The Lions have spent the last few years piling up All-Pro recognition, and 2026 could bring another first-timer into the mix.
Since Brad Holmes took over as general manager in 2021, Detroit has kept adding players who end up on All-Pro ballots. The climb started modestly with Kalif Raymond in 2022, then jumped to five players in 2023, six in 2024, and four in 2025.
Penei Sewell, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Aidan Hutchinson, and Jack Campbell are among the names already on that list.
So who could be next?
Jahmyr Gibbs and Sione Vaki stand out as the best bets.
Gibbs has the cleaner path. He’s already one of the league’s most dangerous running backs, and with David Montgomery gone, he enters 2026 with a chance to take on more of a bell cow role.
If his efficiency holds while his touches rise in both the run and pass game, he has a real shot to land All-Pro recognition for the first time. The 2025 AP All-Pro running backs were Bijan Robinson, James Cook, and Christian McCaffrey, and Gibbs belongs in that same conversation.
He also has a path to the All-Purpose All-Pro spot because of everything he can do with the ball.
Vaki is the more unconventional pick, but the case is there. He has barely been used on offense, with just seven carries in 27 career games, but his special teams value is the reason he was drafted in the fourth round in the first place.
He’s already the Lions’ best special teamer and could push into the league’s elite tier there. His background gives him a rare profile for coverage work, blending running back vision and agility with the tackling instincts of a safety.
That matters because special teams All-Pros have not been piling up repeat honors lately. Since 2021, only J.T.
Gray has made the team more than once. Vaki does the kind of work that can catch the attention of evaluators, both in steady moments and on bigger plays.
If his offensive role grows, that would only help, and he could also enter the kickoff return discussion, though that remains a long shot with only four returns on his ledger.
There are other Lions who could force their way into the conversation. Jared Goff would need a huge year, but the offense around him gives him a chance.
Alim McNeill and Brian Branch have both flashed All-Pro level play, though each comes with injury questions entering the season: McNeill is coming back from his 2024 ACL tear, and Branch will be rehabbing his 2025 Achilles tear. Jake Bates is another name worth watching if he can pair his big leg with better accuracy and become one of the NFL’s top kickers.
Still, Gibbs and Vaki look like the two most realistic first-time All-Pro candidates on the roster heading into 2026.
In Other News...
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With training camp still about a month away and rookies set to report soon, the Lions have already gotten a useful first look at where some of their offseason work is paying off. OTAs and minicamp have helped boost the stock of Rock Ya-Sin, Aidan Hutchinson and Jahmyr Gibbs, three players whose different roles all matter as Detroit keeps sorting through its depth and role questions heading into the season.
The early sessions have also produced a couple of reminders that not every spring storyline is moving in the same direction. Giovanni Manu and Sione Vaki have had their share of growing pains, which is part of the evaluation process this time of year, especially for younger players trying to carve out a place on a roster with real expectations. For the Lions, the next few weeks are less about final answers than about seeing which of these offseason trends hold once the pads come on. [Read more 🡒]
This Lions Rookie Is Crashing A Camp Battle Nobody Saw Coming
Training camp always finds a way to surface one lineman nobody had circled in May, and this summer the battle is on the interior. Detroits tackle spots look far more settled, but the guard competition has opened the door for an undrafted rookie from Illinois who arrives with a sturdy track record and the kind of profile that can turn heads once the pads come on. He has the frame and background to stay in the conversation, and the Lions have plenty of reason to keep an eye on every rep.
Melvin Priestly has done plenty to earn that attention. He never missed a college game, showed well in pass protection and overall performance last season, and is expected to push for a role in a group where several players are still fighting for answers. For a Detroit offense that values line depth as much as lineup certainty, the question is not whether Priestly belongs in camp, but how far he can go once the competition gets serious. [Read more 🡒]