The 2024 NFL Draft was a resounding success for the city of Detroit, and it was also so for the Lions even if you take into account taking on a project with a fourth-round pick that could have been put to different (better?) use.
But it's safe to say the Lions didn't fill every perceived void on their roster in the draft; if only for depth purposes in some cases. That's good news for some incumbent players, who have less (or at least less-heralded) competition for a roles or a roster spot than they might have had otherwise if there had been a draft pick investment at their position.
Things could change if a veteran free agent happens to be brought in, but coming out of the draft these four players look like clear-cut winners for the Lions.
4 biggest winners for Detroit Lions after the 2024 NFL Draft
4. S Brandon Joseph
Safety depth is a thing coming out of the draft for the Lions, even if Brian Branch may indeed see more snaps there after all the additions at cornerback. Behind starters Kerby Joseph and Ifeatu Melifonwu, who both have a level of injury concern right now, Joseph is the only safety who was around last season.
The Lions have signed a few undrafted rookies (Morice Norris, Chelen Garnes, Loren Strickland) who will come in and compete for a roster spot. Joseph was a UDFA himself last year, and stuck around on the practice squad all season. Maybe he has a legitimate shot to earn a roster spot this year, being somewhat of a known quantity compared to the fresh set of UDFAs coming in.
The Lions seem ripe to add a veteran to their safety mix now. But for now, when it looked like he could have been usurped by a late-round draft pick, Joseph can be marked as a post-draft winner.
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.
2. WR Jameson Williams
Right or wrong, agreeably or not for some people, what the Lions did or didn't do in the draft at wide receiver stood to say something (and maybe a lot) about their true faith that Williams will have a full-on third-year breakout in 2024.
The Lions did not draft a wide receiver. Two UDFAs (Isaiah Williams, Jalon Calhoun) are coming in, with what feels like a real chance to win a roster spot. But those guys will not impact Williams' role in the offense, or his place in the pecking order for targets. Wide receivers toward the bottom of the roster (Tom Kennedy, Antoine Green, Tre'Quan Smith, etc.) should now be looking over their shoulders.
So Williams emerges from the draft as a clear winner. The Lions have done nothing, pending a possible (but unlikely) notable free agent wide receiver being signed, to block his runway to a breakout campaign.
1. K Michael Badgley
Brad Holmes promised competition for Badgley practically before the ink was dry on his new contract, which was done before free agency started for some reason. Re-signing Badgley also effectively took the Lions out of the free agent market for a kicker, which turned eyes toward early-season UFL star Jake Bates and the draft.
The Lions did not draft a kicker, which was fine all things considered. Then, they didn't even sign arguably the best undrafted kicker available (Harrison Mevis). Instead, former Michigan kicker James Turner is coming in as a UDFA to "compete" with Badgley.
Turner is simply hard to see as a real threat to take Badgley's job. His career-long field goal in college was 50 yards, so he'll need to really impress with his accuracy or Badgley will have to be pretty horrific to lose the job.
After last offseason's half-measures to add competition for Badgley (signing John Parker Romp out of the XFL) and bringing back Riley Patterson), Holmes seemed to promise a genuine effort to add competition/find a replacement. That did not happen, barring another team cutting a kicker the Lions could sign.
So Badgley comes out of the draft as the absolute No. 1 winner in Detroit.