The Detroit Lions’ 2026 roster countdown has reached its finish line, and the top of the board looks familiar in some spots and a little different in others. Eight members of the Pride of Detroit staff ranked every player from 90 to 1, and the final five are in.
Four of the five names were already in last year’s top five. The newcomer is Jack Campbell, who takes the place of Brian Branch after Branch dropped from five to eight, a slide tied largely to his injury.
At No. 5, Campbell makes his first appearance in the elite tier after an All-Pro breakout season.
He’s now viewed as one of the NFL’s best linebackers, and Detroit’s offseason message was clear: the former first-round pick is a centerpiece. The Lions handed him a four-year, $81 million extension, locking him in through the prime of his career.
With Alex Anzalone gone, Campbell is also set to carry even more responsibility.
No. 4 belongs to EDGE Aidan Hutchinson, who slips one spot from last year but remains one of the most dangerous defenders on the roster. In 2025, he showed that the leg injury from 2024 wasn’t going to derail him.
Hutchinson posted career bests with 14.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, and 54 tackles, and he added another interception to his résumé. According to PFF, he also led the NFL with 100 pressures.
For an elite pass rusher, fourth still feels low - but that’s the kind of roster Detroit is working with.
Jahmyr Gibbs comes in at No. 3 after another big season that pushed him higher on the list. The Lions’ run game as a whole dipped in 2025, but Gibbs kept exploding anyway.
He topped 1,200 rushing yards for the second straight year, scored 13 rushing touchdowns, and averaged at least 5.0 yards per carry again. He also ripped off six runs of 40 yards or more, more than anyone else in the league.
No other player had five. With a revamped offensive line and a new offensive coordinator committed to running the ball, the expectation is that Gibbs can keep climbing.
Amon-Ra St. Brown holds down the No. 2 spot once again, and consistency is the story here.
He’s now put together four straight seasons with at least 100 catches and 1,100 receiving yards, plus three straight years with at least 10 touchdowns. Just five seasons into his career, he already sits fourth in franchise history in receiving yards with 6,252, third in receptions with 547, and third in receiving touchdowns with 44.
There’s a very real chance his Lions career ends with numbers that match or even pass Calvin Johnson.
And at No. 1, there’s no debate: LT Penei Sewell is the unanimous choice for the third straight year. Even after a season that wasn’t his absolute best, Sewell remains the standard.
Detroit builds plays around his movement and versatility in the run game, and there’s little concern about him shifting from right tackle to left tackle this offseason because of how steady he is in pass protection. He’s the most reliable player on the team, widely regarded as the best offensive tackle in football, and one of the leaders that holds the whole thing together.
In Other News...
Kerby Joseph Just Put Lions Fans On Edge Before Camp
With rookies set to report to training camp Saturday and veterans due in Monday, the Lions are about to get their first real look at where everyone stands physically. Players have to pass a physical before taking part, and anyone not quite there can be placed on the PUP or NFI list, which makes every early camp update feel a little more meaningful than usual.
Kerby Joseph is one of the names drawing the most attention after a knee injury cost him most of last season and left the Lions handling his return carefully. He sounded upbeat about his status entering camp, but Dan Campbell made it clear the real test comes once the work ramps up and the knee is pushed in the middle of practice, which is why this one is still worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Rookies Are Arriving With One Huge Question Hanging Over Them
The Lions 2026 rookie class is about to take another step, with the group scheduled to report to the Allen Park Performance Center on July 25. For Detroit, the early focus is on a couple of newcomers who could matter quickly, especially offensive tackle Blake Miller and defensive end Derrick Moore, both of whom are expected to be in the mix sooner rather than later as the team keeps building out its roster for the season ahead.
Miller has already spent offseason work sharpening technique and getting more comfortable with the playbook, which is the kind of foundation the Lions want from a young lineman before the games start counting. Moores path looks a little more crowded on the edge, where veteran D.J. Wonnum is expected to open the season in front of him and Detroit has added more bodies at the position, leaving the rookie to fight for snaps in passing situations while the rest of the depth chart sorts itself out. [Read more 🡒]
Are The Lions Really The NFLs Most Talented Roster
The Lions head toward the 2026 season with a roster that still looks loaded at the top, even after some familiar veterans moved on and opened up bigger jobs for younger players. A league-wide ESPN poll only added to that impression, placing Detroit first overall and putting nine Lions players inside the top 10 at their positions, a reminder that this teams ceiling is being driven by premium talent rather than depth alone.
Penei Sewell and Jahmyr Gibbs both stood out in those rankings, but the broader takeaway is even more striking for Detroit: a lot of the names carrying the roster are still very young. That makes the Lions easy to believe in for now, but it also leaves the real question hanging over the group as the season approaches, because talent at the top is one thing and proving that a younger core can absorb the loss of players like Alex Anzalone and Taylor Decker is another. [Read more 🡒]