Nothing about Detroit Lions CB Darius Slay instantly screams grizzled NFL veteran.

He’s only 26 years old, having been drafted out of Mississippi State in 2013, he has a youthful smile and wild The Weekend-like hair that barely fits inside of his helmet.

Still, he finds himself as the oldest member of a new-look Detroit secondary that features newcomers like two-time first team All-SEC CB Teez Tabor, who the Lions selected in the second round of this year’s NFL draft.

Despite his youth, Slay enjoys being a big brother to the younger guys, including the four rookies at CB alone. He told Tim Twentyman of Detroitlions.com as much during a piece published on Sunday:

“Big responsibility. I’ve been taking some pointers from my older guys I had in my time. I still be calling Shean (former Lion Rashean Mathis) and GQ (Glover Quin) is still here with me and he keeps me up to date.

“Still learning and teaching the young guys that I’ve been through a lot and I know a lot and I’m just trying to get all the information I got to them.”

The Lions were a surprisingly successful team last season, finishing at 9-7 and barely missing the playoffs by dropping their final two games of the regular season. Their defense was a big reason why, as they improved from a perpetually bottom-tier unit to 15th in the league with 354.8 yards per game allowed.

Despite the retirement of star WR Calvin Johnson, the Lions’ new-look defense and the clutch play of QB Matthew Stafford has the team heading in the right direction, and Darius Slay appears to be exactly the kind of vet they need.