Pride of Detroit
With the 2024 NFL Draft in the rearview mirror, let’s take a closer look at an updated version of the Detroit Lions depth chart and roster.
The 2024 NFL Draft is complete and the Detroit Lions have added several new players to their offseason roster, making it a good time to revisit how things shook out after the three-day event.
In the offseason, NFL rosters can expand up to 90 players and the Lions are near capacity, with 86 spots filled. They entered the draft with 65 players, drafted six more, and then reportedly signed another 15 undrafted rookies (UDFA) following the draft—you can check in on the latest signing in our UDFA tracker.
For this updated depth chart, we will identify the new rookies by bolding them and adding how they were acquired. Players who were drafted will have the “round” they were drafted in indicated, while the undrafted players will have a UDFA designation. It’s important to keep in mind that at the time of this publishing, the Lions have not officially released their official UDFA list, meaning there could be changes to players with this designation.
Starter: Jared Goff
Top reserve: Hendon Hooker
Depth: Nate Sudfeld
The Lions didn’t add a quarterback in the draft or as an undrafted free agent, but they are bringing in undrafted rookie Cade Peterson from Grand Valley State for a tryout during rookie mini-camp. He’ll have a chance to make a case for the Lions to carry four quarterbacks into OTAs.
Co-Starters: David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs
Top reserves: Craig Reynolds, Zonovan Knight, Sione Vaki (4th round)
Depth: Jermar Jefferson, Jake Funk
The Lions drafted Sione Vaki in the fourth round and plan to have the dual-threat player play at running back rather than safety. He’ll have a chance to make his case for the RB3 job in camp, but he’ll almost certainly have a spot on the roster due to his special teams contributions, as a blocker, pursuer, and potential returner.
“That’s what first stood out, is we thought he was one of the better special teams players in this entire draft, all four phases of special teams,” general manager Brad Holmes said of Vaki. “Especially with some of the changes that are coming about, he’s starting to come to life even more.”
How the Lions approach the new special teams rules could have a direct impact on this position group. While Vaki looks locked in at RB4, at a minimum, there will still be healthy competition among the rest of the players. Who wins the RB3 job? Will the Lions keep an RB5 due to the new rules?
Starters: Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams
Top reserves: Kalif Raymond, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Antoine Green
Depth: Tom Kennedy, Maurice Alexander, Daurice Fountain, Tre’Quan Smith, Isaiah Williams (UDFA), Jalon Calhoun (UDFA)
It’s a bit surprising that the Lions did not address the wide receiver position during the draft and the two...
