4 biggest winners for Detroit Lions after the 2024 NFL Draft

3. EDGE James Houston

Last season will just have to go down as a lost one for Houston, as a fractured ankle he suffered while covering a kick in Week 2 sidelined him until the NFC Championship Game.

The potential he showed down the stretch as a rookie in 2022 (eight sacks over seven games and 140 defensive snaps) still stands though, and Brad Holmes reminded us not to forget about Houston in the weeks leading up to the draft.

Edge rusher seemed like a spot the Lions would invest a draft pick in, perhaps an early one if things fell that way. But they did not, at all, likely rooted in cornerback Ennis Rakestraw falling right into their laps at No. 61 overall. Two undrafted rookie edge rushers (Isaac Ukwu and Nate Lynn) have been signed, with Ukwu notably getting a $10,000 signing bonus.

Simply put, Houston's prospective role in the Lions' edge rusher mix was not threatened by a draft pick. The UDFAs that are being brought in don't seem like a real threat to usurp him. Maybe the prospect of his return to full health did alter the Lions' draft plan. It at least seems to have pushed edge rusher down their list of needs, compared to the wider perception.