Detroit Lions Listed Among NFL Teams With Brightest Futures

The Detroit Lions have built their roster predominantly through the NFL Draft.

General manager Brad Holmes has leaned heavily into the draft and develop philosophy, and while he's had some misses, the sixth-year leader has built a championship-worthy core.

The team is still looking to make good on their high aspirations, and is coming off a disappointing 9-8 season last year. However, pundits appear to still be high on their future heading into the 2026 season and beyond.

As Holmes has entrenched several drafted players as key members of their core, there is potential for serious longevity within their roster. An ESPN panel ranked the Lions as the team with the third-brightest future, specifically for the 2027-29 seasons, behind only the Houston Texans and Philadelphia Eagles.

The panel, featuring ESPN analysts Ben Solak, Louis Riddick, Aaron Schatz and Seth Walder, believe the Lions will be in contention for years to come thanks to the leadership of head coach Dan Campbell and the core of veterans that the franchise has added through the draft.

“As GM Brad Holmes begins paying the legendary 2023 draft class that galvanized this Lions turnaround, future contention becomes tougher and tougher in Detroit,” Solak wrote. “But between Holmes and coach Dan Campbell, the Lions' leadership is unquestionable. And Detroit's group of young stars entering their primes (RB Jahmyr Gibbs, LB Jack Campbell, OT Penei Sewell and WR Amon-Ra St. Brown) is as deep as any.”

As far as concerns go, Riddick is skeptical of the defense. The defensive end position has been a concern on the roster for multiple years, with the team yearning for consistency at the spot opposite of Aidan Hutchinson.

Additionally, there are long-term concerns about the health of the secondary particularly at the safety spot. Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph are both coming off major injuries, with many harboring worries about Joseph just one year after the Lions made him the NFL's highest-paid safety at the time following an All-Pro 2024 season.

“I still have concerns about the Lions' ability to rush the passer at a championship level (26th in pass rush win rate last season), although rookie 2026 second-round pick Derrick Moore could lessen some of the burden on Aidan Hutchinson,” Riddick wrote. “What is of more concern is the secondary, where Brian Branch is trying to come back from an Achilles tear and Kerby Joseph is rehabbing a knee injury. Both are among the best in the league at their position, so it would be a major blow if they can't get back to their top form.”

Walder also offered a bold prediction regarding Hutchinson, who is coming off a Pro Bowl season in 2025 in which he set a personal best in sacks with 14.5. The Michigan product was on pace for a big year in 2024 before a season-ending leg injury, and proved that the injury was of little concern in his comeback season.

The next step for Hutchinson will be to prove that the big year was no fluke and ascend to the level of the elite. If he can do that, he gives the Lions one of the best pass-rush options in the game and can be a difference maker for their championship aspirations.

“Hutchinson will win Defensive Player of the Year,” Walder penned. “His five pre-injury games in 2024 always stick out in my mind, when he had 7.5 sacks and an obscene 35.0% pass rush win rate at edge (Danielle Hunter led qualifiers that year at 26.1%). Of course, that was a small sample. But Hutchinson has the capability to be an elite -- even the best -- edge rusher over a whole season.”

The Lions are viewed as one of the teams in the league with the best chance to go from worst to first in their respective division. Even with the NFC North being as tough as it is, as all teams finished with a winning record, the Lions have the roster when healthy to be a serious contender.

As a result, the Lions are entering the upcoming season with high expectations. They also have the infrastructure to make that success last for several years beyond the upcoming one.

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