The Detroit Lions just might be built to last.

The Lions, coming off a record-setting 15-win season and second straight NFC North title, appear to have the makings of a strong, young core. CBS Sports on Tuesday ranked its top 25 NFL players 25 years old and younger, and the Lions led the pack with four — all coming inside the top 10.

The Houston Texans were next with three, with defensive back Derek Stingley Jr. representing their highest ranked at No. 10. That’s two spots lower than defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, the lowest Lion ranked on the list.

Four other teams have two players apiece.

Offensive tackle Penei Sewell leads the Lions contingent at No. 3, followed by receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (5), running back Jahmyr Gibbs (6) and Hutchinson. Also making the list is former Detroit King star Sauce Gardner, the New York Jets cornerback who checks in at No. 7.

Sewell, 24, was ranked No. 4 on CBS Sports’ list last year. He owns three Pro Bowl berths in his four seasons.

“The playmakers get the shine in Motown,” writes CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin, “but everything starts up front, where Sewell has used his mammoth size (6-foot-5, 335 pounds) and top-end quickness to pave the way for one of the NFL’s most explosive offenses. Better yet, he’s been a model of durability for Dan Campbell’s attack, missing just one game in four powerful seasons.”

St. Brown, 25, continues to riddle NFL secondaries after he was selected in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He has three straight seasons of at least 106 catches and 1,100 yards, averaging a shade over nine touchdowns per season in that span.

“St. Brown lacks an imposing frame,” Benjamin writes, “but he’s one of the league’s top chain-movers, propelling Jared Goff’s own resurgence with both timely possession skills and breakaway burst.”

Gibbs and Hutchinson each made a big jump in the rankings, with Gibbs climbing 19 spots after amassing 1,926 yards from scrimmage last season and the 25-year-old Hutchinson vaulting from No. 22 a year ago. Benjamin called the 23-year-old Gibbs a “homer waiting to happen,” and predicts Hutchinson is “due for a monster resurgence” after a broken leg sabotaged what was developing into a massive season for the former No. 2 overall pick in 2022 (7½ sacks in five games). 

CBS Sports’ rankings follow their list last week of top 100 NFL players for 2025, in which the Lions boasted eight players, second only to the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.

Want to comment on this story? Become a subscriber today. Click here.