Why Detroit Lions have 4 offensive linemen who are top-15 at their position

On this week’s episode of our First Byte interview podcast series, we stepped away from training camp for a bit to talk about the Detroit Lions’ biggest perceived strength on the roster, the offensive line. Expectations are sky high for the unit both locally and nationally, and for good reason. Detroit’s offensive line features three first-round picks and another who made his first Pro Bowl last season.

So to talk about how good this unit is—specifically the individual pieces—we hosted one of the premier analysts of offensive line play: The Trench Warfare’s Brandon Thorn.

On his substack page, Thorn recently dropped his list of the top 75 offensive linemen for the 2022 season, ranking the top 15 players at each position. The Lions managed to have a player listed in four of the five positions, with three players ranked in their position’s top ten.

So we had Thorn break down each player’s game, where their ceiling is, and what things they need to improve upon to take the next step. Thorn gives a detailed analysis of each player on the starting offensive line, even Halapoulivaati Vaitai, who did not make his list.

If you’re looking for another dose of Kool-Aid as the Lions progress through the acclimation phase of training camp, this is the podcast for you. And, as always, it’s “byte”-sized, so it’ll only take you about 30 minutes to consume.

Check it out below, and make sure you support Thorn’s work by checking out his substack and consider subscribing.

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