By Trevor Sikkema-PFT- Forward by Roy J. Akers
The NFL Draft is now over and people that look at players that teams will draft in 2025 has already begun at a very rough level. For 2024, the draft is over and some that look at players know what they are talking about and some do not. Pro Football Focus is one of the best and they have deep statistical analysis of all picks. The following draft picks by Detroit Lions were evaluated by Trevor Sikkema and others at PFF and they really like the picks of Detroit. Here is the take on all players drafted by all teams. Detroit’s is below and a link back to PFF is after the Lions evaluation. -Roy J. Akers
DETROIT LIONS: A
- 1 (24): CB Terrion Arnold, Alabama
- 2 (61): CB Ennis Rakestraw Jr., Missouri
- 4 (126): T Giovanni Manu, University of British Columbia
- 4 (132): S Sione Vaki, Utah
- 6 (189): DI Mekhi Wingo, LSU
- 6 (210): G Christian Mahogany, Boston College
Arnold — Detroit traded up to acquire the 14th-ranked player on the PFF big board, Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold. Arnold is an alpha presence in the secondary who plays with a fearless mentality. He led all SEC cornerbacks in interceptions and pass breakups in 2023 and led the conference with a 90.6 PFF run-defense grade. Detroit has officially overhauled its cornerback room with the additions of Arnold, Carlton Davis and Amik Robertson.
Rakestraw — The Lions continue to rebuild a defense that ranked 30th in coverage grade in 2023. Rakestraw, the 46th-ranked player on the PFF big board, is a physical cornerback who excels in zone coverage. He posted an 85.2 PFF zone coverage grade in 2023. The Lions have completely revamped their cornerback room in just one offseason.
Manu — Manu isn’t on the PFF big board because we don’t have any data on him, but he received a lot of hype in the final weeks leading up to the draft. He ran a 4.96-second 40-yard dash at 6-foot-7 and 352 pounds.
Vaki — Lions fans, get ready to love Vaki, one of the most athletic players in the 2024 NFL Draft. He played safety and running back at Utah, but he is a solid safety in coverage. Don’t expect him to make exceptional plays on the football very often, but Vaki packs a mean punch. He’s a plus tackler in run defense and perfectly fits Aaron Glenn’s mentality in the Motor City.
Wingo — This is a great spot to get Wingo, a good athlete for someone his size. His 84.9 run-defense grade since 2022 is the best among SEC defensive tackles in that span, and it wouldn’t be a shock to see him develop into a good rotational player in Detroit.
Mahogany — Mahogany fell further than expected, enabling the Lions to land a bit of a steal here in the sixth round. Over the past three seasons, he has allowed just one sack and seven total quarterback pressures from 711 pass-blocking snaps.
For Grades on all 32 Teams, check out this article in Pro Football Focus