{"id":850315,"date":"2026-04-03T00:19:39","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T00:19:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/850315\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T00:19:39","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T00:19:39","slug":"ranking-the-detroit-lions-short-and-long-term-needs-entering-draft-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/850315\/","title":{"rendered":"Ranking the Detroit Lions’ short and long-term needs entering draft month"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The Lions plugged a massive hole with a massive man, signing center Cade Mays this offseason. After an active signing period, where does the team need the most help short and long-term? (Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Phoenix, Ariz. \u2014 The Detroit Lions continue to take nibbles at the remaining free-agency market, filling out the depth chart ahead of this month\u2019s draft.<\/p>\n

With more than 20 spots still open on the offseason roster, let\u2019s rank the team\u2019s biggest needs, both from a short-term and long-term perspective.<\/p>\n

With the short-term outlook, we\u2019re looking at where the team needs the most immediate help after their free agency moves. The long-term outlook will factor in expiring deals and potential cap decisions the team faces next offseason.<\/p>\n

1. Edge<\/p>\n

The Lions made a key addition this offseason, signing veteran DJ Wonnum. During the past five seasons with Minnesota and Carolina, he\u2019s averaged 49 defensive snaps per game. As things currently stand, he\u2019s a starter and your Marcus Davenport replacement. Wonnum is particularly strong against the run and should elevate the team\u2019s effectiveness on early downs.<\/p>\n

Additionally, Detroit is taking a low-risk dice roll on Payton Turner, a first-round pick in 2021. He\u2019s battled injuries his entire career. Still, on a veteran minimum contract with no guarantees, it\u2019s worth trying your luck on the 6-foot-6, 270-pounder\u2019s untapped potential.<\/p>\n

However, even if Turner hits, the Lions lack pass-rush juice opposite Aidan Hutchinson after letting Al-Quadin Muhammad and his 11.0 sacks walk in free agency. That leaves an obvious need for a third-down rusher. A situational option with a history of success can still be costly, so it seems unlikely the Lions aggressively pursue an accomplished vet like Von Miller or Jadeveon Clowney ahead of the draft.<\/p>\n

If the Lions miss out on a college prospect to fill the void, it could be worth revisiting the leftovers on the free agency market in early May. And if Miller and Clowney remain too pricey, Derek Barnett could be a more affordable option if he remains available. He had an excellent pass-rush win rate in Houston last year and is relatively capable against the run if you need more out of him.<\/p>\n

2. Cornerback<\/p>\n

To be very clear, Terrion Arnold has not been arrested or charged in an alleged kidnapping and robbery plot that involves six of his acquaintances, but there\u2019s nothing wrong with planning for the worst-case scenario.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Lions plugged a massive hole with a massive man, signing center Cade Mays this offseason. After an…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":850316,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2071],"tags":[146,113,2506,7,147,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-850315","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-detroit-lions","8":"tag-detroit","9":"tag-detroit-lions","10":"tag-detroitlions","11":"tag-football","12":"tag-lions","13":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116337913766739297","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/850315","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=850315"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/850315\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/850316"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=850315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=850315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=850315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}