Pride of Detroit
The countdown of the Detroit Lions’ 2026 roster continues with players our staff ranked from 30 to 21. These players represent the essential depth on the team. Almost all 10 of these players are expected to play some sort of significant role, be it on special teams, subpackages, or the primary backup plan in case of injury—there are even some starters in here.
What I found particularly interesting about this portion of the list is that half of the players are newcomers. Detroit is going to rely on a lot of new faces to be their primary depth, and their performances could be the difference between the season being a success or failure.
Here are the players we ranked from 30 to 21.
Previously:
Last year’s ranking: N/A
The Lions really hyped up the addition of Borom in free agency as a real candidate to start at right tackle after a strong finish to last season with the Dolphins. Whether that was genuine or an effort to mask their draft intentions is unclear, but the addition of Blake Miller likely puts Borom as OT3 rather than as a starter. Still, it’s a significant upgrade over Dan Skipper.
It’s interesting to see Rakestraw climb in the rankings despite missing all of 2025 with an injury. Is this a sign of worse depth on the team, or did the staff simply rank him higher because expectations are higher for Rakestraw? The third-year corner has barely played in his young NFL career, but with Terrion Arnold now gone, Rakestraw is expected to compete for a starting job.
It’s the same kind of story with Rodriguez. He missed most of 2025 due to his recovery from a torn ACL, and when he returned to the field, he didn’t look like himself. Now he climbs four spots, likely because the expectations are for him to be LB3 after the departure of Alex Anzalone in free agency. Rodriguez still has to prove he can be a starting linebacker in this league, so his 2026 season will be critical.
Last year’s ranking: N/A
For comparison’s sake, David Montgomery came in at 11th on last year’s list, so it’s clear our staff believes Pacheco is a significant downgrade, particularly with his recent struggles with injury. However, Pacheco is still just 27 years old, and he’s only a couple years removed from a season in which he put up 935 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. If he can recapture even a fraction of that player, Detroit will have found a great, affordable replacement for D-Mo.
