Detroit Lions still have one of the youngest rosters in the NFL

Savvy scouting and drafting by general manager Brad Holmes and his front office staff has naturally given the Detroit Lions a young roster that feels well-built for long-term success. The best way to rebuild like the Lions have done so well is through the draft, and no GM in the league has done it quite as well as Holmes has wi

There are plenty of ways to go when determining the average age of an NFL roster. You can narrow it to starters, weigh it based on snaps played, etc. Any way it's sliced though, the Lions have a very young roster and that isn't lined up to shift dramatically anytime real soon.

Jimmy Kepski of The Philly Voice has done his annual post roster cuts collection of the average age of all 32 teams. It's based on the 53-man roster, as published on team websites as of the night of cut down day (Aug. 27). Some shifting may have come since, and may be to come before Week 1 gets going for teams, but not enough to alter Kepski's numbers.

Detroit Lions still among the youngest rosters in the NFL

Last year, the Lions were tied for 10th in Kepski's rankings (25.7 years old). In 2022, they were the second-youngest roster in the league. In 2021, they were also second one of the youngest rosters over the last 20 years (h/t to Jeff Risdon of Lions Wire for all of those anecdotes).

This year, the Lions come in ninth, with an average age of 25.73. That's a slight uptick from 2023, with five draft picks and three undrafted rookies on the 53-man roster helping offset the core of the team aging another year and adding two 27-year old players this offseason (Carlton Davis and Marcus Davenport). If not for Christian Mahogany falling ill and missing training camp, all six of this year's Lions' draft picks may be on the 53-man roster entering the season.

In terms of the Lions' division rivals, the Green Bay Packers have the youngest roster in Kempski's 2024 rankings entering the season, while the Minnesota Vikings are tied for the oldest. The Chicago Bears are in the middle (20th youngest roster).