ALLEN PARK -- Kenny Golladay is 6-foot-4. He's listed at 218 pounds. He has 4.5 speed and can jump through the building.

In other words, he looks like a No. 1 receiver. But in this offense, he doesn't have to be a No. 1 receiver. With Marvin Jones and Golden Tate back, he's probably WR3.

And that's part of what makes him an excellent candidate to become the offense's breakout player of the year.

Golladay showed flashes last year, when he caught 28 passes for 477 yards and three touchdowns. But if the offseason program is any indication, he's headed for even bigger things in 2018. He consistently chewed up the first-team defense, and especially in the red zone, where he so deftly uses that rangy frame to go up and get passes even the likes of Darius Slay can't get to.

His overall production will be tempered by the return of Tate and Jones. But their presence also means Golladay will rarely have to face the sort of exotic coverages other guys built like him have to face. And that makes him a very dangerous player to watch when the Lions return for camp next month.

"He's a big target," Tate said. "He's got length. He can go up and get it, and, you know, we'll try to put him in situations to do that."

The buzz has been building for a while now. He was a relative unknown when the Lions picked him in the third round out of Northern Illinois last year, but made some noise over the summer with a dizzying array of impressive catches, especially in the red zone. But he was able to capture that form only in bursts as a rookie.

That was due partly to missing five games with a nagging hamstring injury, and also some rawness in his game. His route running especially needed work. Still, he flashed some serious ability when healthy, like the two touchdown catches that fueled a comeback win against Arizona in the opener. By season's end, he had caught more 40-yard bombs than any other rookie in the game.

And that has people like Tate wondering just what he could be capable of.

"I saw freakish catches, man," Tate said. "Some real freakin' freakish catches. Kenny's still a young guy trying to figure it out, but he's moving at a great pace. If he can just keep the mentality he has coming in, he studies, and just tries to get better every day, I'm telling you, this guy can be dominant. He's a WR1 kind of guy."

He still has a long way to go to prove he's for real, but the early results are inspiring. His route running is crisper this year. He's winning more consistent separation, even while working almost exclusively against the starting defense. And he was seen during minicamp using tennis balls on the side with an assistant to improve his hand-eye coordination.

All of which is to say, Golladay looks even better this year. And with the sort of second-rate coverages he'll probably see, there's no telling just how much damage he could do in Year 2.

"He's a guy who's getting better and better every single day -- every single time he steps out," Tate said. "His knowledge of the offense is getting better. He's a guy who pays attention in the classroom, and he's doing good. And when Kenny's doing well, we're all going to be doing well."