ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Minicamp has officially arrived for the Detroit Lions. On Tuesday, they kicked off the first of two practices with the majority of the team in attendance. It’ll be their last chance for on-field work until training camp begins in late July.Which players stood out? How are the offense and defense looking as things wrap up this week? Who’s catching the eye of the coaching staff?Here’s what we heard and saw on Day 1:Mike Kafka’s interview before the interviewWhen he set out to find his new offensive coordinator this offseason, Dan Campbell interviewed former Giants OC and interim head coach Mike Kafka as part of a search that cast a wide net of external voices.Campbell got to see Kafka in action last November. Down to his third-string QB in Jameis Winston, and without star WR Malik Nabers or rookie RB Cam Skattebo, Kafka’s offense put up 27 points on the Lions. New York’s 10 plays of 20 or more yards that day were tied for the most recorded in a single game last season, and a few of them were well-designed trick plays that Detroit’s defense had no answers for. It took a shootout and heroic effort from Jahmyr Gibbs to beat the 4-13 Giants in overtime.Do the Detroit Lions still have a top-5 offense in the NFL?Robert Mays and Derrik KlassenConsider that the interview before the interview.“We watched it,” Kafka said of that game. “That was part of the interview process. We watched the game and kind of went through my thought process. It was good, it was a good football conversation. That’s pretty much the extent of it.”Kafka didn’t land the OC gig, but he’s here in Detroit anyway as the Lions’ new passing game coordinator. It’s one of the more underrated moves of the offseason, being able to bring in another young offensive mind with play-calling experience to pair with OC Drew Petzing, who landed the job over Kafka.While Kafka is a bit more of a reserved personality, he’s been described as a coach who’s personable and can work with anyone. At 38, Kafka is young enough to relate to players, but is set to enter his 10th NFL season as a coach. He’s played the QB position at this level, making him a coach who should be able to earn Jared Goff’s trust. He backed up current Lions backup QB Teddy Bridgewater with the Vikings in 2015. Kafka worked with Petzing and offensive line coach Hank Fraley — both assistants in Minnesota — that same year. Not to mention he and passing-game specialist David Shaw grew up in West Coast systems.Campbell views him as a coach whose ideas will be welcomed in Detroit.“One of the guys I was really high on through that whole process was Mike Kafka,” Campbell said in February. “We were fortunate to get him (as) pass-game coordinator. So, that worked out really well. But (he’s) a guy who’s been an interim head coach, has coached quarterbacks, has coached some good quarterbacks, run an offense. So, he’s got a good perspective on things. He’s got some pretty good ideas.”Kafka said his ultimate goal is to be an NFL head coach — something he got a taste of last season. His new boss knows a thing or two about missing out on an interim gig before landing a full-time job down the road.“I thought this was the best place for me and my family,” Kafka said. “One, being able to meet coach Campbell with Brad (Holmes), what they’re building from a culture standpoint. … There’s some good collaboration there that’s easy to kind of work through. … You’re able to sit there and talk it out and work it out and get problems solved.”The Lions are hoping his addition helps solve some problems.Isaac TeSlaa right where he needs to beDuring a team period Tuesday, an anticipatory throw led to a completion from Goff to second-year WR Isaac TeSlaa. TeSlaa cleanly broke inside on a post route, turned his head and the ball was waiting for him, leading to a big gain. It was the sort of in-sync chemistry the Lions envisioned when they took a chance on a former wing-T QB-turned-WR in the third round last year.At this point, this is what’s expected of TeSlaa. Win his routes. Be where he’s supposed to be. And, well, to catch the football.Of course, we already knew he could do that. The rest is falling into place.“His growth took off,” Campbell said of TeSlaa’s second half. “He got a little bit better every week, he became a guy — would tell you by the end of the year we had a lot of trust in. I mean this as a compliment, what he has done out here in the spring, Phase II, OTAs and all of that, it has just been very — there’s been nothing flashy about and that is a good thing. I mean, he is just consistent and where we expected him to be at this point this time for Year 2 is exactly where we want him and I would say probably even a little bit more. … He feels like a veteran right now.”That’s high praise from Campbell, who has been much more reserved when it comes to compliments this offseason. It says a lot about TeSlaa and his role in the offense. At this time a year ago, TeSlaa was getting reps with Kyle Allen and the second-team offense in team periods, trying to make a name for himself and beat out Tim Patrick. Now he’s a mainstay in formations that feature Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta. Jameson Williams and Jahmyr Gibbs.New OC Drew Petzing is fitting in seamlesslyColton PouncyWhen the message from Campbell was relayed to him, TeSlaa said he didn’t want to hang his hat on those words or pat himself on the back. He wants to approach each day like it’s still his rookie year. Back then, he had to do everything the right way to earn looks and opportunities. He had to make plays to earn the trust, and now that he has it, he knows he has to maintain it in his new role.Even he can admit the thought of himself in this offense, with another year under his belt, next to these playmakers, can be daunting for defenses around the league.“It’s exciting for me, it’s exciting for the whole offense,” TeSlaa said. “With the weapons that we have, I don’t know how you’re gonna guard all of our skill positions. I feel like if you wanna try to double a guy then you’re just leaving another extremely skilled person wide open. So, I think it’s a great opportunity for the whole offense. They gotta worry about a lot of guys and we’re excited to punish them on the field.”News, notes and observations• Not at Lions practice: WR Kendrick Law (torn ACL), TE Tyler Conklin, guard Ben Bartch, DB Avonte Maddox (personal), safety Kerby Joseph and safety Brian Branch.• CB Terrion Arnold and TE Sam LaPorta were limited — available for walk-throughs before heading inside or working off to the side.• Although they obviously weren’t participating, Joseph and Branch were spectators at practice. They were on the sidelines for the final scrimmage period, cheering on their defensive teammates whenever a play was made.• Campbell said LaPorta is “trending the right way” for the start of training camp.• Chuck Clark, Jimmy Rolder and rookie UDFA Aamaris Brown all had interceptions in practice. Clark picked off Goff in a two-minute drill, Rolder picked off Bridgewater and Brown came away with a tipped ball off UDFA QB Luke Altmyer. Khalil Dorsey, repping with the first-team defense on a few occasions, nearly came down with a pick himself. A good day for the defense.• Tyler Lacy has gotten a lot of reps with the first-team defense in the “big end” role. He’s usually the first one out there with Aidan Hutchinson, Alim McNeill and Tyleik Williams. The Lions seem to really like him.• Ennis Rakestraw Jr. rotated in with the first-team defense during team periods. An encouraging sign.• A couple of offensive line notes: Blake Miller continues to get first-team reps with the offense during team periods near the end of practice, though Larry Borom gets the first shot during walk-throughs at the start.• Fraley on new center Cade Mays: “What you got to see off his film is he’s playing physical, he’s stout at the point, he kept the depth of the pocket, stuff like that. Carolina had a very good year and he was one of the reasons why. We liked his tape and I’m glad we got him. He’s been great for the room.”• Fraley on the next step for Tate Ratledge: “How do you counter certain moves in the pass rush game? What were D-tackles doing to you setting you up? And then limit some of the pre-snap penalties, stuff like that. … I love where Tate’s at. I think he finished pretty strong last year. There’s little things that he just needs to detail that as you go in this league and play, you get better and better and you start seeing the bigger picture.”