Pro Football Focus recently put out its annual receiving corps. rankings ahead of the 2024 season and the Detroit Lions landed in a favorable spot.
Per PFF's Trevor Sikkema, the Lions have the seventh-best receiving corps. in the NFL. It's important to note that Sikkema isn't just including the wide receiver position in his rankings, he's also factoring in running backs and tight ends.
Here are his thoughts on Detroit's group:
Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown has established himself as one of the league's most reliable and productive pass-catchers, earning elite receiving grades in each of the past two seasons.
Sam LaPorta looked like a top-five tight end in 2023, and an expected uptick in receiving production from wide receiver Jameson Williams and running back Jahmyr Gibbs should have Lions offense cooking once again in 2024.
When tight ends and running backs are included, it's easy to see why the Lions are so high.
The group is led by Amon-Ra St. Brown, who cemented himself as one of the better wide receivers in the NFL last season. But Detroit also has Sam LaPorta, who emerged as a star in his first season, and Jahmyr Gibbs, who was a true weapon as a pass-catcher out of the backfield.
LaPorta and Gibbs should only get better with a year of experience under their belts, and Gibbs is expected to be even more involved in the passing game.
If this list was based strictly on wide receivers, the Lions would not be ranked where they are because they have a big question mark behind St. Brown in Jameson Williams.
While Williams has all the potential in the world, he has yet to fully realize it over two seasons. Now, the Alabama product will have to do more with Josh Reynolds having departed in free agency, but that isn't guaranteed to happen.
Behind him, the Lions have guys like Kalif Raymond and Donovan Peoples-Jones competing for the boundary spot opposite Williams. Both players have spent their careers as backups, and Raymond doesn't have the size of a prototypical outside wide receiver.
All that said, if Williams can simply step up and have a breakout campaign, the Lions are going to be in great shape. If not, Detroit will still be fine because of LaPorta and Gibbs.
