By all accounts, Mekhi Wingo has had a pretty good NFL training camp. By his own admission, Wingo had a disappointing preseason debut.

Wingo, a sixth-round pick out of LSU, lamented his play in the Detroit Lions’ exhibition opener last week against the New York Giants, which he called “my worst day” of camp so far.

“Just having to get off the ball quicker and get my hands in guys’ chest and made a few mistakes, gave up a few plays, kind of down,” Wingo said Wednesday. “Coach told me, ‘You’re going to be all right, just first game.’ Vets picked me up just letting me know like, ‘It’s good, you’re OK. Preseason, that’s why we do this.’ So they definitely picked me up, came out here, put in a great week of practice and ready for the next game.”

Wingo has impressed enough this summer with his versatility, pass rush ability and leadership that he has all but assured himself a job when the Lions cut their roster to 53 players by Aug. 27.

He excelled as an undersized (6 feet, 291 pounds) defensive tackle at LSU, and his quick first step and supercharged motor have helped him transition quickly to the NFL, where the Lions have experimented with playing him everywhere from nose tackle in sub packages to defensive end in bigger fronts.

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“I don’t want to say pleasant surprise, but for a man of his size to go out there and battle, be able to take on double teams, have the quickness to win as a three-technique, it’s been very good for us and he’s going to be a good player in this league,” Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said. “I don’t know if you guys know it, but when you wear that No. 18 at LSU” — the uniform number Wingo wore as a senior — “that means a lot, and you see that personality come out of that player.”

Glenn said Wingo has mastered new pass-rushing techniques learned from first-year Lions defensive line coach Terrell Williams, and shown leadership traits uncommon for a rookie.

“When I look at Wingo, this is what I’ll say, it doesn’t matter what he does in life, he’s going to succeed, because that’s just who he is,” Glenn said. “He could be a CEO of a company, he could be a big-time football player, it doesn’t matter, he’s going to be successful.”

Told of Glenn’s comments, Wingo said he was appreciative.

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For now, though, he’s only concerned with being successful at football, which is why his play against the Giants — when he failed to register a tackle in 31 snaps — burned so much.

“Just didn’t come with the right mindset,” Wingo said. “Just got to switch from practice mode to game mode.”

Wingo could make his second start of the preseason Saturday when the Lions play the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, though Lions coach Dan Campbell said it’s possible some defensive linemen who sat out the Giants game could play Saturday.

Either way, the rookie should log significant minutes in the final two exhibition games as he looks to solidify a role for the regular season.

“They’re going to mean a lot,” Wingo said of the final two exhibition games. “Obviously for me to get good work and to also just show that I can play in this league and that I done picked up the speed of the game and that I’m progressing and getting better week by week.”

The Lions have an experienced defensive front with free-agent signees D.J. Reader and Marcus Davenport joining Aidan Hutchinson and Alim McNeill as starters, and Levi Onwuzurike, Josh Paschal and Brodric Martin among the backups.

Wingo said he has learned from those vets the importance of playing fast all the time and never compromising on technique, and said he’s “looking forward to having a good game” Saturday after kicking himself over his play for the past week.

“What I’ve shown during camp and the preseason, I think I can play in this league for sure,” Wingo said. “I just got to continue to grow and get better and follow my vets.”

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on X and Instagram at @davebirkett.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions DL Mekhi Wingo impressing in preseason, out to prove it in game