Getty Dan Campbell on the field for the Lions in 2023.
When he came to the Detroit Lions, general manager Brad Holmes likely understood the depth of the rebuild he was entering, but few would have thought he could get the team on track this fast.
From 2019-2021, the Lions roster had multiple holes on offense and defense, and needed a helping hand. Suddenly, just a handful of years later, it can be looked at as one of the better up-and-coming groups in the league.
Ahead of the 2023 NFL draft, Pro Football Focus and writer Brad Spielberger took a closer look at ranking every team in the league 1-32 based on their rosters before the draft. While Detroit didn’t place in the top 10, they weren’t far off at all coming in at 13th overall.
As Spielberger wrote, Detroit’s biggest weak spot at cornerback was addressed in a big way this offseason given the quality that has come to the team. In his mind, that makes what was a “glaring weakness” a new strength.
“The Lions’ cornerback unit ranked 32nd in coverage grade in 2022 (42.1) and allowed 2,807 passing yards, which was the most by nearly 400 yards. Free-agent addition Cam Sutton earned a 71.0 coverage grade and allowed just 411 receiving yards in 2022 — the ninth fewest among cornerbacks with at least 400 coverage snaps on the season. Fellow free-agent addition Emmanuel Moseley earned a 73.5 coverage grade through Week 5 before going down the rest of the year with an injury, and slot cornerback/safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson led the NFL with six interceptions on the year. A glaring weakness for the Lions became a strength in a hurry,” Spielberger wrote in the piece.
As for what’s next, Spielberger thinks the team has to add to their defensive interior, but understands the Lions have picks to work with, which puts them in very good shape moving forward.
“Detroit still needs to improve its interior defender group alongside Alim McNeill, but, fortunately, they have two top-20 draft picks and two second-round picks to make several impactful additions. The arrow is pointing skyward in the Motor City,” he wrote.
All of this led the piece to also proclaim the Lions as having a “quality roster with lots of ammunition to improve” during the NFL draft.
Another advantage for the Lions? The team’s roster is young, with most of its players being under 30 years of age. The oldest player currently on the roster is wideout Marvin Jones, who is 33. Jones, however, is only on a one-year deal and still productive, given he put up 1,361 yards and seven touchdowns in his last two seasons.
The Lions are a team that has found some talented young players in the last two drafts, supplementing them with players already on the roster that the team didn’t give up on. That has combined to put them in a very good place to become contenders soon.
Lions’ Roster Looking Stronger Than in 2022
It’s easy to see how the Detroit roster is improving steadily under the guidance of Holmes and his front office. Already, the team has flipped several struggle spots and added depth to the team.
On defense, after a few years of struggle with the backfield, the Lions are now working from a position of strength with names like Cameron Sutton, Emmanuel Moseley and C.J. Gardner-Johnson signed to the team. Entering into 2022, the Lions had Mike Hughes and Amani Oruwariye headlining the position with Jeff Okudah.
Up front, Detroit’s defensive line could stand more additions, but they mined gold in the 2022 offseason with Isaiah Buggs and John Cominsky, a pair of players that returned after solid seasons. Moving out was Austin Bryant and Michael Brockers. At linebacker, the Lions kept Alex Anzalone and brought back Jalen Reeves-Maybin, but the headliners are Malcolm Rodriguez and second-year developer Derrick Barnes.
In terms of the offense, the weakest position could be at quarterback behind Jared Goff, but that’s a situation Holmes has vowed to sort out this offseason. At wide receiver, the group is strong, led by Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, a pair of players with future star power. At tight end, the Lions have young pieces in Brock Wright, James Mitchell and Shane Zylstra. A decision will have to be made at running back with D’Andre Swift, but David Montgomery will be around.
Add everything up and the Lions have done nice work to patch some of their trouble spots with solid players already. Another major draft should theoretically help them in terms of creating the kind of depth needed to win in the NFL moving forward.
Lions’ Remaining Draft Needs for 2023
What will come next for the Lions from a need standpoint in the draft? As explained, offseason, the team has done a nice job to check off some of their bigger needs in order to make sure that they will not be desperate for any one position in the draft.
No longer does it seem as if the defensive backfield is the biggest need on the team. The Lions have addressed it with some free agent signings, and don’t have to rush to take a cornerback in a deep market. Though they traded Jeff Okudah, the need could remain the same as it was prior to the deal playing out. They could always look to address that spot further down the board.
Defensively, though, the Lions do still need lineman up front, and that could be the early target of the sixth-overall selection. Another linebacker could also be seen as a must for the defense to get over the top in 2023.
Offensively, the Lions could entertain the notion of adding a young quarterback to serve as a backup, though that selection may not come with the first two picks. A tight end, running back, offensive guard and wide receiver could serve as additional depth picks for the team at various spots this year, but none of those spots are pressing.
Overall, the Lions have done a good job to check off lots of their needs. The roster is making strides forward toward being considered one of the best in the league.