On Thursday morning, we dropped the final installment of our 2026 Detroit Lions roster rankings, listing the top-five players of the 2026 season
.Every year, this is a fun exercise to both get a sense of the Lions’ overall talent level, but also to have some fun, harmless discussions about the best and most important players on the team. We receive a ton of feedback to the list each year—often surrounding where we rank quarterback Jared Goff—but hopefully it’s all in good fun.
Today, you get your
chance to offer your full thoughts on our rankings. You don’t have to hold back, but, obviously, keep it respectful. Thursday’s Question of the Day is:
What is your biggest beef with our 2026 Detroit Lions roster rankings?
My answer: First, let me offer our rankings in full, from 90 to 1.
1. OT Penei Sewell
2. WR Amon-Ra St. Brown
3. RB Jahmyr Gibbs
4. EDGE Aidan Hutchinson
5. LB Jack Campbell
6. QB Jared Goff
7. WR Jameson Williams
8. S Brian Branch
9. TE Sam LaPorta
10. DT Alim McNeill
11. S Kerby Joseph
12. CB D.J. Reed
13. iOL Tate Ratledge
14. DT Tyleik Williams
15. OT Blake Miller
16. iOL Cade Mays
17. iOL Christian Mahogany
18. EDGE DJ Wonnum
19. WR Isaac TeSlaa
20. CB Rock Ya-Sin
21. CB Roger McCreary
22. LB Derrick Barnes
23. DT Levi Onwuzurike
24. EDGE Derrick Moore
25. S Christian Izien
26. P Jack Fox
27. RB Isiah Pacheco
28. LB Malcolm Rodriguez
29. CB Ennis Rakestraw
30. OT Larry Borom
31. K Jake Bates
32. S Avonte Maddox
33. S Thomas Harper
34. iOL Miles Frazier
35. WR Greg Dortch
36. TE Brock Wright
37. CB Keith Abney
38. QB Teddy Bridgewater
39. RB Sione Vaki
40. iOL Juice Scruggs
41. S Chuck Clark
42. LB Jimmy Rolder
43. iOL Ben Bartch
44. TE Tyler Conklin
45. DT Tyler Lacy
46. LB Trevor Nowaske
47. CB Khalil Dorsey
48. LB Damone Clark
49. LS Hogan Hatten
50. EDGE Ahmed Hassanein
51. EDGE Payton Turner
52. DT Mekhi Wingo
53. WR Cedrick Wilson Jr.
54. WR Dominic Lovett
55. DT Skyler Gill-Howard
56. CB Nick Whiteside
57. WR Tom Kennedy
58. RB Jacob Saylors
59. OT Giovanni Manu
60. DT Chris Smith
61. S Dan Jackson
62. WR Jackson Meeks
63. DT Tyre West
64. S Loren Strickland
65. QB Luke Altmyer
66. EDGE Anthony Lucas
67. DT Myles Adams
68. OL Colby Sorsdal
69. iOL Seth McLaughlin
70. DT Jay Tufele
71. TE Miles Kitselman
72. iOL Michael Niese
73. WR Malik Cunningham
74. DT Aidan Keanaaina
75. TE Zach Horton
76. LB Joe Bachie
77. LB Erick Hunter
78. OT Devin Cochran
79. iOL Mason Miller
80. RB Kye Robichaux
81. TE Thomas Gordon
82. RB Jabari Small
83. CB De’Shawn Rucker
84. EDGE Eric O’Neill
85. iOL Melvin Priestly
86. WR Tarik Black
87. WR Lucky Jackson
88. DB Aamaris Brown
89. WR Lawrence Keys
90. WR Tay Martin
As for my biggest issue with the list, my largest disagreement with the consensus rankings were as follows:
- Teddy Bridgewater: I had at 50, he finished 38
- Chuck Clark: I had at 26, he finished 41st
- Jack Fox: I had 13, he finished 26
With Bridgewater, I have him easily winning the QB2 job, but I do question where his skill level is currently at after a rough couple appearances for the Buccaneers last year. I still value his spot on the roster as a great resources for Detroit’s young players, so I don’t have a huge beef with how high the other staff had him.
I’m very high on Clark as a high floor player to help Detroit manage the safety room while missing Brian Branch and possibly Kerby Joseph. Admittedly, we still have to see what he can physically do now that he’s 31 years old, but Jim O’Neil’s comments about Clark being an “alpha communicator” really resonated with me.
Many will likely be surprised to see Fox so high on my rankings given my disdain for punting, but Detroit’s Field Position Optimization Specialist is a true weapon and one of the best players at his position. I understand people may look at me sideways for putting Fox before the likes of Tate Ratledge, Tyleik Williams, and Blake Miller, but he’s proven far more in the league than any of those players.
Which rankings look odd to you? What does your top-10 or top-20 look like? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
