Alright, hold up. After years of being hailed for their young, promising talent, the Detroit Lions just took a nosedive in ESPN’s under-25 rankings. Aaron Schatz of ESPN ranked NFL teams by the amount of talent they had under 25, and the Lions, who were sitting pretty at sixth last year, fell all the way to a shocking 23rd spot.
Where Did All the Young Guns Go?
The big takeaway from Schatz is brutal: the Lions only have a single blue-chip player under 25 years old. One! And that’s running back Jahmyr Gibbs. I mean, Gibbs is legit, no doubt, but to go from a deep pool of blue-chip young talent to just one? That’s a serious gut punch for a team that has built its recent hype on youth.
Schatz did throw out a few other names who could step up, like wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa, who is 24, and rookie offensive tackle Blake Miller, who is 22. On defense, safety/nickelback Brian Branch, who will be back on the field after an Achilles tear, turns 25 in October. Tyleik Williams, a first-round pick last year, is 23. Cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr., 24, has battled injuries, and second-round rookie edge rusher Derrick Moore is 23. It’s a list, sure, but it’s not exactly screaming “deep bench of future stars” when only one is called a blue-chip talent.
The Arbitrary Cut-Off vs. Draft Concerns
Now, to be fair, that 25-year-old cutoff is pretty arbitrary, and it totally stings the Lions right now. Think about it: Penei Sewell, Jameson Williams, Sam LaPorta, Aidan Hutchinson, Jack Campbell, and Kerby Joseph are all 25 years old. These guys are cornerstone players, still in their prime, and they’ve got a long future in Detroit. If the cutoff was, say, 26, this ranking would look wildly different. It definitely feels like a bit of bad timing for Detroit’s otherwise stellar young core.
However, you can’t completely write off the ranking, because it also feels like a shot across the bow for Detroit’s two most recent draft classes. The 2024 class, with names like Terrion Arnold, Ennis Rakestraw, and Giovanni Manu, already has some “misses” starting to hurt. And while it’s way too early to judge the 2025 draft class, if Tyleik Williams, Tate Ratledge, and Isaac TeSlaa don’t make those crucial Year 2 jumps, the Lions could be in a tough spot. Young, cheap talent is absolutely critical for balancing out an aging and expensive core. So while you shouldn’t panic over this single ranking, if Detroit keeps sliding down these lists in the future, there are some serious questions that will need answers. The pressure is on those young guys to prove their worth.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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