It's no secret that the Detroit Lions have a talented roster that is filled with a bunch of good young players who will have a big hand in what the team does during a season in which the Lions have legitimate Super Bowl aspirations.
And that is quite evident when you look at Pro Football Focus' list of the top 25 players under the age of 25, a list dominated by the Lions.
Per PFF's Zoltan Buday, a whopping five Lions make the cut, which is more than any other team. The list even starts off with right tackle Penei Sewell at the top at No. 1. Here's Buday's write-up on Sewell.
Although Sewell has already played three seasons in the NFL, he is still only 23 years old and will not turn 24 until October. His 3,359 regular-season snaps over the past three seasons rank second among all players, and he is on his way to becoming the best offensive lineman in the league.
The Oregon product's 92.8 PFF overall grade and 95.1 PFF run-blocking grade both led all NFL offensive linemen in 2023.
Edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson is the second Lion to make the cut at No. 6.
Hutchinson flashed potential in his rookie season in 2022, but he brought his game to a whole new level in 2023. His 91.2 PFF pass-rushing grade placed fifth and trailed only an elite group of four players: Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons, Nick Bosa and T.J. Watt. Hutchinson's 110 total pressures during the regular season ranked second among edge defenders.
Coming in at No. 11 is wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. He should probably be higher than Hutchinson, given his lengthier track record, but we can live with it.
St. Brown, who will turn 25 during the 2024 season, proved in 2023 that his breakout 2022 campaign was not a fluke. He was one of just three wide receivers to earn PFF overall grades above 90.0 in both 2022 and 2023, with Tyreek Hill and Justin Jefferson being the other two. St. Brown has snagged 93.5% of his catchable targets over the past two seasons, which ranks second among wide receivers.
The final two to make the cut are tight end Sam LaPorta (No. 19), who emerged as a star in his rookie season, and running back Jahmyr Gibbs (No. 21), who is primed to really go off in 2024 after an impressive rookie campaign.
What this list shows is not only do the Lions have a talented roster capable of doing big things in 2024, they are also pretty well stocked for the future, something general manager Brad Holmes deserves a ton of credit for.
