As we have learned plenty of times over recent years, an NFL roster isn’t just about the star-level talent at the top. Throughout an arduous season, each team’s depth is challenged, and players who were thought of as reserves or roster bubble players become critical parts to a team’s success.
So to assess the depth and overall well-being of the Detroit Lions’ 2026 roster, our staff ranked the entire 90 players from best to worst. I’ll be honest, too. It’s a fun little time-waster during the slow part
of the offseason.
Here’s how it works:
This year we had eight staff members provide their full rankings of the roster from 90 to 1: Jeremy Reisman, Erik Schlitt, John Whiticar, Ryan Mathews, Morgan Cannon, Meko Scott, Brandon Knapp and Al Karsten.
After everyone submitted their rankings, we averaged each player out and re-ranked them based on consensus rankings.
[Note: We did not include Kendrick Law (out for season) or Terrion Arnold (released) in our rankings]
Over the next two weeks, we’ll release our list 10 players at a time until we get to the top 10. Then we’ll drop 10-6, followed by 5-1.
If you’re interested in comparing this year’s list to previous installments, you can find the archives here: 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019.
Alright, let’s get started with the bottom-10 players on the list. Don’t completely count out this group. Last year, Zach Horton (82 on our 2025 list) eventually made his way onto the 53-man roster and played in two games. He remains on the roster today.
90. WR Tay Martin (Highest: 84; Lowest: 84)
Last year’s ranking: N/A
Just as Mandatory Minicamp was finishing up, the Lions added four receivers from the UFL. Unsurprisingly, all four players finished in the bottom five of this year’s rankings.
Martin just had a very strong season with the Columbus Aviators, catching 42 passes for 483 yards and two touchdowns, ranking him among the top-10 receivers for the 2026 UFL season. At 6-foot-3, he brings some length, but he’s only listed at 186 pounds.
89. WR Lawrence Keys (Highest 85; Lowest: 90)
Last year’s ranking: N/A
Keys was the Lions’ final addition this spring, but he may have a better chance than the other three UFL receivers because of his special teams experience. Detroit is in need of returners, and Keys just finished his UFL season with 518 kick return yards (27.3 average per kick) and 134 punt return yards (12.2).
88. CB Aamaris Brown (Highest: 76; Lowest, 89)
Last year’s ranking: N/A
Browns is the lowest ranked undrafted rookie on this year’s list. He received just $105,000 in guarantees from the team (second lowest among Lions UDFAs).
Brown does have a lot of playing experience from college, and he was used both on the outside and the slot. While he’s a long-shot to make the roster, he certainly fits Detroit’s profile of a physical, gritty corner that would help in the run game.
87. WR Lucky Jackson (Highest: 82; Lowest: 89)
Last year’s ranking: N/A
Jackson has had two very strong seasons in lower leagues. He put together 573 and five touchdowns in the short-lived XFL, and just posted 32 catches and 392 yards with the Louisville Kings in the UFL. He also averaged 11.9 yards per punt return on nine attempts.
This is his second real shot in the NFL after basically spending two years on the Vikings’ practice squad.
86. WR Tarik Black (Highest: 75; Lowest: 88)
Last year’s ranking: N/A
Black likely ranks atop the rest of his UFL cohorts because of his size (6-foot-3, 213 pounds) and his small experience in the NFL. He spent time with the Colts, Jets, Ravens, Steelers, and Dolphins, despite the fact that he’s only played in one career game.
He’s coming off a strong season for the Kings, pulling in 388 yards and three touchdowns, proving he can still be productive despite being 28 years old already.
85. iOL Melvin Priestly (Highest 76; Lowest: 90)
Last year’s ranking: N/A
The Lions must have some optimism for Priestly as a developmental player, as they handed the former Illinois right tackle $220,000 in guarantees (third-highest).
Priestly began his college career at Grambling before two successful seasons had him on the road to the Big Ten. Pristely posted a solid 65.9 PFF grade last year, allowing just two sacks.
At the NFL level, he’s projected to play on the interior, and in the spring, he was repping with the third team as the left guard.
84. EDGE Eric O’Neill (Highest: 76; Lowest: 90)
Last year’s rankings: N/A
O’Neill received the fewest amount of guarantees of this year’s UDFA class, earning just $60,000. And while he’s got an extremely long road to make the Lions’ roster, there are some things to like about his game. Primarily, he’s consistently worked his way up to bigger competition his whole career. Starting at Long Island University, he worked his way up and destroyed the competition at James Madison (13 sacks). Then he turned that success into a season at Rutgers. And while his sack production dipped (2.5), he still posted 9.5 tackles for loss.
At just 6-foot-2, 250, O’Neil will either have to put on some weight, or really make a difference on special teams (or both).
83. CB De’Shawn Rucker (highest: 75; Lowest: 88)
Last year’s rankings: N/A
Rucker has some athletic tools the Lions will covet—mainly his 4.38 speed. That has gotten him some early work with the gunners on special teams.
Rucker has experience at outside corner, nickel, and safety, but his early work in Detroit has been at outside corner. There’s a little more opportunity there now that Arnold is out, but his chance, like everyone in the bottom 10, is via special teams.
82. RB Jabari Small (Highest: 78; Lowest: 90)
Last year’s rankings: N/A
Small is the only player in the bottom-10 who was on the team last year, but he was added too late (July 18) to make last year’s list. He didn’t end up making the team (waived with an injury), and he didn’t return to the practice squad until late November.
Small doesn’t have a great path to the 53-man roster, but if he can stay healthy this training camp, he could hang around the practice squad and be an insurance case.
81. TE Thomas Gordon (Highest: 78; Lowest: 83)
Last year’s rankings: N/A
Gordon was a low-key signing back in January after his rookie-season stint with the Chicago Bears ended on their practice squad and no futures deal agreed to.
Gordon projects to be an in-line, blocking-first tight end, but he’s overshadowed on our list by promising young talent like UDFA Miles Kitselman and receiver-transfer Jackson Meeks. Both Kitselman (23) and Meeks (23) are younger than Gordon (25).
