The Detroit Lions have quickly restructured their roster, with remarkable on-field success demonstrating that what has been done is effective. Pro Football Focus’ Zoltan Buday began the new week with a list of the top 25 NFL players under the age of 25. Penei Sewell, the Lions’ right tackle, is the top player on the list.
“Although Sewell has already played three seasons in the NFL, he is still only 23 years old and will not turn 24 until October. His 3,359 regular-season snaps over the past three seasons rank second among all players, and he is on his way to becoming the best offensive lineman in the league. The Oregon product’s 92.8 PFF overall grade and 95.1 PFF run-blocking grade both led all NFL offensive linemen in 2023.”
Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson landed at No. 6 on the list.
“Hutchinson flashed potential in his rookie season in 2022, but he brought his game to a whole new level in 2023. His 91.2 PFF pass-rushing grade placed fifth and trailed only an elite group of four players: Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons, Nick Bosa and T.J. Watt. Hutchinson’s 110 total pressures during the regular season ranked second among edge defenders.”
The Lions didn’t have anyone else in the top 10, but Amon-Ra St. Brown (No. 11), Sam LaPorta (No. 19) and Jahmyr Gibbs (No. 21) gave them the most players on the list from a single team (five).
PFF list shows core of how Brad Holmes has turned around Lions’ roster
In the past, the Lions would not have had one player on a list like this, let alone five and having the No. 1 player on the list. If we needed another piece or evidence of how well Brad Holmes has done in the draft, here it is. Five core pieces h brought in, across five different positions, over his first three drafts as Lions’ general manager.
Maintaining a pipeline of young talent is the way to sustain success, and Holmes has done it better than any general manager in the league lately.
