Pride of Detroit
Our countdown of the best players on the 2025 Detroit Lions roster has reached the top-30.
Our Detroit Lions roster ranking for the 2025 season has reached players 30-21. This range features five players who were in this exact range, two draft picks, and two players who made huge surges from last year’s expectations. Every single one of these players are expected to make key contributions this year.
Here’s a look at the players our staff ranked 30-21 on the Lions roster.
Note: For methodology and more details, check out the first installment of this series.
Previously:
Paschal drops a few spots after failing to take the next step in his development in Year 3. With all of the injuries at defensive end last year, the hope was that Paschal could step in and make a huge difference. Unfortunately, in 10 starts, he managed just 21 tackles, 2.0 sacks, and eight quarterback hits. Paschal enters the final year of his rookie contract with no assurance that his future lies in Detroit.
Despite another second-team All-Pro performance in 2024, Raymond also slipped in this year’s ranking. While he remains one of the best punt returners in the league, his offensive role has shrunk in each of the past two years. And with the drafting of Isaac TeSlaa and Dominic Lovett, the Lions could be headed toward a youth movement, while Raymond, soon-to-be 31, is entering the final year of his deal.
Bates blew expectations out of the water in 2024, earning himself a 30-player jump in this year’s ranking. Despite a shaky training camp, Bates finished the year an impressive 26-of-29 on field goals, with his only three misses coming from 40 yards or longer. Most impressively, he was 6-of-8 from 50+ yards and nailed a few game-winning kicks.
There’s some disagreement among staff on how high he ranks, which is likely due to a small sample size from the 26-year-old kicker.
Last year’s ranking: N/A
Added at the end of training camp last year, Patrick quickly found himself as the team’s starting X-receiver. His statline may not look all that impressive (33 catches, 394 yards, 3 TDs), but he was an impact player as a run blocker, and coaches constantly praised his ability to make the right plays away from the ball.
Fox drops four spots despite leading the NFL in net punting yards last year (winning free beer from Jared Goff in the process). I believe his fall has less to do with Fox himself and more...
