Major Free Agent Addition Named Lions Player With ‘Most to Lose’ From Draft

Getty Emmanuel Moseley on the field for 49ers practice in 2020.

The Detroit Lions have been adding and subtracting from their roster for the better part of a few months, and as the dust has settled ahead of the NFL draft, a loser may be set to surface.

Some of the team’s biggest additions came at cornerback, and the Lions also made a shakeup trade, dealing away Jeff Okudah to the Atlanta Falcons. All of those moves, plus what could be yet to come in the draft, might combine to put Emmanuel Moseley in a tough spot.

Moseley was signed away from the San Francisco 49ers to play cornerback in Detroit just one season after sustaining a season-ending ACL injury in Week 5. Moseley looks like a low-cost flier and a player with upside to start. However, if the Lions go with a star cornerback early in the draft, all of that could be changing.

Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus named 20 players on rosters that could be set to win or lose based on what happens in the draft. The Lions had one loser in the form of Moseley on the list. As Spielberger wrote, there could be big questions about what happens with Moseley now.

“In a weird way, the trade of former No. 3 overall pick cornerback Jeff Okudah from the Detroit Lions to the Atlanta Falcons has us viewing the No. 2 cornerback job in Detroit as more under threat than before. There are two elite prospects in Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez and Illinois’ Devon Witherspoon who would make a ton of sense for Detroit at No. 6 overall, and they would likely pose more of a threat to Moseley’s starting job than Okudah ever was going to,” Spielberger said within the piece.

As Spielberger admits, the Lions did get a good deal with Moseley, but the talent in this particular cornerback class is very intriguing for a team that could have needs like the Lions.

“Moseley’s one-year deal signed this offseason was for a very respectable $6 million, and before his ACL injury early in 2022 he looked like an ascending player, but Gonzalez and Witherspoon may simply be too good to pass up,” he wrote.

If the Lions do take either Gonzalez or Witherspoon in the first-round, there’s no question that they will have many more options on the field with which to work. Whether either would start over a player who already has played in 45 games with 38 career starts remains to be seen. It’s important to remember that in that scenario, each would be rookies while Moseley would have experience to rely on.

Clearly, Spielberger is high on the cornerbacks from this draft class, and believes if the Lions elect to land one, that Moseley could be in trouble of losing his job once the season begins. Only time will tell if any of this plays out.

Emmanuel Moseley’s Career Stats & Highlights

With regards to Moseley’s own game, it’s clear the player is also a rising talent to remember for Detroit. After coming into the league as an undrafted free agent in 2018, Moseley has carved out a nice five year career thus far in the NFL.

Statistically, Moseley has done a nice job to adjust to the league and make an impact as a former undrafred free agent. Since joining San Francisco, Moseley has put up 161 tackles, 33 passes defended and one touchdown as well as one fumble recovery.

Moseley was being counted on for a big 2022 season, but got unlucky with an ACL injury in Week 5 of the season that cost him the year. Moseley is said to be ready for a comeback by the time training camp rolls around, so that will be to Detroit’s benefit once the season is closer.

All signs seem to point to Moseley being healthy and ready to go when the Lions start the season, and with the team’s need for depth at cornerback, it feels a good bet he will play a major role for the team in 2023.

Lions Cornerback Roles Far From Certain

Would a rookie that was drafted sixth-overall play starters minutes over a player like Moseley with NFL experience? It could be the case simply based on draft position, but that is up in the air relative to what is on the team’s roster.

The Lions not only added Moseley, but Cameron Sutton and C.J. Gardner-Johnson as well. If the team also made the move to draft a cornerback in the first-round, that would give them plenty of weaponry with which to work. In addition to those players, the team has Jerry Jacobs set to return in 2023. He’s been a gritty find as an undrafted free agent, with 76 tackles, one sack, one fumble recovery and one interception in his career. Underrated cornerback Mac McCain was also an offseason addition.

Subtracting Okudah may not have mattered much to the Lions in the end, because he was clearly on the outs with management already. Detroit’s cornerback room might yet benefit from the addition of someone in a deep draft class, but there will be plenty to earn on the field when the new season comes along.

In the mind of Spielberger, Moseley could have the most to lose from what is yet to come with the Lions’ offseason planning.