The Sports Xchange

ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Veteran Manny Ramirez took first-team reps at left guard this week ahead of first-round pick Laken Tomlinson during the Detroit Lions’ organized team activities (OTA) workouts.

Ramirez, acquired in a trade from the Denver Broncos, will have a chance to compete for the starting job at left guard as well as at center, where his competition is Travis Swanson.

Whether or not Ramirez wins a job, the Lions are glad to have the 32-year-old around in the locker room. Riley Reiff, 26, has the most experience of any other offensive lineman on the team.

“(He) has a good sense of what being a real pro is, and I think you’ll see some of that wear off on some of our young guys,” coach Jim Caldwell said of Ramirez.

–Replacing the interior pass rush that was lost with defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley leaving will be tough for the Lions, but 2014 fifth-round pick Caraun Reid showed up to OTAs in better condition to contribute this year.

“He’s trained really hard; he’s in really good shape. He looks good right now. Obviously, we’ll have to wait and see once we get the pads where we are, but I like what he’s done so far,” defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said.

–Rookie sixth-round pick Quandre Diggs was playing nickel cornerback for the first-team defense this week, a good sign for the coaches’ confidence in him.

“I like that guy,” Austin said. “He’s scrappy, he’s tough, he’s got good ball skills, he’s got good football sense that I’ve seen so far. We’ll just see how (it goes) once we get into pads, once we get into game situations, but I think he’s got a great background.

“Obviously, he’s got a great resource in his brother (longtime NFL cornerback Quentin Jammer) in terms of how this game is played and what you do, what do you need to do to be successful. So, it looks like he’s used that, and really, I’m pleased with where he is right now.”