aggressive," Slay said. "That's it. I'm just trying to think less and just ball, you know?"

Woodson believes Slay will be a good one for Detroit. He knows as well as anyone just how difficult it is for corners -- even the best corners -- to play at a high level immediately.

He was the 10th overall pick in the 1987 draft, but "if ESPN and all that stuff was really working when I played, and there were all the outlets there are today, they probably would have said 'this guy is a bust.'"

Woodson went on to intercept the third most passes in NFL history and get inducted into the Hall of Fame.

"I think what's unfair to guys like Darius is they want him to play like a three-year or four-year vet, and he's not," Woodson told MLive earlier this offseason. "Anytime you put a young guy on the field, even if he has tremendous talent, he's going to get beat.

"If he can correct all his negatives, by the third year, I think that's when you're going to see glimpses of greatness. I think you saw a couple glimpses his rookie year, I think next year you'll see a couple more, and then the third year you should see him break out."