These six players might have a hard time cracking the Detroit Lions roster in wake of the 2024 NFL Draft.
The 2024 NFL Draft has reached its conclusion, and with it comes six new players to join the Detroit Lions. Though the names will bring plenty of excitement as training camp rolls around, it also means that certain players already with the team could have their roster spot in jeopardy.
The Lions did well to bolster their roster for a championship run, but which players might not be around come the regular season?
Colby Sorsdal and Kayode Awosika, IOL
The Lions spent a pair of Day 3 picks on offensive linemen in Giovanni Manu and Christian Mahogany. While Manu is likely to stay outside at tackle, the selection of Mahogany complicates things a bit along the interior. Last season, the Lions typically carried five interior linemen: the starting three of Frank Ragnow, Jonah Jackson, and Graham Glasgow with Sorsdal and Awosika in reserve. The Lions swapped Jackson for Kevin Zeitler, but otherwise the core remains the same.
Mahogany adds direct competition to Sorsdal and Awosika, neither of whom have impressed in limited looks. Sprinkle in a potential sleeper in Netane Muti, and the Lions could have a fierce battle for limited spots on the depth chart. This doesn’t even factor in Skipper moving inside to guard if the Lions opt for Manu as the lone backup tackle. None of them have experience at center either, which would bolster their roster chances.
Although Mahogany is just a sixth-round pick, I view him as a safe bet to make the roster. That could leave just one spot left for a fair number of linemen.
Craig Reynolds, RB
This stock down could apply to the entire running back room behind Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, but I want to focus on Reynolds in particular. The selection of safety/running back Sione Vaki adds an interesting wrinkle to the Lions’ roster with plenty of potential spots to use him. However, the initial signs point towards Vaki being a running back first, which threatens Reynolds. Both of Reynolds and Vaki are smaller backs capable of making an impact as a receiver and on special teams.
It is very possible that the Lions keep four running backs with Reynolds and Vaki, but they might also be redundant to each other. Detroit may opt for a backup with a different profile, such as Zonovan Knight, who brings a bit more power to his game.
Kindle Vildor and Khalil Dorsey, CB
The Lions overhauled their cornerback group this offseason with trades, free agent signings, and draft picks. Vildor and Dorsey are some of the few returning players of the group, but their path to the roster in 2024 is less clear following the draft.
Detroit added two of the top cornerbacks in the draft with Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. to bolster a new-look secondary with Carlton Davis and Amik Robertson. Arnold and Rakestraw will obviously threaten to take Vildor and Dorsey’s snaps on defense, but it also pushes them into special teams territory where other players could challenge them for a roster spot. Dorsey saw some action as a kick returner last season, but Vaki could easily steal that role away. Vildor, meanwhile, played very few special teams snaps last season.
Levi Onwuzurike, DL
The selection of Mekhi Wingo out of LSU could mark the end of Onwuzurike’s tough tenure with Detroit. Both Wingo and Onwuzurike fit the mold of undersized pass rushing defensive tackles. While Wingo could be one of the steals of the draft, Onwuzurike has battled injury time and time again since being drafted in 2021 and cannot be considered a reliable option going forward. Even when he has been on the field, his play has lacked—he has just two career sacks to his name, the first of which was a coverage sack and the second of which was a cleanup sack.
Wingo adds some serious pass rushing pop to the Lions’ defensive line that they had hoped to get from Onwuzurike. We could very well see Alim McNeill, DJ Reader, Brodric Martin, and Wingo as the only defensive tackles on the roster come Week 1. Onwuzurike will have to fight hard to challenge for a fifth spot.
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