Getty Levi Onwuzurike makes a tackle on Najee Harris in a 2021 game.
The Detroit Lions have plenty of positive momentum coming for the 2022 season, and it doesn’t just involve rookies or new players who have come into the mix.
Detroit’s roster is full of young talent, and looks to be taking some meaningful steps forward toward contention. If that’s to happen, it will be because of some young players stepping up and making things happen in a big way.
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What players will take the next steps and break out for 2022? Here’s a look at some early projections for the Lions ahead of the summer about who will stand out in a bigger way.
Levi Onwuzurike, Defensive Line
While fellow rookie Alim McNeill generated most of the early headlines in 2021, Onwuzurike did nice work late in the season and looks to be trending towards a quiet breakout. He has collected 9 total tackles and showed some of the burst he did in college when he secured his first sack on Thanksgiving Day:
In time, the Lions hope that Onwuzurike develops into a force. That could play out as early as 2022 with some of the changes both for the player and the defense he figures to be starring in. As a result, it would not be a shock to see him as a breakout star.
Penei Sewell, Offensive Tackle
Though Sewell played well as a rookie last season, it was a bumpy start for the offensive tackle given he had to switch positions multiple times early in his tenure due to Taylor Decker’s injury. Once he was locked in on the right side, he looked very solid and like a potential difference maker in the NFL who could be a Pro Bowl or All-Pro type player for the future. Sewell was good in 2021, but he could show himself as great or elite in 2022. That would be a breakout for an offensive lineman, indeed.
Jared Goff, Quarterback
This might be a controversial player on the list for some, but it seems the Lions are giving Goff a great shot at becoming the quarterback of the future for the team. The numbers might look mild given 3,245 yards, 19 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. The focus, though, should be on the late-season work of Goff, who managed to throw 11 touchdowns to just 2 interceptions after Thanksgiving. This was a big reason the Lions elected to bet on him. Perhaps his best game in this span was when he torched the Arizona Cardinals.
The bet is Goff will get a chance to show why he is closer to this player rather than the one who started the season in bumpy fashion. That would count as a breakout.
DJ Chark, Wide Receiver
The Lions watched Chark come into his own already in the league in 2018 as a second-round pick out of LSU. He was a 2019 Pro Bowl player. Statistically, he’s been solid as well with 2,042 yards and 15 touchdowns thus far in his career. Here’s a look at some of his best plays so far:
For Detroit, though, Chark could be seen as a missing-link offensively. The Lions need someone to step up and make some big plays down the field, and Chark could break out and get noticed in a bigger way this season.
Jerry Jacobs, Cornerback
It probably isn’t a stretch to say that Jacobs already broke out in 2021. That’s given the fact that after making the team, Jacobs quickly found his footing and put up a solid 34 tackles, 7 passes defended, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery. Still, it feels like there is much more he can and will do on the field, including snatching his first-career interception in 2022.
Providing that Jacobs can get over his injury, there is no reason he cannot become one of the better cornerbacks on the roster in 2022 and look like the player he was becoming prior to an unfortunate injury.
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