The Detroit Lions landed offensive tackle Giovanni Manu in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft as something of a developmental project.
More than one year later, Manu will have his first test.
The team announced on Sunday that Manu would be active for the home opener against the Green Bay Packers and playing in the first NFL game of his career. Though Manu made the final 53-man roster last season, he was a healthy scratch for all of the team’s games through the regular season and playoffs.
That changed in Week 1 when the Lions ruled out a key reserve lineman for the game and tapped Manu as a replacement to add more depth.
Giovanni Manu Gets His First Shot at NFL Action
The Lions paved the way for Manu to appear in the game when they ruled out backup tackle Jamarco Jones. As Nolan Bianchi of the Detroit News noted, practice squad tackle Dan Skipper had been tapped as the team’s sixth lineman last year, but he has been dealing with an undisclosed injury.
Bianchi noted that while Manu is active, the team is likely to turn to another veteran first if starting tackles Taylor Decker or Penei Sewell are hurt in the game.
But in reality, the top choice behind Sewell and Decker is more likely to be Kayode Awosika. Awosika, who’s entering his fifth season, has only three tackle snaps on his NFL resume, but played the position in college and has played a significant role in Detroit, including starting the 2023 NFC Championship,” Bianchi wrote.
The Lions announced their inactives for Sunday’s game, which included safety Thomas Harper, running back Sione Vaki, linebacker Trevor Nowaske, and defensive linemen Chris Smith, Mekhi Wingo, and Tyrus Wheat.
Lions Lose More Players to Injuries
The Lions lost another pair of key players to injuries prior to their Week 1 game against the Packers. Running back Sione Vaki and linebacker Trevor Nowaske were both ruled out after missing practices during the week. Vaki has been hampered by a hamstring injury while Nowaske has an injured elbow.
Despite the setbacks, head coach Dan Campbell said the team was ready to move beyond the disappointing end to last season. After going 15-2 and earning the top seed in the NFC, the Lions fell flat in a divisional-round loss to the Washington Commanders.
Campbell said the team is not looking backward at the loss, instead moving ahead to the future and their bid to win a third straight NFC North title.
“I don’t know how much it’s really like, ‘Okay, you know, that was the last thing.’ I think, I know for me, I kind of get the sense it’s about, ‘Man, here we go.’ It’s the next season, it’s 2025, it’s the first game of the year out on the road, division opponent,” Campbell said, via SI.com. “Most of our guys did not play in the preseason, so this is awesome. You’re ready to go. You’re ready to compete and cut it lose. Games that count, real football, the whole thing. And I think that’s really more of the excitement, as opposed to what had happened previously.”
Lions 2024 Draft Pick Finally Playing in First NFL Game