While the Lions haven’t been good this season, we can see some legitimate pieces for the rebuild already in place and a clear path forward. With some exciting young talent already on the roster and a slew of upcoming draft picks highlighted by four 1st round picks over the next two draft classes, the Lions are quickly getting infused with talent. Detroit will also have a large amount of cap space to use in free agency to plug some of their holes before the draft. Here’s how the roster currently stands and what I’d expect the team to target in free agency and the draft.
The Offense
The offensive line is among the best in the league when healthy. Taylor Decker and standout rookie Penei Sewell make up one of the best Tackle pairings in the league. Ragnow has cemented himself as one of the top Centers in football. Jonah Jackson and Vaitai have both played well this season. Considering who they get to play next to the Guards should always benefit to some extent. The OL is the most important position group on the team. They keep your QB standing up and buy time for receivers to get open as well as opening up holes for runners. A strong OL will make the entire offense better.
The RB stable looks better than we’ve seen in Detroit in a very long time. D’Andre Swift is a dynamic weapon who can do damage on the ground and is one of if not the best receiving backs in the league. Jamaal Williams is a good pairing to be the thunder to Swift’s lightning and has been productive in his first season with Detroit. They’ve also had both Jermar Jefferson and Craig Reynolds deliver good performances and flash the ability to make an impact in games this season.
Hockenson continues to be one the best TEs in the NFL. A strong blocker and receiver, and his best years are still on the horizon. The team is in desperate need of finding a true #1 WR. Amon-Ra St. Brown and Quintez Cephus are both good options who can play in either the slot or on the outside but neither is quite a #1 option. Josh Reynolds and Kalif Raymond have also played well and could be a good #4 and #5 going into next season. Expect them to target a WR early in the draft to fill the #1 receiver role.
QB Situation
The future at QB for the Lions is uncertain with the inconsistent and unencouraging performance from Jared Goff this season. There isn’t a real rush to move on though with no clear star QB available in this draft. Goff remains under contract and Detroit would likely not be able to cut him until after next season anyway. There would be too much dead cap if they were to move on before then. While we all want the next star QB to root for in Detroit, I think it makes more sense to continue to build the foundation of the roster first and then add that QB next year and give them a better chance at being successful.
The 2023 QB class is also much stronger than the 2022 class, with both Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud headlining the top of the class. I would have to imagine that either of them would be favorites to go #1 had they been eligible for this upcoming draft. I would rather the team wait and find the right QB rather than just drafting the best one available with their 2nd pick this year in a down year for QBs.
The Defense
The Lions will be adding a very talented pass rusher in the draft whether it ends up being Hutchinson or Thibodeaux. This could take an already promising defensive line to the next level. Alim McNeil and Levi Onwuzurike have both had strong rookie campaigns and look like they may be the future DT’s in Detroit. Charles Harris has had a strong season and with Romeo Okwara healthy they’d have two more respectable pass rushers to work with.
Derrick Barnes impressed as a rookie and could be an important part of the future. Expect the Lions to target LB in both FA and the draft to add to the group of Barnes, Anzalone, Maybin, and Julian Okwara. The Lions will have a lot of cap space to use this free agency and could get a legitimate difference-maker or two. Adding a good veteran and another talented young player to this group would drastically improve the unit.
The secondary has a few interesting pieces as well as some obvious holes. Tracy Walker has been great, but the opposite safety spot requires an upgrade. Expect them to fill that spot either in FA or with an early draft pick. Oruwariye has performed well and looks like a good starting CB for the future. The hope is that Okudah can recover from his injury and become the CB that he had been at Ohio State, but after a poor rookie season and this injury, there’s plenty of doubt. Adding a veteran CB in FA to pair with Oruwariye and allowing Okudah to work his way back as the #3 CB could be a good plan to address the need. Jerry Jacob’s Jr. could be back in the fold once he recovers from his injury, the UDFA had a strong rookie season.
Special Teams
Jack Fox has been one of the best Punters in the league since he joined the Lions and at 25-years-old already has an All-Pro season under his belt. He set Lions’ records during his first season with the team for punt average and net average, among other records. Fox should be the Lions Punter for the foreseeable future. Detroit also looks to have the Long Snapper job filled after moving on from the long-time LS Don Muhlbach. Scott Daly has done very well as his replacement and could be around for quite a while.
After the Lions moved on from Matt Prater, the future of who would kick for them was up in the air. The team has been blessed with great kicking over the years with Jason Hanson handling the job for so long and then having Prater for several years. Finding a replacement is not always easy and Detroit had to shuffle through a few different Kickers before landing on Riley Patterson. The 22-year-old former Memphis standout who kicked in the 2021 Senior Bowl but went undrafted has looked promising so far, making 4/4 kicks with a long of 49. Obviously still a small sample size but he’ll be interesting to watch throughout these last few games and will likely be the team’s Kicker next season.