This is how much Detroit Lions rookie tight T.J. Hockenson cares about a pretty big souvenir from his historic NFL debut. He has no idea where the touchdown ball he caught Sunday will end up.

“Uh, I don’t know,” he said Wednesday. “Probably in the basement until I get a permanent place.”

The basement? Hardly an auspicious resting place for a keepsake that helped mark Hockenson’s six catches for 131 yards, which set an NFL record for the most receiving yards by a tight end in his first game.

For now, that football is rattling around somewhere in the Lions’ equipment room in Allen Park. Maybe it’s destined for a glass case with a spotlight on it. But, judging by Hockenson’s unassuming and selfless demeanor, the ball seems more likely to end up under a pile of T-shirts in Hockenson’s home.

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“He’s a good kid,” veteran tight end Logan Thomas said. “He came from a good family. You can tell the way he way he acts and presents himself. He can handle anything that comes his way.”

Yes, the rave reviews came rolling in for the NFL draft’s eighth overall pick as soon as the game ended. And that’s a blessing and curse, because with all the praise more attention from defenses is sure to follow.

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“We’re happy with what he did,” offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said. “He had a great game, he did the things that we asked him to do. He was comfortable in the situation — it’s one game. Although we’re excited about what he did, there’s still a lot more to be learned from the game, still a lot more for him to be able to improve on.

“Defenses will start looking at our offense different ways, finding what’s our best personnel, who are our best guys. The defense will start handling things different. It’s something that we’ll have to stay on top of.”

Thomas understands the extra attention will come for the rookie, but he doesn’t seem too concerned about how Hockenson will handle it.

“Just keep doing what he’s been doing,” Thomas said. “This whole thing’s predicated on not being outside of your body, outside of yourself. He’s a heck of a football player. What he did (Sunday) didn’t surprise anybody in this building.

“But now it’s on film. Teams know that he’s the type of player that he is. They’ll obviously have something things where they try to take him away, but that opens up other people.”

And that’s where Thomas’ trust in Hockenson’s selfless nature comes in.

“I think overall if one guy gets more (attention), I think it helps the entire offense,” Hockenson said. “It leaves a lot of other guys with one-on-one coverage. I think that’s good for the entire unit, as a whole.”

It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Los Angeles Chargers key on Hockenson. The Chargers’ defense held the Indianapolis Colts to 190 passing yards last week and limited 2018 Pro Bowl tight end Eric Ebron to one catch for eight yards. (Admittedly, the Colts were starting Jacoby Brissett at quarterback, rather than Pro Bowler Andrew Luck, who retired in the middle of the preseason.)

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But even if that extra attention comes from the Chargers, Thomas doesn’t expect any pouty petulance from his rookie teammate, because he acts nothing like a rookie.

“You’re talking about T.J. He doesn’t come across as a rookie,” Thomas said. “He’s well-vetted in the way he plays, his knowledge of the game and the way he prepares. I don’t you can sense any pressure, or will sense any frustration in him. He’s pretty much got it down.”

Contact Carlos Monarrez at cmonarrez@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez.