Following an incredible 2023 season in which they were a sneeze away from the Super Bowl, the Detroit Lions are receiving the recognition they deserve in end-of-year evaluations.
Pro Football Focus named eight Lions among its top 101 players for the 2023 NFL season. I’ll mention a few of them, but you’ll have to read the article for a complete list.
Brian Branch, one of two rookies on the list, ranks No. 84. It’s no secret that Brad Holmes delivered an outstanding draft class of immediate contributors. Branch garnered high PFF grades, with 11 pass breakups and three interceptions.
Branch was among the Lions’ stable of talented rookies, demonstrating that measurables and the NFL Combine
The other rookie is, of course, Sam LaPorta. In his debut year, the talented tight end smashed both franchise and league records, scoring 10 touchdowns in the regular season and another against the Los Angeles Rams in the playoffs. Despite a late-season injury, he still reached 1,000 yards.
Speaking of breaking records, Penei Sewell was the highest-ranking Lion on the list at No. 10. Monsoon explains that Sewell was a beast in the Lions’ running game, surrendering only one sack in 17 starts.
“Sewell’s 93.1 PFF run-blocking grade is one of the best single-season marks over the past 15 years at any position,” he writes in his article.
Again, you’ll have to read the article for the rest of the list, but here’s a fun game: can you guess the other five Lions on the list? No cheating.
