As training camp draws closer, the Lions are at a point where patience has to be selective. Detroit got younger this offseason, and that means there are still some players worth developing. But with a last-place schedule and a season that can’t end like last year’s did, the margin for waiting on the wrong guys is shrinking fast.
That leaves the Lions with two very different buckets of young talent: a few players who still deserve runway, and a few others who may already be running out of it.
Isaac TeSlaa sits at the top of the keep-developing group. The rookie wideout flashed in a big way last season, scoring six touchdowns on only 16 catches, and he appears headed for a much larger role this year.
He also drew offseason praise for the work he’s putting in to prepare for that jump. His size-speed blend gives Detroit something different from Amon-Ra St.
Brown and Jameson Williams. The one wrinkle is offensive coordinator Drew Petzing’s tendency to use two- and even three-tight-end looks, which could complicate the path to a Year 2 breakout.
Still, TeSlaa is trending in the right direction.
Cornerback Ennis Rakestraw is in a far more urgent spot. After two injury-hit seasons, plus an injury-shortened final year at Missouri that pushed him out of first-round territory, this is a now-or-never moment.
The release of draft classmate Terrion Arnold has opened the door further for a starting job, and Rakestraw added weight this offseason in hopes of holding up better physically. Detroit needs someone opposite D.J.
Reed, and Rakestraw remains one of the last real hopes from a 2024 draft class that could end up reflecting poorly on Brad Holmes if it keeps thinning out.
Then there’s edge rusher Ahmed Hassanein, who never really got a fair shot as a rookie. A preseason pectoral injury wiped out his season before it started, leading to an injury settlement in August.
Even then, he chose to return to the Lions’ practice squad last November despite similar offers from the other 31 teams. Detroit signed him to a futures deal after the season, and while a deeper edge rotation makes snaps harder to come by, his athletic profile still stands out.
He deserves a mulligan after missing a full year, and the Lions appear willing to keep seeing what he can become.
On the other side of the ledger, Giovanni Manu is the clearest candidate for the Lions to move on from. Detroit traded up in 2024 to take the University of British Columbia product at No. 126 after sending a third-round pick in the 2025 draft, and he was a project then.
He still is now. A knee injury last season didn’t help, but the larger issue is that the expected progress just hasn’t shown up.
Dan Campbell has already talked about trying Manu at left guard in camp, which feels like a sign the original left tackle vision never really took hold. The experiment has nearly run its course unless something unexpected happens.
Colby Sorsdal is in a similar spot. Taken in the fifth round in 2023 out of William & Mary, he made three starts as a rookie, but injuries have limited him to just one game over the last two seasons.
There is at least a plausible case for him as a versatile backup, especially with the Lions still sorting through offensive line depth. Camp and preseason will be his chance to prove he belongs.
But Campbell has also indicated starters will play a noticeable amount in the preseason, which could limit the reps available for players like Sorsdal. If he doesn’t separate himself soon, the Lions may decide they’ve already seen enough.
Sione Vaki rounds out the list. Like Manu, he was a trade-up investment on Day 3 of the 2024 draft, and the return has been modest so far.
Over two seasons, he has logged 27 offensive snaps and seven carries, numbers that fall well short of what you’d hope for from a player Detroit clearly wanted. He has helped on special teams, but the Lions would ideally be getting more from someone they targeted that aggressively.
With Isiah Pacheco signed to back up Jahmyr Gibbs, Vaki’s route to a bigger role at running back looks even narrower. If this list stretched to four on the keep-developing side, he could have made it.
Instead, he’s on the wrong side of the line, and his roster future is now a real question entering Year 3.
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Luke Altmyer has started to complicate that picture. The undrafted rookie has drawn positive notice during offseason work, and there is at least a path for him to make the backup competition matter once training camp opens. For a team that has been able to keep its focus on Goff, the real question now is whether Detroits QB2 spot stays veteran insurance or turns into a legitimate battle. [Read more 🡒]