5 former Detroit Lions draft picks who will not be on the team in 2024

4. WR Antoine Green

Green was an interesting late flier for the Lions last April (with their final pick, like Lucas the year before), and there was a possible path for him to make an immediate impact. That path never came, due to Josh Reynolds being a productive deep threat early in the season and the emergence of Jameson Williams lately.

In line with Williams' earning more playing time, Green has been a healthy scratch in each of the last six games and it's likely to become eight straight before the regular season ends.

Green could wind up sticking around next season, even just on the practice squad. After a rookie year where a notable role never materialized would be fairly quick to part with him completely. But an overall talent upgrade across the roster, and a potential addition at wide receiver from somewhere, puts him on the proverbial hot seat.

3. DB Will Harris

Perhaps as a symbol of the previous regime's lackluster drafting, Harris was a third-round pick in 2019. He was clearly not good as a pure safety, and a shift to playing cornerback has lengthened his stay with the Lions.

After being pressed into a bigger role in the Lions' secondary for a few weeks this season, Harris has been back in his rightful role lately (12 defensive snaps over the last seven games).

Dan Campbell was clear about how he feels about Harris back at the start of training camp in July, lauding his professionalism, versatility, etc.

"I love Will Harris. I do, and -- because he is. He’s a pro. He’s a pro. He’s a vet, “You don’t have to worry about Will.“ Will’s going to be where he’s supposed to be when he’s supposed to be there. He’s a four-corps guy for us."

Simply put, Harris is inadequate (to put it nicely) as a coverage guy and generally speaking a core special teams role can be easily replaced. The path to him not being a Lion in 2024 is being paved, and it ultimately doesn't matter what the coaching staff thinks of his intangibles.