Giovanni Manu is a big man and a bigger project, with potentially massive rewards. Midway through his second NFL training camp, like a locomotive leaving the station, he's starting to gain steam.
"My confidence is growing each and every day," Manu said Monday.
Under Dan Campbell, the Lions practice as hard as any team in the NFL, and harder than most. There is gain in the strain. Manu readily admits that "I get my ass whooped out here," especially when he takes on starting defensive ends Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport. He also appreciates the give and take, because "when it comes down to the game, everything is so slow to me."
During the Hall of Game last month, Manu and offensive line coach Hank Fraley were talking about this very concept. Manu told Fraley during a break in the action that comparing the Lions' speed at practice "to game level" against the Chargers (well, the Chargers' reserves), "there's a method behind Dan’s psycho — like, his brain."
"Sometimes as a player you’re like, 'Man, why are we going this hard?' and then you get to the game and you realize, OK, so this is why we do this," said Manu.
It's not a coincidence that Manu has fared better in two exhibition games this summer than in most practices in Allen Park. He's been thrust into some first-team duty at left tackle due to injuries to Taylor Decker, Dan Skipper and Jamarco Jones. He's behind all of them on the depth chart, which is clear when he gets schooled on a speed move by Hutchinson or a bull rush by Davenport. But camp is a classroom. Manu is quick to try to learn from his mistakes.
"Even when I get beat I go up to Hutch and I’m like, 'What made you beat me here, like, what made you feel like you could take my inside here?' And he’ll be like, 'Oh, you’re just over-setting, dude. Just narrow up, set square.' Things like that, even they are helping me and I’m always trying to look for help," said Manu.
The same is true in the offensive line room, where Decker has taken Manu under his wing. The Lions' longest-tenured player knows that Manu, 24, is next in line at left tackle. Decker, who turns 32 this month, had Manu out to Arizona to train with him this offseason. He does not view the succession plan as a threat to his status, knowing that he's entering the first year of the three-year, $60 million extension he signed last summer and that Manu has a ways to go. Manu considers himself "extremely blessed" to be in such a supportive environment.
"Talking to the vets, not every room in the NFL is like that where they’re willing to take a guy in and be like a big brother to him, and that’s how I feel. I’m just thankful for all those guys," said Manu.
The traits and tools for Manu are obvious. It's the sharpening process that will take time. He's the biggest player on the Lions' roster at 6'7, 350 pounds, with uncommon athleticism for a man his size. He's also uniquely green for an NFL player after dominating lesser, lighter competition at the University of British Columbia. At this level, sheer strength only counts for so much. Technique is just as important. So is an understanding of the game, especially in a complex offensive system like the Lions'. This is where Manu feels himself growing the most.
Manu played 24 snaps at left tackle in the Hall of Fame Game and graded out well in pass protection, allowing one QB pressure in 14 opportunities, per PFF. He said after watching the tape several times over that he was unhappy with his overall performance, a remark, perhaps, on his run-blocking. He played 48 snaps at left tackle last week against the Falcons and seemed generally more pleased with what he put on film, even as the advanced grades weren't as kind. PFF dinged him for a team-high four QB pressures on 26 opportunities, but Manu wasn't lingering on a few bad reps.
"Out of 40 plays, I wish I could have five or six plays back where I could have been better," he said.
Otherwise, said Manu, "I definitely did feel like I took a step forward, and I’m just looking to keep building off that." Asked where he felt those strides the most, Manu pointed not to any sort of physical maturation but to "my mental game, like knowing my assignments, knowing where to go coming off the snap count."
"Because last year those were simple things that I was struggling with," he said, "because here at this level, we have multiple different cadences, we can flip plays, we can have one play and then switch to a whole other play mid-cadence."
In the past, such pre-snap adjustments would have slowed Manu down or entirely tripped him up. He said there were times last year in practice where one call would get killed at the line in favor of another and -- "f**k" -- Manu would go the wrong way off the ball, busting the play.
"Now it's like, 'OK, we’re switching from here to a pass play, boom, boom, boom, I know where I’m going, I’m setting here, there, there. ... Those things I’m noticing that I’m picking up faster on," said Manu.
As for the technique, Manu knows he has lots to improve upon from the Falcons game. He's rewatched it about 10 times, he said, and was frustrated with his "consistency with my hands in pass pro."
"Those are just things I gotta clean up," he said.
The Lions raved about Manu this spring, which raised expectations for the fourth-round pick entering year two. Brad Holmes went so far as to say that "if you’ve watched the film of Gio in OTA's and the film of Gio in practice (last year), it literally is night and day." The progress hasn't appeared as stark in camp, but mental growth isn't always visible at first blush -- which is likely what Holmes was referring to. Manu feels it on the field. As the physical side catches up, this project has a chance to pay dividends down the line.
"As a football player," said Manu, "you need to experience hard days in order to move onto better days and grow."