Pride of Detroit
These six players benefitted from the Detroit Lions’ 2024 NFL Draft class
The NFL Draft is not just about which players get drafted. Oftentimes, it is the players that weren’t drafted that play a large role in the roster’s shape.
Thanks to countless mock drafts, some positions were seen as sure-fire landing spots for rookie draft picks. Instead, these positions may have gone unaddressed in the draft. This could open up new opportunities for returning players, while also providing a slight security blanket for players once on the bubble.
On Monday, we covered six Detroit Lions players that have a lot to prove following the 2024 NFL Draft. Today, we will take a look at those players that quietly benefitted from the Lions’ draft class.
The Lions walked away from the draft without a receiver added to their arsenal. They added two players as undrafted free agents—Isaiah Williams and Jalon Calhoun—but the roster remains otherwise untouched from a free agency period that saw them lose Josh Reynolds to the Denver Broncos. Though a free agent signing could manifest in the coming weeks, as it stands, I believe Antoine Green has benefitted the most.
Green, the 2023 seventh-round selection, saw minimal action in his rookie season, but he could be in line for a larger role barring an aforementioned signing. Amon-Ra St. Brown will be the top target on offense, while Jameson Williams’ role will likely grow entering his third season, but the depth pieces have some questions. Kalif Raymond is a spark plug on the field, but his size limits him from being a replacement for Reynolds. Donovan Peoples-Jones was brought back for another look after being acquired by trade, but with just 58 receiving yards after coming to Detroit, expecting him to slide into the WR3 role is far from guaranteed.
Green has the size (6-foot-2 and 200 pounds) and speed (4.47 40-yard dash) to be a weapon on the Lions offense. The onus is on him to earn that spot.
Although the Lions signed Marcus Davenport, there was still an opportunity to upgrade the pass rush in the draft. Josh Paschal and John Cominsky were among the myriad of players rotating in and out across from Aidan Hutchinson to mixed success. They were worth having on the roster, but their play was far from level needed to truly complement Hutchinson.
Detroit came away from the draft without a defensive end, perhaps a vote of confidence for their former second rounder. The Lions did draft a defensive lineman with pass rushing pop in Mekhi Wingo, but he will likely challenge Levi Onwuzurike for a spot, not one of these outside edge defenders.
Paschal and Cominsky were co-starters in 2023, but I believe Paschal has the edge going into next season thanks to a steadily increasing snap count down the stretch. Cominsky also took a pay cut this offseason, signaling that the Lions like him, but not that much. Given that Davenport...
