It's no secret that the Detroit Lions have one of the most talented rosters in the NFL. After all, the team is coming off a trip to the NFC Championship Game in 2023 and is returning much of the same roster that made that run.
The biggest difference from 2023 is on defense, where the Lions have revamped their secondary, making several additions at cornerback. That's significant because the Lions had one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL last season.
ESPN's Mike Clay recently gave his rankings for every position group in the NFL and the Lions landed in the top 10 in five of them: running back (No. 2), tight end (No. 5), offensive line (No. 1), interior defensive line (No. 3) and cornerback (No. 6). Clay also ranked Detroit's entire roster at No. 9.
The biggest surprise from the top-10 groups is cornerback. Granted, things should be much improved with the additions of Carlton Davis, Terrion Arnold, Amik Robertson and Ennis Rakestraw Jr.
However, Arnold and Rakestraw are both wild cards considering it's their first season in the NFL. To be clear, we're very high on this group, but No. 6 feels a little generous before we see what the new-look room will actually do.
While nobody is going to complain about those top-10 rankings, the Lions probably should've had more. First, here's a look at how the rest of Detroit's position groups were ranked by Clay.
QB: 14
WR: 21
EDGE: 18
LB: 16
S: 30
The most egregiously underrated position group is safety. The Lions are set to deploy impressive 2023 slot cornerback Brian Branch more there this season, but even without him the Lions had a solid duo in Ifeatu Melifonwu and Kerby Joseph last season that certainly wasn't among the worst in the NFL. This group should be in the top half of the league, at worst.
Quarterback and linebacker are also highly underrated here and there's definitely an argument for both to be top 10. Jared Goff has proven to be a top-10 signal-caller in the NFL and that should be enough to get the Lions higher.
Sure, there's uncertainty behind Goff in Hendon Hooker and Nate Sudfeld, but a lot of teams ranked ahead of the Lions can say that.
At linebacker, the Lions have an outstanding trio in Alex Anzalone, Jack Campbell and Derrick Barnes, and two solid backups in Malcolm Rodriguez and Jalen Reeves-Maybin, who is also a special teams stud.
The lower rankings for the wide receivers and edge rushers are more warranted.
At EDGE, Aidan Hutchinson is a stud, but Marcus Davenport is a question mark. At wide receiver, there are plenty of question marks behind Amon-Ra St. Brown, including Jameson Williams, who has had a strong offseason but is still unproven.
Regardless of whether or not you disagree with Clay's rankings, they clearly show just how good this Lions team has the potential to be in 2024.
