Pride of Detroit
On Thursday, we concluded our series ranking the Detroit Lions’ 2026 roster from 90 to 1. Our methodology was simple: eight people on the Pride of Detroit staff submitted their entire 90-to-1 ballot, and we averaged out the total votes to create a consensus list. You’ve had a chance to voice your opinion on our list, and today, we’re going to pull the curtain back a little bit.
Below are the 10 players who we had the biggest disagreements about. These are the players that had the widest range of rankings, and I’ll share each individual vote for each player, to see whether it was a couple of outlier votes or if we just couldn’t find a consensus. These players are ranked in reverse order from smallest disagreement to largest. The commentary is all my own.
It’s not all that surprising to see an undrafted rookie make this list. The span of outcomes is rather large for that pool of players—especially for a small school player like Hunter (Morgan State). Still, there’s a lot of hope for Hunter among some fans and analysts. Given that there is also opportunity at linebacker, it’s understandable that a few staffers would put him on the roster bubble rather than a long shot.
It’s certainly hard to gauge where Bridgewater is at in terms of his on-field skills considering he’s thrown just 15 passes in the last three seasons combined. Additionally, his value goes beyond his quarterback skills, as he’s a valued mentor to the Lions’ young quarterbacks and wide receivers. That intangible value may have vaulted his ranking by some, and some sketchy play for the Buccaneers last year may have dragged him down for others.
Turner was a former first-round pick, and he fits the exact mold of what the Lions want opposite Aidan Hutchinson. But his first five seasons in the NFL have all been shortened by injuries. He played five games in 2021, eight in 2022, two in 2023, 16 in 2024, and zero in 2025. It’s understandable to be both extremely skeptical and at least mildly hopeful for Turner, hence the big disparity.
I’m fascinated by this range in votes, but I think it does represent how different expectations are for Maddox in 2026. On one hand, he could...
