In the wake of what the team did in the 2023 NFL Draft, these five Detroit Lions players are the biggest losers.
Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes said he doesn’t have a depth chart in the draft room. In the first round of the 2023 draft, that became clear when he went 2-for-2 against the positional value grain by taking running back Jahmyr Gibbs and linebacker Jack Campbell.
At a glance, neither of those spots would have necessarily been seen as an immediate need based on who was added or brought back in free agency. Looking to the future, sure, but not necessarily urgent for 2023. But in terms of simply adding good players in the draft, the Lions accomplished that pretty well with Gibbs and Campbell, followed by Day 2 picks Sam LaPorta, Brian Branch and Hendon Hooker.
But with additions in the draft, particularly six top-100 picks like the Lions had when you count defensive tackle Brodric Martin, there are players who are hurt by those additions. Maybe they’re in line to lose a starting job, or purely and simply their roster spot lands in peril as the pecking order changes.
Before the draft, there were definitely some Lions players in danger of being cut afterward if things broke a certain way. There might be some overlap here and now, with things breaking in some of those ways, as we hone in on post-draft losers.
With that, here are five Detroit Lions players who are the biggest losers after the 2023 NFL Draft.
5 Detroit Lions players who are the biggest losers after the 2023 NFL Draft
5. RB David Montgomery
As someone who is fully onboard with the Lions’ quick pivot to replace Jamaal Williams with the former Bear Montgomery in free agency, this one hurts just a little.
Montgomery’s ceiling in the Detroit offense, as a more complete back than Williams and a powerful/elusive runner now behind one of the best offensive lines in the NFL after Chicago’s had become closer to the worst, is easy to see as simply massive.
Montgomery is still the Lions’ No. 1 running back, and he’ll be the preferred guy around the goal line. But Gibbs is a legit talent, and in particular he’s an immediate mismatch weapon for offensive coordinator Ben Johnson in the passing game.
So it’s natural that Gibbs will siphon some pass-catching opportunities from Montgomery. Much to the chagrin of those who were quickly all-in on Montgomery’s fantasy upside this year.
If we know Johnson at all, possibly early in the season moreso while Jameson Williams serves his suspension, Montgomery and Gibbs will be on the field at the same time occassionally this year.
Montgomery may still get 300-plus touches/opportunities (carries and targets) over 17 games this season. But the drafting of Gibbs No. 12 overall, surely with a plan to use him in a fashion to reflect that draft capital investment, definitely lowers Montgomery’s ceiling enough to be noted.
4. S/CB Ifeatu Melifonwu
Melifonwu will always be known as the first draft pick the Lions had from the Matthew Stafford trade, third round (No. 101 overall) in the 2021 draft. After a rookie season where he missed a lot of time due to an injury (seven games played, four starts), he transitioned to safety last offseason as the Lions surveyed options to help out there.
Melifonwu had trouble finding a place, with injuries in play as a factor, when the Lions secondary was not as loaded with talent as it is now. Free agent additions pushed him to the brink of being in danger of being cut, and the drafting of Brian Branch may have sealed that fate.
Quite simply, the Lions don’t have to wait for Melifonwu to show his full potential from a position of “lack of other options.” Tracy Walker’s ongoing recovery from a torn Achilles’ is important to note, but the third-year man is nearing the point where he’ll be looking for employment elsewhere.
3. OT Matt Nelson/OG Logan Stenberg
Offering two options here, so pick your poison.
The Lions took offensive tackle Colby Sorsdal in the fifth-round of the draft out of William & Mary. He should in the competition for a backup role, as a college tackle with plenty of experience (46 starts), and he may move to guard to stick in the NFL. When he was drafted, he was announced as a guard.
Nelson has been the Lions’ extra offensive tackle the last couple years, and he was pressed into starting duty when Taylor Decker missed the early part of the 2021 season. Stenberg barely played in his first two seasons, and when he got a chance to start last season he was not good.
Nelson’s experience may virtually lock him into a role/53-man roster spot, but it’s not as if he’s irreplaceable. Stenberg is fast becoming a non-entity for the Lions. So they both lose with Sorsdal coming in to compete.
2. LB Malcolm Rodriguez
Rodriguez was a nice find for the Lions in the 2022 draft, as he didn’t pass the ideal size test to be the kind of higher pick his college production showed he should’ve been. He showed how much of a steal he was with a nice rookie season (87 total tackles, eight tackles for loss over 16 games–15 starts). His future is bright, but in the short-term things are cloudy.
Alex Anzalone was and is ripe to be replaced, but the Lions value his intangibles and they brought him back on a three-year deal this offseason. So he’s not likely to be unseated from a starting role, barring injury. And Jack Campbell, a top-20 overall pick, is theoretically lined up to start right away. In their base nickel defense (five defensive backs), the Lions of course only have two off-ball linebackers on the field. So someone’s got to give if everyone is healthy, and it looks like it’ll be Rodriguez falling into a backup role.
Rodriguez should not be written off, and from a pure talent or upside standpoint he’s got an edge over Anzalone. But contract investment (Anzalone) and draft capital investment (Campbell) is working against “Rodrigo”, and he had a case to be No. 1 on this list.
1. TE Brock Wright
The Lions tight end depth chart was begging for a talent upgrade at some point this offseason, and it got one with Sam LaPorta in the second round of the draft.
Wright was the nominal starting tight end for the Lions after T. J. Hockenson was traded last year, with snap shares that reflected it (57 percent or higher in seven of the last 10 games). His game-winning touchdown against the New York Jets in Week 15 is a memorable play from last season.
But Wright is not a No. 1 tight end on a good team, and he might not even be a No. 2 on a good team. He’s fine to keep around as a depth guy, and the Lions seem to like him, but the ceiling of the offense is dampened if he’s got a big role.
A hat-tip to Shane Zylstra can easily be put here, as his roster spot as the Lions’ TE4 (don’t forget about second-year man James Mitchell) is now hardly a lock.
The Lions drafting practically any tight end would have put Wright on a rough list of post-draft losers. Drafting LaPorta with a top-35 overall pick sealed the deal, and vaulted him to the top spot.