Saturday, May 18, 2024

Detroit Lions 2024 NFL power rankings post-draft roundup

Throughout the 2024 NFL season, we will compile a consensus NFL Power Rankings that averages the rankings of all 32 NFL teams.

Below you will find a post-NFL draft roundup for the Detroit Lions in our consensus 2024 NFL Power Rankings.

ESPN -- Rank: 4

Most improved: Secondary

It's no secret that Detroit needed help in the secondary after allowing 28 passing touchdowns last season -- which was the sixth worst in the league. So the Lions drafted two DBs -- Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. -- with their first two picks of the draft, which is a first for the team during the common draft era (i.e., since 1967). The rookies join free agent signees Carlton Davis III and Amik Robertson. After loading up at the position, GM Brad Holmes noted there will be plenty of competition for the starting jobs. On paper, it's a major upgrade. -- Eric Woodyard

NFL.com -- Rank: 4

The entire draft weekend in Detroit felt like a celebration of the Lions, and rightfully so. After signing foundational pieces Amon-Ra St. Brown and Penei Sewell to extensions, the Lions swung up on draft day to pluck one of the top two cornerbacks on the board. Terrion Arnold might not walk into the building in Allen Park as a ready-made shutdown corner, but he has that potential and fills a pretty big necessity for a team that should very much be in the Super Bowl mix this coming season. Doubling up at the position with Ennis Rakestraw Jr. was outstanding. Corner was Detroit's biggest need, and they landed two of my top six in this draft class. Their two sixth-rounders -- DT Mekhi Wingo and OG Christian Mahogany -- definitely could make the final roster, too. The Lions attacked the draft like a team that believes it can and will compete for the Lombardi Trophy in the 2024 campaign, and who am I to doubt them?

MORE: 2024 NFL Strength of Schedule

CBS Sports -- Rank: 4

The Lions showed how good they were last season by coming within a whisker of getting to the Super Bowl. Now comes the tough part: Dealing with being a hunted team.

USA Today -- Rank: 4

They still project as the class of the NFC North, especially after bringing in three quality corners (Carlton Davis III and rookies Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr.) for a 27th-ranked pass defense. But this division looks a heckuva lot tighter and will almost certainly be the class of the conference, if not the league, in 2024.

The Athletic -- Rank: 3

Detroit was 28th last season in defensive passing EPA so it used its first two picks on cornerbacks. Sensible enough. Then the Lions returned to their contrarian form by using their third pick (a fourth-rounder, which they acquired by trading away a 2025 third-rounder) on a Tongan offensive tackle from Canada (Giovanni Manu) whom Brugler projected as a priority free agent. That's the wacky Brad Holmes-Dan Campbell Lions we've come to love here.

Fox Sports -- Rank: 4

The Lions return almost the exact same offense that lit up the league last season, complete with major extensions for Amon-Ra St. Brown and Penei Sewell. The defense looks vastly upgraded, with D.J. Reader manning the middle of the defensive line and three new corners in the secondary. On paper, the Lions look better than the team that fell oh-so short of the Super Bowl, and they should be eager to prove it.

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