2. LB Malcolm Rodriguez
Rodriguez looked like a steal the moment the Lions took him in the sixth round (pick No. 188) of the 2022 draft, and he delivered on that idea immediately as a rookie (87 total tackles, eight tackles for loss over 16 games-15 starts). Over that meaningful sample of snaps his first year, his tackling, run defense and pass rush grades from Pro Football Focus were all 65.0 or better.
When Jack Campbell was taken in the first round of the 2023 draft, it was obvious bad news for Rodriguez's playing time. Add in how Derrick Barnes emerged last season, and "Rodrigo" was the odd-man out in the Lions' linebacking corps. He became a core special teamer (320 snaps) as he played just 120 defensive snaps (50 of them over the first three games, with 31 more in a game Alex Anzalone missed late in the season).
As a nod to his athleticism and latent potential versatility, Rodriguez started one game at fullback last year when the team was thin for options there. He also caught a pass against the Packers on Thanksgiving Day, as he played 20 total snaps at fullback.
While some may want to dismiss him as sheer hype based on "Hard Knocks" in 2022, Rodriguez could at least compete to start for a lot of other teams as an off-ball linebacker. That kind of opportunity naturally waned right away with the Lions upon Campbell's arrival, and it simply may never come back. If a solid offer came between the start of training camp and Week 1, perhaps driven by that team losing someone to injury, the Lions may just have to take it.