We've now passed the 50-day threshold in the countdown to kickoff for the 2026 NFL season. We're almost there!
To celebrate this offseason milestone, FanSided shared its ranking of the top 50 players heading into the upcoming campaign. The list, put together by Cody Williams and Jake Beckman, begins with new Cleveland Browns EDGE Jared Verse at No. 50 and ends with the man he was traded for, the Los Angeles Rams' Myles Garrett, holding the top spot.
In between, five Detroit Lions made the list. The first is linebacker Jack Campbell at 44th, coming in as the second-best off-ball LB. It's notably a higher finish than his standing on other player-ranking lists this offseason, such as the NFL Top 100.
However, how high three of the Lions' offensive pillars, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell and Jahmyr Gibbs, landed in the league's hierarchy caught our attention.
Detroit Lions' offense gets showered with love in top-50 2026 NFL player rankings
St. Brown ranked 19th overall and as the fourth-best wide receiver. He gets love from Beckman for being "one of the NFL’s premier slot receivers," adding that the four-time Pro Bowler "creates space where there is none, and he makes plays just about every single time he touches the ball."
Gibbs isn't too far ahead of St. Brown at No. 16, as the second-best running back. Williams praises the speedster and newly anointed "bell-cow" for how "awesome" he's been ever since the Lions began to give him touches during his rookie season.
"Honestly, it's absurd how fast and effortless he can make a play look in space," Williams wrote. "Gibbs is now seemingly out of a full-blown timeshare and should see the most touches in his career in 2026. Based on what we've already seen from him in limited work, he could potentially threaten some records with a new role."
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Rounding out this list for the Lions is offensive tackle Penei Sewell (11th), as the second-best offensive tackle behind the Philadelphia Eagles' Lane Johnson and the third-best offensive lineman, including Chicago Bears guard Joe Thuney.
It's a tough pill to swallow, given ESPN recently ranked Sewell #1 among OTs, but Beckman considers Sewell a "force field" in the pass-blocking game and a superior run-blocker.
"[Sewell] will displace a defensive tackle, stonewall a linebacker, and decleat a defensive back ... and there’s a decent chance that he’ll do all three of those things on the same play," Beckman stated.
In total, the Lions offense boasts three of the top-20 players in the NFL, which is a remarkable feat given that a team like the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks has just one player in this top-50 across both offense and defense (WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba).
Jared Goff has an embarrassment of riches on offense
As for who didn't make the cut, perhaps the most notable Lions name missing here is quarterback Jared Goff. However, only six passers did make it. Considering he typically finds himself in the eight-to-ten range in the signal-caller rankings, his omission does make a good amount of sense here.
FanSided's rankings are a reminder that Goff has an elite supporting cast on offense. That's not to mention talented players who also missed the cut, like WR Jameson Williams, who could finally have his Campbell-like All-Pro breakout in 2026, or former Second-Team All-Pro tight end Sam LaPorta.
It continues the long line of questions surrounding Goff, both in Los Angeles and now in Detroit: How much of his play and success is his own ability compared to the result of the talent and coaching around him?
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There's no debate that Goff has more to work with on offense compared to most other top QBs. Yet, it's tough to start in this league at QB, much less be one for ten years like Goff has. It's tough to climb all-time lists in stats like passing touchdowns and yards, but Goff is approaching the top-20. It's tough to lead a franchise from a low point to contention, and Goff did it twice.
What makes the Lions' offense so good is not just the talent, but how well they work together. Players like St. Brown benefit from Goff's strong accuracy, just as Gibbs benefits from Sewell's dominant blocking.
Goff is the reliable engine that operates this high-powered machine. We've just got to hope he can drive that machine to a Super Bowl victory for the Lions, or else questions like this will continue to persist.
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