Lions notes: Detroit has average set of skill players

In three consecutive years the Detroit Lions have added a key starting skill position player in the first two days of the NFL draft. In 2017, they added wide receiver Kenny Golladay in the third round. Star running back Kerryon Johnson was a second-round selection in 2018. Finally in 2019, they spent a top-10 pick on former Iowa Hawkeyes tight end T.J. Hockenson.

Combine that trio with the likes of Marvin Jones Jr., Theo Riddick and Jesse James, and Detroit has a pretty good set of skill position players surrounding quarterback Matthew Stafford.

Despite the improvements and seemingly array of talent, Detroit’s skill position corps is still seen as average, at least according to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, who ranked each NFL teams skill position talent on Thursday.

Barnwell placed the Lions at 18th in the league, one spot behind the Chicago Bears and one spot ahead of the Green Bay Packers. The other NFC North team, the Minnesota Vikings, came in fifth.

Despite the low placement, the writer had good things to say about the Lions crew, saying that:

Few teams can boast a more promising top three on rookie deals than the Lions, who have running back Kerryon Johnson, wide receiver Kenny Golladay and first-round pick T.J. Hockenson taking over at tight end.

He cites the team’s lack of depth as the reason they fell out of the top ranks of the league, though.

• The Ringer’s Robert Mays listed players that could potentially be on the trading block as we head towards training camp. While no Lions were on the list, many names that Detroit could be interested were included.

• The Lions official Twitter account put together a nice highlight reel of recently retired safety Glover Quin’s best plays during his time in the Motor City.

• ESPN’s Matt Bowen took a look at which teams used, and were most successful, with different personnel packages in 2018. The Lions used both 20 and 10 personnel more than any other team in the league, but were not named to be the best users of either of them.

• Pro Football Focus is going over the state of every franchise this offseason on their YouTube channel, and today was the Detroit Lions turn.