PFF Ranking: Do the Detroit Lions Have a Top 5 D-Line?

PFF Ranking: Do the Detroit Lions Have a Top 5 D-Line?

what’s going on lions fans welcome to the pride Detroit YouTube channel I’m joined by my guy Morgan and Ryan Matthews today uh we’re going to talk about the Lions defensive line and where they are ranked according to PFF in one of their latest articles where they went about ranking some of the different position groups and if this is your first time catching one of these videos we’re actually doing a bit of a series where we’re going to either look at entire groups like we are with the defensive line and as well as we did with the offensive line or look at very specific position groups and kind of react to how PFF has individual players or entire group ranked uh according to their standards and this one is probably going to be one of our more controversial and I expect a lot of people are going to get a little up in arms in the comment section but listen have at it because this is just going to be our honest opinion uh Ryan I’m GNA start with you and and let’s just start with the fact that like going ated like this PFF has the Detroit Lions as the fourth best defensive line going into the 20124 season I’m not going to sugarcoat this I don’t see how that’s how that’s plausible I I love this team I love some of the players on this team I love specifically some of the players on this defensive line I in good conscience could never have the M for so could you tell me either why I’m wrong or I don’t know agree with me back me up here yeah uh I I I don’t know how they’re a top five unit I’ll say that I could see them being a top 10 unit but it still requires a lot of projection when I look at this football team as a whole we feel really confident about the the offense when we look at the defense there’s a lot of optimism around the secondary being so revamped that they did what they did last year but then they kicked it up a notch because they spent a first round pick and a second round pick on on cornerbacks right they trade for Carlton Davis the secondary feels like it has more momentum than it did last year the linebacker group seems like it’s going to be pretty Rock Solid you have anzelone you have Jack Campbell who they’re expecting big things uh coming into year two you have Derrik Burns you have some players at at the linebacker position my biggest question mark about the Detroit Lions football team is how productive can their defensive line be like that is the that seems like the biggest question mark that I have and I know when we talked about Aiden Hutchin and moo there were some people that were a little bit I don’t know uh Curious maybe I guess is the nicest way to put it about the nicest way yeah that’s the about how we felt about Aiden Hutchinson we I we’re big fans of Aiden Hutchinson I think I think all of us can agree that he’s a really really good football player probably one of the top 10 Edge defenders in the NFL but going past that when you look at this line being ranked fourth amongst all the teams in the NFL Morgan there’s just a couple of other units that you point to and say well those guys have a track record of doing things for multiple years let’s those guys should be ahead of the lines those guys should be ahead of the lines right now there’s just just a lot of projection it’s like how much is how much of an impact is DJ reer going to make and how how soon will it be coming back from injury coming back from the the quad tear Alene mcneel is he gonna take another step who’s playing opposite of a Hutchinson seems to be on everybody’s Bingo sheet if you’re an NFL beat Nick like everybody’s asking the question is who’s opposite of Aiden Hutchinson and and why didn’t the Lions address that it’s a legitimate question I think that there’s answers to it we’ll probably talk about it during the video but I just Morgan who are some of the teams that you see beyond the lions that you’re like oh I’m I’m gonna stash those guys ahead of the Lions without a doubt I mean from the jump the Raiders right like the Raiders have Max Crosby who you guys know about Max Crosby if you watch football at all um and then they added Christian Wilkins like we were talking about it before we we were like they did add Christian Wilkins right and you’re just like dang yeah because Christian Wilkins is you know in that tier it’s like him Quinn and Williams of like the most disruptive interior defensive line in the game you get of guys like yeah he might be like knocking on that door right he got paid like he’s knocking on that door I was say easily a top five defensive tackle easily for me Christian Wilkins is a top five defensive tackle so you you have them on the same line and like having them below the Lions is wild um like having the Browns below the Lions is crazy it’s only one ranking but still you’re just like really they got miles Garrett and like we’re I listen I think Aiden Hutchinson is going to take a step this year where he’s going to be in you know compared to them like I really do I think he’s going to be take his step and and be among the elite elite but for right now like we know miles Garrett is has been there like for the last you know several years now and for my money he’s probably the best in football so I don’t you know they added Zid Darius Smith they have dvin Tomlinson they said you know the depth is there so I don’t know there’s a couple teams like and we’ll get into the you know Playing devil’s advocate to the Lions argument but yeah just from the you know you look at that list you’re like I don’t know the Cowboys even as much as I hate the Cowboys y’all michah Parsons is a terror you know they they still have Demarcus Lawrence like overlooked yeah yeah man like yeah that he had a really good year last year I think he got overlooked because they have Parsons now who just is different the way he he rushes the passer is just so annoying to deal with I’m sure is a tackle because he’s so low to the ground he’s so fast but also so strong and his hands are heavy I wouldn’t want to block him that’s for sure so I don’t I don’t really there’s a bunch of teams right like what do y’all think what’s what’s another team I was gonna say I I I also liked uh I like the Steelers kind of being a little bit better than than the Lions right now they have TJ watt they have a group of guys we talked about this when we talked about our offensive line right just like the continuity of of an offensive line and how that has led to production I feel like the same thing is true with the Steelers and their defensive line TJ watt is absolutely the engine that keeps that that machine going but they have a collection of guys that allow him to play the way he’s able to play and allow him to be the wrecking ball he is and when I look at the Lions yes there is a lot of projection like you’re saying Ryan I just don’t think they’ve yet proven that they have you know that Aiden Hutchinson can can replicate what TJ watt is doing on a week in week out basis or replicate what a miles Garrett or Max Crosby is doing on a weekend week bases and I know we’re talking about them as a group but these are groups that have been very productive for like not just one season but for season upon season the last few years in the NFL yeah and and the one thing we haven’t talked about though is the run defense and when you think about that aspect of it okay I can see how that’s going to bump up the Lions overall grade because Al mcneel you want to talk about top five defensive tackles I think he’s a top five defensive tack when it comes to run defense um maybe something that’s keeping him out of being in that Elite tier uh of of you know maybe the top two or top three if you’re talking about just more consistency out of him in that respect but that’s also him as a pass rusher so again that kind of goes back to our our previous conversation about consistency and showing it for year after year after year um but the run defense you figure you put DJ reer next to Lee mcneel and you have Aiden Hutchinson who is about a solid and as steady as they come okay like now I understand because you’re talking about at I don’t know what their their floor is probably top 10 their ceiling is the best in the NFL when it comes to stopping the run because that’s that’s who they are that’s that’s how they play defense they play defense to try to get you into third and 12 or third and nine and and and they want to try to do everything they can to to put their pass rushing unit out there on the field um because you know that that’s what they’ve had to do for so long right Morgan like when it comes to the Lions being Su successful and getting stops on defense it’s all relied on your your you know your first your first down run got you a yard your second down play oh it was an incomplete pass you’re at third and nine this is our best chance to get off the field um and and it was going to be throwing everything but the kitchen sink at you and sometimes even the kitchen sink with Aaron Glenn last year and and what he was doing with blitzing at such a such a high rate and everything but um it all starts with the run defense Morgan and and are you as high on the lions run defense as I am definitely I it their aspirations have to be being a top five unit because you add DJ reer and make no mistake about it they they devote a lot of resources to stopping the run like you said Ryan like they they’re going to be like all right we’re going to try to stop you on first and second down so we can get in an obvious passing down where we don’t really have to guess and we can just sell out and play the pass whether that’s being in cover zero and Manning up across the board or dropping in zone like Aaron Glenn likes to mix it up and having DJ reader you know you have Marcus Davenport John Kaminsky or yeah John Kaminsky Josh Pascal like you have a bunch of guys who are good hopefully rodri Martin who are good against the run and and they’re deep too so I do see that side of it what you what about you Mo I think that’s the only explanation I could have to to Ryan point of even having them in the top 10 right is that there may not be a better run defense unit in the NFL outside of what you have in Detroit and so for that reason I think I could put them in the top 10 I could probably have them around nine or 10 um just because there are teams on here that again are great at Rushing the passer but yeah probably not as good when it comes down to to being that consistent on first and second down and that’s something to Ryan’s Point that’s what this team is is truly built their identity on is that they’re going to make you have to grind it out that there aren’t going to be these big chunk plays when in the Run game that you’re really going to have to fist fight them for four quarters and so initially when we were all like talking about this list I didn’t know where I would put them because I was like I I do think they still have a long way to go when it comes down to pass rush but in terms of of run defense yeah I don’t think there’s a unit in the NFL that I would take over what the Lions have when we’re talking about like hey you need to get to third need to get to Third and long there there’s not a unit in the NFL that I’m taking over the Lions I I don’t think so either but is it enough to put them in the top five I don’t know because run defense is great but uh you want to look at any of the guys around the league who are getting paid it’s it’s getting to the quarterback and not just getting to the quarterback but bringing the quarterback down like you’ll get paid for pressures but you’ll get paid paid paid paid if you bring the quarterback down right like it’s just it’s it’s a tail As Old As Time you know there was the sound bite from Dan Campbell earlier in in the offseason you know him talking about you know pressures being really valuable and people taking it out of context and being like I don’t why would you rather have a pressure than a sack and it’s like that’s not what Dan was saying by any means like sacks are obviously game changers um but if you have a guy like Aiden Hutchinson who seems to be the king of pressure pressure pressure a sack or really like with Aiden Hutchinson it kind of seems like his sacks come in bunches you know he he ends up with you know so many sacks in the year and it’s like man I don’t really feel like you know sack to you know that sack total is what it is but it’s because he you know in his rookie season you know all those sacks against the commanders or you know keep put the Cowboys on the on the schedule Aiden’s gonna have three sacks just keep doing that right right like so there’s there’s something to that about his game and I think you see that with like I said Al you see that with Aiden Hutchinson it’s just about like developing a more consistent approach game to game and I think that you know we talked about Hank fry in our offensive line uh video but you got to talk about how excited everybody in Detroit is when it comes to Terrell Williams coming over from Tennessee and what kind of change that could have on this defensive line maybe taking another step yeah they’ve been singing his Praises like crazy like Dan Dan Campbell openly called him the best in the the best uh defensive line coach in football and hope if he can bring stuff out of like if we get another Hank Fry on our hands man oh my goodness because then you’re you’re you’re pulling all that you can out of guys like bradick Martin and Josh Pascal and these guys that still have room for growth and like room to develop in their games and that’s when I’m like okay I get where I’ll put him put them forth you know I’ll hear your argument out I’m I’m here for it but yeah I it’s it like like like we said at the top it’s a lot of projection uh right now and I still do think like they’re they’re a top 10 unit but we mentioned some of the teams you know that are probably a little underrated but we’ll see yeah and Morgan you and I have done a couple videos already where we’ve sung the Praises of DJ reer we’ve sung the Praises of alen mcneel so it’s not like we’re saying it’s it’s completely far-fetched it’s just Ryan to your point earlier it’s about consistency and what have we seen consistently we’ve seen this unit be a good run defense at least all of last season can they continue to do that consistently and and if they are first and foremost this defense will will Thrive as a whole right like not just the D line but the linebackers will be better the secondary that is completely revamped uh is going to look a lot better because you have such a dominant defensive line but it’s one of those things where yeah fourth is a little Rich another team that I think is a little too high on this list and Ryan you kind of pointed out is the Jets as much as I think we all can attest that quinnon Williams is an absolute monster right arguably this the first or second best defensive tackle of football I don’t know if the rest of that group screams number one especially when you look at who’s number two on this list in the San Francisco 49ers I I I look at the Jets and I don’t see the premier pass rushing Edge like yeah there’s Hassan reic and I guess we’ll see if he plays but um beyond that like who’s like they don’t have a miles Garrett they don’t have a TJ watt they don’t have a you know even denil Hunter they’re you the Texans I think are right 10th the Neil Hunter and Will Anderson who won Defensive Rookie of the Year those are pretty good book ends to have I mean figure out whatever you want to do along the interior but I we also watched the Lions get by just fine with Bonito Jones last year so we know that that can kind of just be plug in play you can get replacement level play from a guy along the interior and you know if your guys on the outside are racking up 11 12 sacks well okay well then everything’s everything’s gravy you’re fine you’re making big impact place now might not get you all the way to the Super Bowl because you know the Chiefs can do that because they have a cheat code Chris Jones is a cheat code um but to your point like that it’s quinnon Williams right like so maybe okay you have if he if if quinnon is not the top guy he’s number two because Aaron Donald retired well well now like if you can get guys who can you know just eat off the edge okay well then it makes sense but Morgan does that make that’s what makes me and this is part of the discussion I think we need to have now with with the Lions is everybody who’s been so perplexed that the Lions haven’t added an edge opposite of Aiden Hutchinson so desperate for the Lions to get a quote unquote book end for Aden Marcus Davenport is he that guy he’s on another Pro it deal but like how much does DJ reader just change all the calculus to this a lot man cuz having a reader on the interior is going to just draw so much attention like when I did watched film of him if you didn’t block him with two uh interior offensive linemen he took it as like a slight and just would run through the guard or the center’s chest and just walk them back into the quarterback so on early Downs when he’s in the game you’re going to have to block him with two people and it just frees up everyone else and then when on you know on passing Downs you have you’re going to be able to rotate guys in and generate one-on-one matchups you could stack a and uh hutch on the same side which I’m sure like teams like the Raiders and the ners do with Bosa and Armstead but you get the point but I I really do think it changes the calculus and if you get like Marcus Davenport has already shown like he’s a good player like did he get drafted a little too high sure but we can say that about a lot of players right but if he’s healthy we He’s Got Juice yeah he’s yeah the the past rush move bag could get a little deeper and again hopefully Terrell Williams can earn you know that money and really show that he’s the best in the game because if you have someone like that opposite of Hutch then that’s fine too it’s it’s going to be a luxury I think some of these teams see like you know the guys that have like you know you have Bosa and then uh like who they had on the other side forever I’m drawing a blank uh they’ve had well they’ve had Eric Armstead they’ve had just they’ve had dudes and it it’s tough like not every team can have a Will Anderson and a denal hunter like that’s a that’s it’s tough to do you know there’s only so many of those guys yeah the 49ers had I mean they had De Forest Buckner and it was like okay we can we can’t afford to pay everybody so you off and yeah I mean and then it’s oh at the trade deadline oh we’ll pick up Chase young it’s like okay all right well which yeah didn’t work out so well but you know still made it Super Bowl they still have hard grave I forgot about that too they still have Javon Hargrave man there’s a reason that you that should be one the Jets feel like uh remember that Eagles team that had all them free agents back in the day and then everyone was like the dream team that’s what the Jets are giving right now I don’t want to put the juju on them because they are a tortured fan base like last time they made the playoffs was 2010 your boy couldn’t drink alcohol so like that’s wild and I don’t want that for them but it’s kind of giving some especially because their quarterback’s a bad person but I won’t go there I was I was just about to say like this is uncanny of you you’re being actually nice to another fan base I don’t care if the Jets do suffer I feel like this is what you deserve you paid Aaron Rogers this is the bed that you made all right laying it yeah but I I’m I’m right there with you I think DJ like you said Morgan we’ve talked a lot about DJ reader and I do think he changes everything for this for this defensive line and so if there’s a reason again while we’re going to have them climb with the rankings it it does start with him and how he unlocks so many things for each of these players that are going be lined up next to him he unlocks things for Al where Al should see more one-on-one opportunities and be able to grow as a pass rusher and start to make that jump Ryan that you alluded to earlier of maybe starting to knock on the door of being a top five defensive tackle at least a top five defensive tackle in the NFC at the very least um with just the his performance and obviously that’s going to trickle down to again Aiden getting fewer you know double teams and triple team situations and it gives room for a guy like Marcus Davenport or Josh Pascal or James Houston or hell they want to get crazy and try Levi enzer out at the edge like it gives so many more opportunities for guys to grow and Elevate themselves to take advantage of of an opportunity to win a one-on-one matchup and to generate a sack and generate more pressure um so that’s again it’s it’s a little crazy to see them rank this high but I think once we start to peel back the layers you you you factor in the Run game you factor in you know the the impact of a player like DJ reer the the Ascension of an Aiden Hutchinson the Ascension of McNeil it makes sense why this group can be in the top 10 we’ll have to see at the end of the season though with wherever the Lions end up whether they’re you know in the playoffs again maybe potentially even in a Super Bowl how impactful this defensive line was and and you know worthy of the Catalyst to help Propel this team forward but that’s I got one last thing to say there there there’s no way we can do this on Canada day and not at least just mention Matthew I just had to do that shout out John Whitaker I was gonna say you just wanted to do something nice for John that’s that’s thr the guy of bone he’s having like the off like he’s having the offseason of a lifetime when it comes to being a Canadian football fan a Canadian football fan that’s a fan of the Lions to have two Canadian players on this team yeah Giani Manu yeah yeah he has two North American franchises that yeah that are lions and he’s just having a field day with both of them all right well shout out to you John the fact that yes we did not me mention uh B mat bets yeah but yeah shout out to John shout out to Canada you know all that love it but that’s pretty much going to do it for this video guys let us know what you guys think about PFF ranking the Detroit Lions defensive line fourth best in the NFL do you think that’s a little too high do you think they actually could be even higher or do you think that’s a perfect uh spot for them let us know in the comments section below also we currently have our roster preview Series going on on the pride Detroit website be sure to check that out they have been articles already written about Al mcneel khif Raymond and the list goes on and on so definitely head over there check out those articles and get an insight into those players and how some of our writers feel that these players will take their game a step further uh going into the 2024 NFL season also if you want to stay tapped into any of the videos we’re uploading over here on the pride Detroit YouTube channel all you have to do is hit that subscribe button hit that notification Bell and then every time we upload a video and potentially in the future go live for something you’ll be notified that we are actually doing that and can tune and be a part of those moments with us but with all of that said I’m M he’s Ryan he’s Morgan thank you guys for taking the time to watch and we’ll be sure to catch you guys in the next [Music] one oh

The Detroit Lions have improved their roster and PFF believes they’ve done enough to rank the Lions with a top 5 defensive line! Is this true or is there still growth that needs to take place? Join Meko, Ryan, and Morgan as they discuss where the Lions should rank among the other defensive lines in the NFL.

Website – https://www.prideofdetroit.com/

Social Media
Twitter – https://twitter.com/PrideOfDetroit
Twitch – https://www.twitch.tv/prideofdetroit
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/prideofdetroit/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/prideofdetroit/

Podcast
Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/2MYApfLmzm2wjbrzMIVYAz?si=f5f4cf6eb6cb4636
Apple Podcast – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pride-of-detroit-for-detroit-lions-fans/id1040380210

#detroitlions #nfl #prideofdetroit