Getty Jared Goff fires a pass for the Lions against the Cardinals in 2021.
The Detroit Lions are pushing toward the finish of the 2021 season, and like the rest of the world, are pondering what 2022 will bring.
After a solid finish to the 2021 season is lending some hope for the future, it’s becoming easier to see what players should be taken seriously for next season. While there’s a compelling reason to be excited about the whole roster, there are a select few players who have opened eyes enough to get on this list for 2022.
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The Lions have some players who will be compelling to watch next year. Who are they? Here’s an early look based on the finish to this season.
Amon-Ra St. Brown, Wide Receiver
St. Brown was lost in the shuffle midseason, but a blazing finish to the year will ensure that nobody will take their eyes off the wide receiver come 2022. St. Brown has looked like a man possessed the last five weeks of the season, catching passes and making big plays on the field at almost every turn. He’s shattering and setting records along the way, and making the plays look very impressive just as he did in Week 16’s touchdown:
#Lions Amon-Ra St. Brown is a star waiting to happen, way to power through for a touchdown.
St. Brown only figures to improve and that’s big news for the Lions, who have needed a young wideout threat to emerge all year. The fact that St. Brown has gotten this done so fast is great for the Lions and their fans. As a result, St. Brown enters as perhaps the top player to watch for 2022.
Penei Sewell, Offensive Line
No matter what has been asked of him this season at right tackle or left tackle, Sewell has delivered. While he hasn’t been seen as a Pro Bowl talent yet, there is no question he is a foundational piece for Detroit’s offensive line. In the run game or against the pass, Sewell has been equally as good, which is proven by the fact that he is a Pro Football Focus darling nearly every single week late in the year.
Penei Sewell: 87.8 PFF Grade since Week 6
T-2nd among ALL tackles during that span
Sewell is going to be good if not elite, and 2022 could be the year that folks across the league see that on a bigger stage. He will be a top player to watch as a result.
Jerry Jacobs, Cornerback
The Lions didn’t draft a cornerback in the first two rounds this past year, but they managed to find a player who is playing as if he was selected in that position in Jacobs. Before an ACL injury ended his year, Jacobs was looking like one of the best young corners in football. He was a tackling machine and was playing sticky coverage on players just as this video showed from a game against Minnesota:
Second big play in the first Q by the kid Jerry Jacobs. #brightspot #onepride
The hope is Jacobs can be ready for 2022, but how long will it take for him to shake off the ACL injury and come back? Seeing whether or not Jacobs can look like the player he once was when he gets back on the field will be something to watch for Detroit. Thanks to this in addition to his talent, Jacobs will be must-watch next season.
Alim McNeill, Defensive Line
McNeill collected his first career sack over the weekend in Week 14, and quietly has become one of the players who has shown up in a big way consistently this year. McNeill doesn’t play a sexy position on either the offense or the defense, but with his first sack out of the way, he could be expected to confidently find more down the stretch while continuing to play the same brand of stout run defense that he has been known for early on in his career.
First career sack for the rook, @AlimMcneill‼️
#DETvsDEN | 📺 FOX
Obviously, watching to see if McNeill can continue to show his chops as a pass rusher and sack master is huge for the Lions. He’s been a solid player overall, but a little more pocket pressure would go a long way toward cementing him as one of the rookies with the biggest amount of upside in the NFL. That makes his development very exciting for 2022.
Jared Goff, Quarterback
Many Lions fans will say they’re tired of watching Goff play, but his blazing finish to the season that was only interrupted by COVID has been very impressive to watch. Over four weeks, Goff put up 898 yards and 9 touchdowns and had perhaps his most efficient game against Arizona, one of the better teams in the league this year.
Three touchdowns and a passer rating of 139.7.
Re-live @JaredGoff16‘s highlights from today’s W
Up next for us: #DETvsATL | 📺 FOX
Goff is likely to return next year for the team, which is no surprise. The bigger surprise may be how interesting Goff could be for the Lions. He’s played well and if the Lions get healthier and get some more weapons, it could prove to be huge for him and make him one of the more exciting players fans can monitor in 2022.
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Veterans, Rookies Headline Lions’ Exciting Players to Watch in 2022