Thursday open thread: How many Lions will make the top 100 of 2019 list?

The Top 100 Players of 2018 list has finally come to a close this week, which means our two-month journey of complaining about a meaningless list has mercifully ended.

The list featured two Detroit Lions, and while that may not seem like many, it’s two more than the Chicago Bears. That should come as no surprise to anyone because we—along with several other teams—own the Bears.

Anyways, while some thought Marvin Jones Jr. or Golden Tate deserved to crack the list (OR SOMEONE PLEASE GIVE GLOVER QUIN THE ATTENTION HE DESERVES), it was only Matthew Stafford and Darius Slay who were given those honors this year.

Looking forward, do the Lions have some budding stars that could make future lists? Today’s Question of the Day is:

How many Lions players will be on the Top 100 Players of 2019 list?

My answer: Before I give my answer, let’s travel back a year when we asked the exact same question of the 2018 list. Last year, I predicted three Lions would make the list.

Matthew Stafford. Check.

Darius Slay. Check.

Ameer Abdullah. Whoops.

I was all in on Abdullah last offseason and I was very, very wrong. My bad. But shoutout to commenter separateunion, who not only predicted the correct number (two), but got both players right.

Which brings us to this year’s prediction. I think the Lions will again only have two players on the list, and I think they will continue to be Stafford and Slay. Stafford’s play has been consistent enough where I think he’ll continue to make this list every season now. As for Slay, he is now a national name when it comes to cornerbacks, and that means he’ll probably have an extended stay on this list, too.

But I just don’t really see a player on this roster that is ready to breakout into the national scene yet. Kerryon Johnson would be a potential candidate, but I think the Lions are going to spread running back snaps pretty thinly across their depth chart, so he won’t get the opportunities necessary to break onto the list. The same goes for a guy like Kenny Golladay.

Other than that, you’re left with guys like Jarrad Davis or Taylor Decker, who would need to seriously improve this year to make the list. Perhaps the next closest player is Marvin Jones, who had a breakout season in 2017. If he can put together another impressive year, there’s a chance he cracks the list in 2019, but there’s a pretty crowded field among wide receivers, so ultimately, I think he’ll remain off-list next year, leaving the Lions with just two players on next year’s list.

Your turn.