When he was taken in the sixth round (No. 210 overall) of the 2024 draft, guard Christian Mahogany landed as an interesting player for the Detroit Lions. He would not have to start immediately on one of the league's best offensive lines, and the reasons he may have fell to the sixth round felt odd.
Mahogany's rookie season was then taken off track by a long bout with mono, which kept him on the NFI list until almost November. But once he was on the 53-man roster, he clearly became the primary backup guard for the Lions.
Mahogany wound up starting two games last season, one at each guard spot. In Week 16 against the Chicago Bears, filling it at left guard for Graham Glasgow, he posted a top-10 Pro Football Focus grade among guards while allowing just one pressure on 33 pass blocking snaps.
Mahogany started again, this time at right guard, for an injured Kevin Zeitler, in the Divisional Round playoff loss to the Washington Commanders. Again, he showed himself to be a future starter with overall and running blocking grades from PFF above 90.0.
Zeitler's departure in free agency has opened up a strong level of likelihood Mahogany will step in as the starter at right guard for the Lions next season. Glasgow's drop-off in play last season, as he switched to left guard to accommodate the addition of Zeitler last offseason, makes him vulnerable to competition.
Opportunity is knocking for Christian Mahogany in 2025
One way or another, Mahogany is a practical lock to be a starting guard for the Lions next season. So as Pro Football Network pointed to one player from each NFL team who is mostly likely to step up in 2025, he was the clear-cut choice for Detroit.
"The Detroit Lions had the 5th-ranked offensive line in PFSN’s rankings. However, left guard Graham Glasgow’s play declined down the stretch. Right guard Kevin Zeitler was a free agent and signed with the Tennessee Titans. Rookie Christian Mahogany made two starts late in the season and showed signs of being capable of taking over one of the starting spots."
"Mahogany stepped in for the injured Glasgow in Week 16, and he started at right guard for Zeitler in the playoff loss to the Commanders. The Boston College product played a total of 143 snaps and allowed one sack and four pressures."
"The sample size is pretty small for Mahogany, but the Lions drafted him for a reason. The Lions already lost Zeitler. They will likely look to sign another veteran but expect Mahogany to have every opportunity to crack the starting lineup next season."
As PFN noted, it seems likely the Lions will look to add a veteran guard as a fallback option in case Mahogany isn't ready to take over a starting spot. It's also safe to say he would have to completely lose the momentum he built late last season, or be injured, to lose what seems to be a firm hold on a starting job--whichever side of center Frank Ragnow it winds up being on.