June is right around the corner which means teams are hitting the practice field and we have a pretty clear view of how rosters will look for the 2025 season. That means rosters and position groups will be ranked by many in the media as the summer rolls on.
Mike Clay of ESPN did just that, ranking each team by position groups, offense and defense, and finally, overall. The Lions made out pretty well in his rankings.
With an overall score of 7.7 (out of 10), the Lions landed in a tie for the top overall score with the Baltimore Ravens. Within the individual units, the Lions scored at least a seven in every group. That includes a 10 at running back and a nine at safety.
The Lions landed the best score for the defensive side of the football, with a 3.4. Only seven teams in total landed a defense score of at least 3.0.
The Lions also checked in among the top five on offense, scoring a 4.3. The Ravens were at the top with a 4.9. Baltimore landed a ten at quarterback and a ten at safety but had fives and sixes for the rest of the defense.
Only five teams ended up with an overall score of at least 7.0. In addition to the Ravens and Lions, the Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs also broke 7.0 and landed in the top five.
As for the rest of the NFC North, the Minnesota Vikings were right outside the top five, coming in 6th with a 6.6, the Chicago Bears came in 8th with a 6.4, and the Green Bay Packers came in 10th with a 6.3, perhaps surprisingly to some ending up as the lowest team in the division.