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Lions coaching staff won’t be afraid to play young players like Derrick Barnes, A.J. Parker

Rookie cornerback A.J. Parker and fourth-round linebacker Derrick Barnes have been making so many plays that even the casual fans have taken notice.

Parker’s rise in Detroit Lions camp can only be described as meteoric. As an undrafted player, Parker entered camp behind the likes of Mike Ford and Corn Elder on the depth chart at the nickelback position. Since then, Ford has been moved to the outside while Elder spent most of camp sidelined with an injury. That has given Parker first-team reps, and in just a week or two, he’s established himself as a playmaker.