The Detroit Lions are in new territory. Coming off a trip to the NFC Championship Game last season, there are among the top Super Bowl favorites heading into the 2024 season. With a young roster, shaped at its core by shrewd drafting from general manager Brad Holmes, they are also set up well for the foreseeable future.
ESPN analysts Dan Graziano, Aaron Schatz and Louis Riddick came together to rank all 32 teams based on their future prospects over the next three seasons (subscription required). Four categories were used, and weighted to create an overall score: Roster (minus the quarterback), the quarterback, coaching and front office.
The Lions come in at No. 4, behind the Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills, with a an overall score of 88.9. Their overall roster (minus quarterback), coaching and front office scores were all top-six, while their quarterback score was 12th.
Graziano lauded the Lions' offense and the culture Dan Campbell has built. Schatz noted how they had the fourth-youngest defense based on snap-weighted age last season (25.5) and how they're similarly young there this year based on starters in base and nickel defenses, with one projected starter (Alex Anzalone) older than 28.
Riddick noted a concern for him that is lingering as camp starts.
Lingering concern for the Lions highlighted again
Riddick noted how the Lions have a rebuilt cornerback depth chart. But he landed on a concern that is not going away.
"But I still have many doubts about which pass rusher will support third-year defensive end Aidan Hutchinson. Hutch has 21 sacks over his first two seasons combined but has had little help. Detroit was 27th in PRWR in 2023, and Marcus Davenport (signed this offseason) has never played a full season in his six-year career, so I'm not counting on the production to come from him."
-Louis Riddick
Davenport will open training camp on the active/PUP list, as he apparently is still dealing with the ankle issue that cost him all but four games with the Vikings last season. He was never on the practice field for OTAs, and there's not a lot of optimism he'll be what the Lions need opposite Hutchinson.
Overall, the Lions get dinged a little here via an outside the top-10 grade for their quarterback situation. But their outlook for the next few seasons is strong, and no evaluator can ignore that.