Where the Lions stand in post-draft NFL power rankings from NFL.com
With the NFL Draft in the books and teams filling out rosters with undrafted free agents, rosters are pretty well locked in for the summer. Rookie mini camps are on the horizon and, before you know, teams will be fully together on the field. With a few days to take everything in, power rankings have been updated and we now have a better sense of where teams stand heading into May.
One of those rankings came from NFL.com's Eric Edholm. The Lions were already near the top of most power rankings before the draft, but where does Edholm have them after the draft?
The answer is at No. 5.
Wrote Edholm: "It's becoming easier, with each passing draft, to identify whom the Lions will like as prospects. Dan Campbell always talks about their types of guys, and the 2025 draft class only reinforced that archetype more. Defensive tackle Tyleik Williams is a bull and a handful up front. Tate Ratledge and Miles Frazier are two street-tough guards. The Day 3 picks were a mix of upside and floor. And then there's the curious case of Isaac TeSlaa, the ultimate draft guy's draft guy. TeSlaa wasn't a top-100 prospect for me, but he absolutely makes sense in Detroit as a stalk blocker, a red-zone weapon and another target with some length and juice. Many people viewed him as an early Day 3 option, though, so it's worth noting what the Lions gave up to select him 70th overall: two third-round picks next year. That's more than just, you know, a case of Faygo and a box of Better Made chips. But that's what I am talking about with the Lions: They don't care how other teams value players, only how they value them, and that approach has served this franchise beautifully over Brad Holmes' five drafts."
The Lions are the second NFC team in this group. The Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles sit atop the rankings, followed by three AFC teams -- No. 2 Baltimore Ravens, No. 3 Kansas City Chiefs, No. 4 Buffalo Bills.
With the team healthy, the Lions will be hungry to finally get over the hump this season and reach Super Bowl LX. The schedule will be quite the grind for Lions. The Lions are scheduled to play the top three teams in these rankings (Eagles, Ravens, Chiefs) all on the road. They will also visit the Washington Commanders, who checked in right below the Lions at No. 6.
Add in No. 7 Tampa Bay (home) and two games each against No. 9 Green Bay and No. 10 Minnesota, it adds up to a very tough road to get back to the No. 1 seed in the NFC. But the talent is there in Detroit to make take on that road.
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