Detroit Lions fan confidence remains high, dips slightly after NFL Draft

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What are Detroit Lions fans without offseason hope and optimism? I fear to learn the answer to that questions, but thankfully, that is not the case in 2019.

According to our FanPulse surveys, which get sent out to a portion of our readership, Detroit Lions fans are feeling pretty good about the team right now. In fact, three out of four Lions fans are confident in the current direction of the team:

There are a few interesting aspects of this confidence graph throughout the offseason. First is the obvious huge bump in the response to free agency. Detroit was uncharacteristically aggressive this year, which is almost always going to be viewed as a positive by the fanbase. The additions of Justin Coleman, Jesse James and Trey Flowers were all viewed as positive moves for the team, even if they came at a high cost.

Then there’s the draft. There’s no doubt that Detroit’s first and second-round picks were met with a lot of criticism, and we see that played out slightly with the confidence in fans. Confidence levels dropped from 82 percent to 75 percent.

Remember, Lions general manager Bob Quinn came into the draft with a whopping 90 percent approval rating, so he’s got a lot of goodwill to carry over into the regular season. But on-field results will ultimately be the measuring stick fans judge him by. After Detroit’s 0-2 start last year, Quinn’s approval rating dropped to a career-low: 26 percent.

For now, confidence remains high for Lions fans, but relative to the rest of the league, it’s not that high. This is the time of year in which every team is feeling pretty optimistic, and Detroit’s confidence level of 75 percent is just t-18th in the league.

Notable teams above the Lions in confidence: the Raiders (79%), the Broncos (84%), and the Bears with—wait for it—a 100 percent confidence level.

Detroit is above two other teams in the NFC North, however. Both the Packers and Vikings are sporting modest 70 percent confidence levels.