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After the 2019 NFL Draft saw mixed reviews for the Detroit Lions, it should be no surprise that national expectations remain relatively low for the team. Finishing last season 6-10 will do that to any team, especially one with such a poor, long-standing reputation.
So with the new flood of post-draft power rankings comes a wave of analysts expecting another rough season for the Lions. Here’s a look around at the most recent power rankings out there.
NFL.com (Elliot Harrison)
Lions: 20th
Harrison dropped the Lions one spot after the draft, admitting that the Lions got a bonafide starter in T.J. Hockenson, whom he called “the premier tight end in the great college football marketplace.”
However, he didn’t seem all that impressed with the rest of the class, giving Jahlani Tavai a big fat “meh.”
Harrison’s rankings have Detroit as the worst NFC North team by far. The Bears (seventh), Vikings (12th) and Packers (16th) all rank in the top half.
Bleacher Report (Entire staff)
Lions: 23rd (High: 16, Low: 26)
Bleacher Report’s team of three analysts put Detroit firmly in the bottom half of the league, with only one of the writers placing them in the top half... and just barely.
Interestingly, they write off the Lions’ offseason moves, saying “little has happened this offseason to indicate the team’s going to be substantially better in 2019.”
Though they backtrack and mention the addition of Trey Flowers, Bleacher Report apparently doesn’t think too highly of the additions of Jesse James, Justin Coleman, and C.J. Anderson, among others.
They, too, have the Lions last in the division, and mention it’s “by a sizable margin.”
USA TODAY (Nate Davis)
Lions: 28th
We’ve saved the best (worst) for last. Davis has the Lions as a bottom-five team, above only the Cardinals, Giants, Bengals and Dolphins.
Again, the talking point here has to do with their placing in the division.
“DE Trey Flowers, TE T.J. Hockenson are quality pickups. But Detroit looks outclassed in NFC North, and QB Matthew Stafford can’t catch a break,” Davis writes.
For comparison’s sake, Davis actually has the Vikings first in the division (fifth overall), the Packers next (11th) and the Bears coming in at third (13th).
The message throughout all three rankings is clear: the Lions are the worst in the division, and it’s not even close. Hopefully Matt Patricia and the Lions can prove them wrong.