Lions 53-man roster prediction: Post-NFL Draft edition

Running back – 3

**Jahmyr Gibbs** Isiah Pacheco Sione Vaki Jacob Saylors Kyle Robichaux Jabari Small Life without David Montgomery leaves question marks at the depth behind Jahmyr Gibbs. Isiah Pacheco is the team’s power back, but the rest is up in the air. Sione Vaki is in year three, and after an injury-filled 2025, he isn’t a lock to be RB3 anymore. Could Jacob Saylors uproot Vaki as the third-string option? I don’t think so, and with the moves made in the draft, I think Saylors’ backup plan of being a kick returner might be cut short.

Wide receiver – 6

**Amon-Ra St. Brown Jameson Williams Isaac TeSlaa** Greg Dortch Dominic Lovett Kendrick Law Malik Cunningham Tom Kennedy Jackson Meeks The obvious starters are Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, with Isaac TeSlaa moving up the depth chart now that the team has moved on from Kalif Raymond. I expect TeSlaa to have a bigger sophomore season to solidify his place as the third option in the room. The real questions happen behind those three, and I believe Greg Dortch is the Raymond replacement, but he should shine more in special teams than on offense. With TeSlaa improving and seeing more playing time, I think Dortch will have a smaller role than Raymond did on offense. That means the battle for WR5 is between second-year receiver Dominic Lovett, fifth-round pick Kendrick Law, and a few others. Lovett could miss the cut here due to Dortch taking over punt return capabilities and Law returning kicks, but I think the team sees potential in Lovett being WR4 in 2027.

Tight end – 3

**Sam LaPorta** Brock Wright Tyler Conklin Miles Kitselman Thomas Gordon Zach Horton In his final year under his current contract, tight end Sam LaPorta returns from his back injury last year. I don’t think he has a chance to lose his starting role, as the only way he doesn’t start for the Lions in 2026 is if he’s traded, which I don’t think happens. The depth behind him is as strong as it’s ever been. I think at the beginning of training camp, Brock Wright will be the backup, but by the season’s end, he could move down to TE3 behind newly signed Tyler Conklin. While it would make sense for this team to keep four tight ends if they are going to use the 13 personnel, I think they’ll rock with just those three to start until someone gets hurt.

Offensive tackle – 4

**Penei Sewell Blake Miller** Larry Borom Giovanni Manu Devin Cochran With the team drafting Blake Miller, it’s clear they see him competing for a starting job with Larry Borom at right tackle. The job won’t be handed to Miller, and the team won’t be afraid to start Borom over him if he doesn’t win the job. I think Miller will win the starting job, Penei Sewell will move to left tackle, and Borom will be the team’s new OT3. That leaves one to wonder what will happen at OT4. Can Giovanni Manu win that spot? Could he lose to Devin Cochran or someone else? Do the Lions even keep four tackles? I think they should keep four tackles, and Manu wins beats out the competition to be OT4. The Lions are invested in Manu, and I think they’ll give him the full four years of his contract to prove that he could at least be the team’s OT3 long term. If he doesn’t improve after this season, he’s got a long road ahead in 2027.

Guard – 4

**Tate Ratledge Christian Mahogany** Miles Frazier Ben Bartch Melvin Priestly Mason Miller Colby Sorsdal Michael Niese The Lions will stick with both Tate Ratledge and Christian Mahogany as their starting guards for 2026. Ratledge had a solid rookie season, and while Mahogany appeared to step back, he was injured in the back half of the year, impacting his play. I think Mahogany can rebound, and the team will give him another shot at being the starter before they look elsewhere. The depth at guard is tough to predict at how it will play out for the most part. I believe Miles Frazier has the best chance out of anyone to uproot Mahogany at left guard. Behind Frazier is a blood bath. There isn’t a clear-cut option for the fourth spot, and in the end, I went with Ben Bartch. Michael Niese has a chance to win this spot, but I don’t see Mason Miller, Melvin Priestly, or Colby Sorsdal sticking around. Sorsdal has had years to develop into a depth option, but I think it’s time for the team to move on from him overall.

Center – 2

**Cade Mays** Juice Scruggs Seth McLaughlin Out of all the offensive line spots, this one was the most obvious. The team signed Cade Mays to be their starting center, and he has little competition for that spot. The only people who could take his spot are Juice Scruggs and Seth McLaughlin. I believe the Lions see something in Scruggs, or else they wouldn’t have traded for him in the Montgomery move. To me, an experienced center should have no issue beating out an inexperienced one; Scruggs easily wins the backup job.

Defensive end – 5

**Aidan Hutchinson DJ Wonnum** Derrick Moore Ahmed Hassannien Tyre West Anthony Lucas Eric O’Neill Tyler Lacy Payton Turner Despite the team drafting Derrick Moore, I have DJ Wonnum starting alongside Aidan Hutchinson at the EDGE spot. That doesn’t mean Moore can’t replace Wonnum as the starter as the year goes on, but for now, he’s a backup. Who’s behind him was tough to figure out. Are the Lions planning on Levi Onwuzurike to play at EDGE or defensive tackle? I predict Levi sticks on the interior, and the seventh-round pick in West sticks on the outside and makes the cut. I believe no matter what, Ahmed Hassanein has a spot on this roster. His rookie year was cut short by the pec injury he sustained last preseason. He showed some promise in the preseason, the team likes him, and he likes Detroit. I think he will have a bigger impact on the roster for this season, and his job is secure, barring another injury.

Defensive tackle – 5

**Alim McNeill Tyliek Williams** Levi Onwuzurike Mekhi Wingo Skyler Gill-Howard Aidan Keanaaina Myles Adams Chris Smith Before the draft, the defensive tackle position felt cut and dry, but now it feels like there is an unknown with their depth. The starters are clearly Alim McNeill and Tyliek Williams, but the lineup behind them is a mystery. I predicted Onwuzurike to play on the interior and he would be the first to come off the bench. The biggest battle is going to be between Mekhi Wingo, sixth-round pick Skyler Gill-Howard, and undrafted free agent Aidan Keanaaina. The Lions gave Keanaaina a hefty bag for an UDFA, which makes me think this team sees something in him, and he brings some massive size (320 pounds) that Gill-Howard and Wingo don’t have. I know Myles Adams and Chris Smith are veterans who should have a chance to make the roster, but I see them on the roster as an emergency plan if the young players don’t adapt and develop as the team hoped. This position group has the most flexibility and will be one of the underrated groups to focus on come training camp.

Linebacker – 5

**Jack Campbell Derrick Barnes Malcolm Rodriguez** Jimmy Rolder Trevor Nowaske Damone Clark Erick Hunter The only two starters that are locked in are Jack Campbell and Derrick Barnes. The other spot leaves a question mark, if there even is another starting spot on this defense. If the Lions convert their defense to only have two linebackers out there instead of three, the need for depth is lower, as they could carry five instead of six. For now, I have Malcolm Rodriguez in a starting spot. Rookie linebacker Jimmy Rolder will have the best chance to start among the depth pieces, and I wouldn’t be too surprised if he beat out Rodriguez as the starting linebacker at some point in 2026. Behind Rolder are Trevor Nowaske, Damone Clark, and Erick Hunter. Nowaske has experience on special teams and defense, so he’s a lock in my eyes. The question then becomes, do the Lions need six linebackers if they are converting to a defense that primarily uses two, or do they need it if they stick to what they’ve been using? If the team sticks to their original self, then Damone Clark makes the cut, but if not, I think he joins Hunter in the cut list.

Cornerback – 6

**D.J. Reed Terrion Arnold Roger McCreary** Ennis Rakestraw Jr Rock Ya-Sin Keith Abney II Aamaris Brown De’Shawn Rucker Khalil Dorsey Nick Whiteside The only sure thing out of the cornerback room is that D.J. Reed is your CB1. Legal issues await the status of CB2 Terrion Arnold, but the team thinks he should be fine in the end. With that, Arnold returns as the starter, and I see Roger McCreary winning the starting nickelback job, but it won’t be easy. McCreary will have to deal with rookie Keith Abney II as his main competition, with Ennis Rakestraw likely competing on the outside. I believe McCreary wins that job over Abney, and Rakestraw slides in as one of the backup outside cornerbacks. Rock Ya-Sin is a lock to make the roster. He is the team’s best backup outside corner, and he can fall back to safety if there’s an emergency. I think Detroit moves on from Khalil Dorsey, Nick Whiteside, De’Shawn Rucker, and Aamaris Brown. Dorsey is great at special teams, but Law can play gunner, taking that job from Dorsey. Whiteside isn’t a bad cornerback, but the options Detroit has are better than him. Both are prime candidates for the practice squad, while Brown and Rucker will be cut.

Safety – 5

**Kerby Joseph Avonte Maddox** Christian Izien Thomas Harper Dan Jackson Chuck Clark Loren Strickland *PUP – Brian Branch* With Brian Branch likely starting the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list, the Lions will load up on safety, starting with five on the roster. If Kerby Joseph is good to go to start the year, he makes the cut, but worst case, he also starts the year on PUP. I believe Avonte Maddox will slide into his spot as the starter alongside Joseph. The depth behind them is plentiful, with Christian Izien being the next one up if Joseph isn’t able to start or needs some weeks off. Thomas Harper has some experience as well, and I think Harper vs. Izien for the primary backup at safety could be a fun battle. That leaves Dan Jackson by himself as the last resort at the position. He missed all of last season with a leg injury, so he has the most to prove out of anyone.

Special teams – 3

**Jake Bates Jack Fox Hogan Hatten** No changes at special teams. The only notable item is that punter Jack Fox is on the last year of his deal, so we can add him to the list of re-signings that general manager Brad Holmes has to make this year. Besides that mild drama, this unit shouldn’t see any changes.