Pride of Detroit
Vote on the Detroit Lions’ 2024 Rookie of the Year.
We’ve become spoiled under general manager Brad Holmes. In his first three draft classes, the Detroit Lions have produced at least three full-time starters who are playing at a near-elite level.
2021: Penei Sewell, Alim McNeill, Amon-Ra St. Brown
2022: Aidan Hutchinson, Jameson Williams, Kerby Joseph
2023: Jahmyr Gibbs, Jack Campbell, Sam LaPorta, Brian Branch
That hasn’t been the case for the Lions’ 2024 class quite yet. In their first season in which they had to pick outside of the top half of the first round, the Lions only found a single starter (Terrion Arnold), a special teamer (Sione Vaki), and a few of players who had some part-time roles but were limited by injury (Ennis Rakestraw, Mekhi Wingo, Christian Mahogany).
That doesn’t mean this draft class is be a failure, but it does take some of the drama out of our next Pride of Detroit award: Rookie of the Year.
Here are our nominees:
Previous awards:
Max Gerber: Terrion Arnold
There are not a lot of options when it comes to who could be Detroit’s Rookie of the Year. Rakestraw and Wingo dealt with injuries most of the season, Vaki did not get much experience on offense, and Mahogany didn’t start emerging until late in the season. This leaves first-round draft pick Terrion Arnold, who really came into his own as the season progressed. While he struggled with coverage and penalties early on, he was able to tighten up and perform well for a rookie cornerback. While he has yet to record his first career interception, his 10 pass defenses are nothing to scoff at.
John Whiticar: Terrion Arnold
If Christian Mahogany had played a full season, he might have entered the discussion. Otherwise, it should be a Terrion Arnold sweep for Lions Rookie of the Year. He had his growing pains early with eight penalties in the first four games, but he grew down the stretch and emerged as one of the most important players for an injured Lions defense.
Jeremy Reisman: Terrion Arnold
Yes, he’s the winner by default, but don’t overlook the strides he made in Year 1. While he struggled with consistency and penalties early on, he produced strong play in the back half of the season. His season-long PFF grade was 50.8 overall and 50.2 in coverage. But from Week 11 and beyond, those numbers were 55.5 and 54.8—while only allowing a passer rating of 93.5 and committing a single penalty. In a man-heavy scheme, that’s not as bad as it may look.
Meko Scott: Terrion Arnold
This is probably the easiest Rookie of the Year vote I’ve ever cast in the Brad Holmes era, and unfortunately it’s because nobody else had a chance to shine as much as Terrion Arnold did. Most of the 2024 rookie class was either injured or stuck behind the established vets on this team, but...
