Peter King is very optimistic about the 2022 Detroit Lions

In his post-draft NFL power rankings, it’s safe to say Peter King likes the prospects for the 2022 Detroit Lions.

Despite finishing with the second-worst record in the NFL last year (3-13-1), the positive buzz around the Detroit Lions has become hard to ignore as it comes from football analysts far and wide. For Lions fans the idea of positive vibes around the team is new, not to mention rare, but what we’ve seen is an indication Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell have things moving in the right direction.

Just looking at the Lions 2022 schedule pushes the idea they could win 7-9 games. Serious playoff contention may have to wait until 2023, but they could be playing meaningful games after Thanksgiving for the first time in awhile.

Rankings and lists are easy offseason fodder right, as we NFL writers try to fill time and content space. Peter King of NBC Sports, via his weekly Football Morning in America column, has come out with his post-draft rankings of NFL teams from 1-32.

Peter King clearly likes the 2022 Detroit Lions

In King’s rankings, the Lions are not among the bottom-10 teams in the league. They come in at No. 20–just one spot below the division rival Minnesota Vikings. Additionally, the Lions are one spot ahead of the Indianapolis Colts, two above the Arizona Cardinals and three ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers on King’s list.

Here’s a small portion of what King wrote about the Lions.

"I did some reporting on the Lions in Detroit this month, and I’m higher on them than most. Consider how hard they played in a disastrous rookie year of coach Dan Campbell, and how, despite winning only three games, they were 11-6 against the spread, indicative of a team outperforming expectations.This is one of the most interesting teams in football—and, their starved fans hope, for the right reasons."

King seemed to tease some sort of standalone story he has coming about the Lions, which is sure to be interesting if so.

King clearly likes the prospects for the Detroit Lions in 2022 (and presumably beyond). And like him or not, his perspective stands out from the crowd.