Travis Fulgham is getting his first taste of NFL football in OTAs and now the Detroit Lions’ mandatory minicamp. The sixth-round wideout from Old Dominion has impressed in his limited opportunities so far.

Lions head coach Matt Patricia discussed what he’s seen in Fulgham and how he hopes the rookie WR will progress over the course of his first offseason as a pro.

“It’s a great week for him,” Patricia said before Tuesday’s practice. “Obviously the more we move into situations of the game and understanding the NFL game versus the college game and how that all changes, offense changes and defense changes. That would probably be the biggest difference for him, is that the coverage changes that he’ll start to see as we work into third down probably more expansive than what he was used to in college. For him, he has a lot to learn — like all the rookies do right now.”

Patricia appreciates the effort and attitude he sees in Fulgham, who is firmly in the mix to earn the No. 3 outside WR role behind Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones. The head coach understands the degree of difficulty in jumping from Conference USA to the NFL.

“He’s grinding away, trying to do everything he can to learn and get better. That’s really all we can ask for at this point. The third down will be critical because it’s just a different game than probably what he’s used to.”

Fulgham and the Lions have two more minicamp sessions this week before breaking for over a month until training camp.