Getty Aidan Hutchinson fired up during a 2022 game against Minnesota.
The Detroit Lions did a great job in the 2022 NFL draft, and the proof was often in the production for multiple players.
From the start of the season to the end, the Lions saw multiple players emerge from their rookie class, and step up to help the roster dominate in a big way. As a result, it can be argued that Detroit had one of the best seasons in the league from their young players.
But how does the season rank out against the other competition in the league? A new ranking shows perhaps somewhat of a surprise in that it was not the top draft class. Detroit did, however, place safely within the top five.
Pro Football Focus analyst Trevor Sikkema recently ranked every rookie class in the NFL by what they were able to do and how the site ranked them this season. Detroit didn’t have the top class, but they did place third-overall in the mind of PFF behind the likes of the New York Jets and Seattle Seahawks.
As Sikkema wrote, Detroit’s defense seemed to benefit the most from the infusion of talent that the Lions managed to find within the latest draft.
“The Lions’ defense needed some big-time playmakers, and they certainly found a few in the 2022 class. Hutchinson led all rookies in sacks (9.5) and pressures (53), while James Houston IV led all rookies in pass-rush win percentage (25.0%). Throw in Kerby Joseph’s three interceptions and Malcolm Rodriguez’s 28 solo stops, and you’ve got one of the most impactful rookie classes from 2022,” Sikkema said in the piece.
Many in Detroit would make the case that the Lions had the top class, but this ranking disagrees with that fact in terms of metrics. It’s still very notable that the Lions would have a top-three class in the league. That points to hope for the future.
This is a good feather in the cap for Lions’ general manager Brad Holmes, who is seemingly shifting the fortunes of the team one solid draft at a time.
Lions Rookie Class Dominant for 2022
No matter how they are ranked by this site, it’s safe to say that the Lions are in great shape for their future, especially on defense.
Led by Hutchinson in the trenches, the Lions have seen their rookie class set the tone on the defensive side of the ball. Hutchinson has been phenomenal already, and has been joined by James Houston and Josh Paschal in terms of consistency up front.
At linebacker, Rodriguez has stepped up to look like one of the most important rookies on the team for the future. His toughness and leadership has been downright impressive. In the second level, Joseph has come on strong to look like a star in the making for many reasons.
As a whole, this is great news for the Lions. They’ve needed some talent on the defensive side that is young, and these guys will combine with names such as Alim McNeill, Jeff Okudah, Derrick Barnes and others to make the team formidable into the future.
It’s clear the Lions are going to be that way, and PFF does seem to love the goods of their rookie class compared to the rest of the league.
2023 Draft Offers Lions Major Opportunity
Not every player is going to pan out as dramatically as the last one did for Detroit, but if the team’s next class can prove to be half as good as this one, the team’s future will be amongst the brightest in the league.
The Lions will have a great chance to get their class to that level in 2023, too. Why? The team has four picks within the first two rounds of the draft at their disposal, maintaining picks six, 18, 49 and 60. More cracks at top players should theoretically give the Lions a better chance to find multiple producers.
Within 2021 and 2022’s class, Detroit made use of the later rounds to nab names such as wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown, linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez and edge James Houston. It’s good news, then, that the Lions also have picks 82, 153, 183 and 194 at their disposal.
Within Tankathon.com’s draft power rankings, the Lions place third in the league for this season’s draft with a total value of 1,137.6. That trailed only Houston and Seattle for tops in the league.
Detroit’s class from 2022 is already fertile enough as the rankings prove, and there could be exciting times ahead for the franchise.