The latest ranking from Seth Walder at ESPN covers the top core players on each team. The Detroit Lions appear much lower than expected, checking in at No. 18 overall.
It’s an interesting look at the key players at the top of the rosters around the league. Walder identifies five players for each. Detroit’s quintet:
Jared Goff
Amon-Ra St. Brown
Penei Sewell
Jameson Williams
Here’s Walder’s own explanation for Detroit’s seemingly low ranking.
I’m surprised I ended up with Detroit this low, but Goff still comes with questions. Think of what we thought of him 12 months ago! Hutchinson’s underlying numbers (including a 12% pass rush win rate) didn’t match his sack production (9.5), and Williams is unproven and will miss six games this season due to a suspension for violating the NFL’s gambling policy.
However, it leads to a tangential thought about who the five most important Lions for 2023 really are. Walder is looking more broadly and long-term with the roster, but what about this coming season?
Goff, Hutchinson and St. Brown certainly belong. Sewell is a smart inclusion, even though right tackle typically isn’t a premium spot. Inserting Williams as the fifth is curious, however.
Williams caught exactly one pass in his rookie campaign in 2022. He’ll miss the first six games of 2023 due to a suspension, too. While it’s excellent to see someone outside of Detroit projecting Williams to do great things, it’s probably premature to place him as one of the five most integral players on the roster–even long-term.
I would argue that Frank Ragnow at center belongs — even above Sewell. Goff isn’t the same quarterback when he gets pressured up the gut, and Ragnow is also the team’s best all-around run blocker on the line.
On defense, Alim McNeill at least belongs in the conversation. The way in which he finished 2022 and how he’s transformed his body to be even better as an attack tackle portend big things for the big man on the D-line.
Safety Kerby Joseph and rookie LB Jack Campbell are certainly critical pieces to the defense, both now and in the future. They’re not nearly as high-profile as the fastest wide receiver in the NFC, but for the Lions’ fate, I’d put both above Williams–at least until we see more of what Williams is capable of doing on the field in Detroit. The Lions have proven time and again over the years that finding a good deep threat is easier than developing a great off-ball linebacker.
Then there are the new defensive backs, CB Cam Sutton and DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson. Gardner-Johnson is signed for just one season, so leaving him out of the core talents makes sense. Sutton plays perhaps the most important role in Aaron Glenn’s defense as the lead cornerback, so he probably deserves more notoriety for importance.
