Getty Dan Campbell and Penei Sewell on the field in 2021 against Cleveland.
The Detroit Lions have a roster that has been in process of renovation in the last few years, so to some, that might make the task of finding the three best players on the team difficult.
For some, though, the task is easy when looking closer and examining where the true strength of the team may lie for now and the future.
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The Lions have made it clear that they want to build this roster through the trenches, so it shouldn’t surprise that the offensive line is the strength of this roster. Still, it might be a surprise to see three of those players identified as the three best players on the entire team.
Recently, Pro Football Focus and writer Ben Linsey took a look at naming the top three players on every team. As he explained, the process helps as a “wake-up call” for teams that are lacking talent and need to find more in the future.
In terms of explaining his picks, Linsey wrote: “Decker and Sewell profile as one of the better tackle duos in the NFL after Sewell started to settle into the right tackle spot over the second half of his rookie season. Ragnow, meanwhile, is an elite NFL center.”
It might not say much for the Lions to have a pair of offensive linemen on this list, but it does prove that the team has begun to take the next step toward locking down that side of the ball for future dominance.
Lions Offensive Line Becoming Team Strength
To some, it might be a surprise to see the Lions’ top three players members of the team’s offensive front. To those who watch Detroit closely, it shouldn’t be that much of a shock. The Lions have rebuilt a weakened offensive line in recent years, and now have some of the top players in the league occupying their front and a line many consider to be trending toward elite. To see Ragnow, Decker and Sewell on the list is significant for the team, as all have been first-round picks of the Lions in the last handful of years. Ragnow was the team’s top pick in 2018, Decker was Detroit’s first-round selection in 2016 and Sewell was the Lions’ top pick in 2021. Truthfully, the team is trying to build things through the trenches first and foremost for the future.
Seeing these players claim the top three player spots isn’t terrible for the Lions, but it does underscore the point that some of the team’s skill position players on offense and even some defenders will need to step up bigger into the future.
Others With a Case as Lions’ Best Player
PFF may not have gone wrong to put these players down as the tops of the team. The Lions don’t have a quarterback that could be seen as a star at the moment, and their weaponry is too inconsistent. Perhaps a name such as D’Andre Swift or tight end T.J. Hockenson could have figured into the mix, but each have seen injuries slow their progress in a big way early in their career. Amon-Ra St. Brown could become a star at wideout, but he will likely need to stack more years together in order to do so. Defensively, the Lions have a piece to remember in Aidan Hutchinson, but he will need to prove himself in the NFL before he can be seen as a stud.
Overall, the Lions do need a bit more star power, even if the guys they picked out up front make sense for the team.