Lions' 2024 Rookie Report Card

Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes has certainly earned his stripes as a talent-finder through the NFL Draft.

Through his four years as GM, he's added a variety of impact players via the draft, including the likes of Penei Sewell and Amon-Ra St. Brown in 2021, Aidan Hutchinson, Jameson Williams and Kerby Joseph in 2022 and Jahmyr Gibbs and Jack Campbell in 2023. It played a large role in Detroit finishing with a franchise-best 15-2 record in 2024.

Yet, Holmes’ ‘24 draft class didn't make much of an impact on the past season.

Cornerback Terrion Arnold, the Lions’ first-round pick last April, was the only individual from the six-player draft class to start on a regular basis. And, the Alabama product endured a healthy amount of growing pains throughout the course of the campaign.

Let's take a closer look now at how Arnold and the rest of the Lions’ 2024 draft picks fared in their first seasons as pros.

CB Terrion Arnold

Arnold encountered his fair share of struggles throughout his rookie campaign. For starters, he consistently looked lost in coverage, and found himself a step or two behind opposing pass-catchers.

In 16 games, the No. 24 overall pick amassed a passer rating against of 99.2, and received a paltry coverage grade of 50.4 from Pro Football Focus. Plus, he failed to record a single interception, and was penalized 10 times.

Undeniably, Detroit is seeking an uptick in production from the first-rounder in 2025.

Grade: C+

CB Ennis Rakestraw

Rakestraw failed to make much of an impact in 2024. He was inactive for Weeks 2 and 3, and proceeded to miss Weeks 12-18 with a nagging hamstring injury. The Missouri product also sat out the Lions’ divisional-round playoff loss to the Commanders.

He was limited to just 141 total snaps, and played much more on special teams (95 snaps) than on defense (46 snaps).

And similar to Arnold, he produced a subpar season in coverage. In eight games, Rakestraw permitted a passer rating of 91.3 on balls thrown his way, and earned an underwhelming coverage grade of 41.0 from PFF for his efforts.

No ifs, ands, or buts about it, it was a disappointing debut season for the second-round pick.

Grade: D

OL Giovanni Manu

When the Lions selected Manu in the fourth round of last year's draft, it was known that the University of British Columbia product was a work in progress. Most notably, he had never played a down of football in the United States.

Well, after a year spent in the NFL, that is still the case. The 6-foot-7, 352-pounder did not log a single rep on either offense or special teams in 2024.

As was the case when he was drafted, Manu is very much a developmental project. Thus, at this present moment, it's very hard to predict what kind of impact, if any, that he will make on Detroit's 2025 roster.

Grade: Incomplete

RB Sione Vaki

Vaki was active for all but one of the Lions’ games in 2024. The Utah Utes product logged six carries for 14 yards, and amassed three catches and 37 yards as a receiver.

The fourth-round pick earned most of his playing time on special teams (308 total snaps), and received a 90.3 PFF grade for his efforts as a special teams performer. This included 77 snaps for Vaki as a kick returner, and 51 as a punt returner.

Additionally, he compiled eight total tackles and a forced fumble as part of Detroit's punt and kick return teams.

Vaki didn't get much of a chance to prove his worth at running back during his debut NFL season. However, he does deserve to be commended for making the most of his special teams reps.

More: SI Fantasy Football Writer Quits Cowboys, Now Lions Fan

Detroit Lions running back Sione Vaki (33) is tackled by Chicago Bears free safety Kevin Byard (31) | Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

Grade: B-

DL Mekhi Wingo

Wingo, the Lions’ first-of-two sixth-round selections last April, logged snaps in 11 games as a rookie. He contributed both on special teams and defense, but compiled the majority of his reps on the defensive side of the ball (177 total snaps).

He notched nine total tackles and five total pressures, and has earned a 52.6 overall mark from PFF for his efforts. Plus, he produced a 46.4 PFF run-defense grade and a 58.9 PFF pass-rush grade.

There's no doubt that Detroit could use more from the LSU product in 2025.

Grade: D

OL Christian Mahogany

Mahogany, the final pick of the Lions’ 2024 draft class, missed all of training camp with mono, and was unable to suit up for the season's first four games due to being placed on the organization's non-football illness list.

The former Boston College offensive lineman was activated off the NFI list in late October, and managed to see playing time in seven games. He logged 116 total snaps, with the majority of them coming on offense (75).

The majority of these offensive snaps came in Week 16 against the Chicago Bears, when he received the start at left guard in place of Graham Glasgow. Mahogany produced a solid effort in his first ever NFL start, allowing just one pressure on 33 pass-blocking snaps. For his efforts, he earned an 82.5 pass-blocking grade from PFF, as well as a 70.6 overall mark.

He also received the starting nod at right guard in Detroit's playoff loss to Washington, and produced his best performance yet. He wasn't as effective from a pass-blocking standpoint, allowing three total pressures and a sack on 47 pass-blocking snaps. However, he put together an extremely efficient game as a run-blocker, paving the way for Gibbs’ 105-yard, two-touchdown effort on the ground. For his efforts, he received a 91.9 run-blocking mark, including a 92.2 overall mark (the highest grade among all Lions offensive performers).

Mahogany proved to be an ultra reliable depth piece down the stretch of the 2024 campaign. And maybe, just maybe, he'll be the full-time starter at one of the guard spots in his second NFL season.

Grade: B