ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions opened their doors to reporters Wednesday for the second day of Organized Team Activities, providing our first look at the new team.

It was a no-contact workout with players in shorts, and no pads. Detroit also cycled through players and rotations quite a bit, meaning there really weren't that many meaningful takeaways.

Of course, that won't stop us from talking about what happened anyway. So here are a few things that jumped out at this very, very early date.

-- One of the biggest takeaways was a position change, with cornerback Alex Carter working out at safety. The move makes a lot of sense. With Detroit adding three cornerbacks to a group that also returned all three starters, Carter, a third-round pick in Martin Mayhew's final draft, faced insurmountable odds of making the team there. Instead, he's packed on some weight and will try to push for a job behind Glover Quin, Tavon Wilson and Miles Killebrew in the back end.

-- It's going to be a while before we see Detroit's new offensive line together, because T.J. Lang is still rehabbing from offseason hip surgery and won't be ready to go until training camp. Laken Tomlinson started in his place at right guard Wednesday, while Graham Glasgow got the nod at left guard. But Joe Dahl played a lot with the starters as well, and on both sides. There was a ton of mixing and matching going on, as Detroit begins the long process of figuring out what to do at the position now that Lang is aboard.

-- It was good to see Travis Swanson back at center after that nasty concussion he suffered late last season. He played every snap against New Orleans in Week 13, but then started missing practice with a brain injury the following week. He couldn't shake the symptoms, either, and wound up missing the rest of the season, cutting short his big bounce-back year.

-- Among the rookies, I was particularly impressed with Kenny Golladay. At 6-foot-4, he's impossible to miss, even with 10 other receivers on the roster right now. He lined up mostly outside, but got some time in the slot as well, where there will be opportunities for snaps this year with Anquan Boldin out (at least for now). Golladay's hands look as good as advertised too, sucking in every ball I saw thrown his way. That includes a nice catch in traffic against defensive back Des Lawrence during one-on-ones.

-- Detroit dropped more passes than everybody except the Jets and Raiders last year (28), despite assembling a receiver corps stacked with guys known for sure hands. And they put some more balls on the ground Wednesday. Eric Ebron dropped a couple catchable balls, while Marvin Jones dropped three straight during seven-on-sevens. It's worth noting the last pass in that stretch was a deep ball in traffic that was tough to execute. Still, the rock hit him in the hands, and he dropped the two before it. It's too soon to fret -- remember, these guys are just getting their sea legs back after taking a few months off -- but it's something worth monitoring going forward.

-- With Tahir Whitehead out, Jarrad Davis and Paul Worrilow were at linebacker to start, along with safety Miles Killebrew (who got an awful long look with Glover Quin out of town). But Detroit cycled through linebackers briskly, so take that with a grain of salt or two.

-- Quandre Diggs made his return to the nickel after missing the final four games of last season with a pec injury, an important first step in his bid to fending off the newly acquired D.J. Hayden and Jamal Agnew. It's way too premature to say anything about where his game is, although he didn't exactly help himself during one-on-ones when he allowed a catch by TJ Jones and picked up a flag on the play.

-- The play of the day had to go to receiver Ryan Spadola, who pirouetted through the air to snag a Matthew Stafford bomb over Johnson Bademosi. He also got a random shoutout from Jim Caldwell during rookie minicamp.

-- Seeing Zach Zenner earn some first-team reps was a helpful reminder of just how much football Ameer Abdullah has missed, but Abdullah did seem to move well when he was out there. He was running, cutting, and not even wearing the red no-contact jersey he was saddled with last offseason. (And, remember, he wasn't even able to practice at this point because he was still dealing with a shoulder injury.)

-- OTAs are voluntary, but almost every healthy player was accounted for. The only players who were not spotted at all were safety Glover Quin, who was excused with a family obligation, and offensive tackle Corey Robinson.

-- Linebacker Tahir Whitehead, defensive end Armonty Bryant and guard T.J. Lang (hip) attended practice but were held out because of injuries. Running back Theo Riddick attended practice and even hopped on the field for some individual drills, but was otherwise inactive. Corner D.J. Hayden was in attendance too, but I didn't see him do much of anything.

-- The Lions weren't in full uniform, but you can already tell their new jerseys are a welcomed upgrade. The changes are subtle, but make a big difference. It's a cleaner look without the black, and the new, grey font really pops and is easier to read. And this was with the guys in shorts. So far, the jerseys get two thumbs way up.

-- Detroit will retake the field Thursday for a closed practice, then break for the holiday weekend. The team reconvenes for the next batch of OTAs on Tuesday. The next open practice is Wednesday.