Surprising squad predicted to lead NFC North in top 100 players after 2023
Expectations are higher than ever for the Detroit Lions entering the 2023 season. However, perhaps for the first time, the hype is coming from the fanbase and outside pundits alike.
Recently, ESPN compiled a list predicting the top 100 players in the NFL once the 2023 season is all said and done, featuring four members of the Lions, more than any other NFC North squad. Furthermore, all four players are making the list for the first time.
Third-year wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown was the Lions' highest-rated player, going from unranked in 2022 to 61st this season. According to ESPN, after the 2023 campaign, only 15 receivers will be higher ranked on the top 100 list than St. Brown.
Meanwhile, the highest-rated wideout, Minnesota Vikings' Justin Jefferson, will be the only receiver with a higher rank within the division.
St. Brown is poised to have another big year to rival his 106-catch, 1,161-yard, six-touchdown performance in 2022. If he can, he'll be in the running to pass his closest competition, Cincinnati Bengals' Tee Higgins (59) and Philadelphia Eagles' DeVonta Smith (57).
The next-highest-ranked Lions player on the top 100 list is edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, who's coming off an impressive debut season. Hutchinson finished second in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting after posting 52 tackles, 9.5 sacks and three interceptions, and according to ESPN's crystal ball, he'll finish 2023 as the 67th-best player in the NFL and 10th-best edge rusher.
The former Michigan standout's inclusion in the list is doubly impressive, considering the company he's keeping. Among the top edge rushers ahead of Hutchinson, all but Dallas Cowboys' Micah Parsons have played at least four seasons or more in the NFL. This means that headed into his age 24 season, Hutchinson will already be among the elite at his position.
Another part of the Lions' budding young core is next on the list in third-year offensive tackle Penei Sewell, ranked 72nd. While that might not seem that high, only six tackles will rank higher than Sewell, per ESPN's predictions. And like Hutchinson, the group Sewell finds himself among should excite Lions fans regarding his prospects for the future.
Five of the six tackles ESPN believes will rank higher than Sewell include San Francisco 49ers' Trent Williams (18), Eagles' Lane Johnson (42), Houston Texans' Laremy Tunsil (49), Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tristan Wirfs (51) and Bengals Orlando Brown (66), who have a combined 23 Pro Bowls and five All-Pro nods between them.
After St. Brown, Hutchinson and Sewell, the last name on the list may not be part of the Lions vision for life post the 2023 campaign. Jared Goff ranks just inside the top 100 at 91, 11th among quarterbacks.
After his third season with the Lions, ESPN thinks only 10 QBs will be better than Goff. Whether or not that comes to fruition is up for debate, but Goff is coming off arguably the most efficient season of his career, throwing for 4,438 yards with 29 touchdowns to only seven interceptions.
With only one year remaining on his contract, another more than serviceable season for the Lions might buy him more time as the team's de facto leader.
The Lions seem to be heading in the right direction, but having more players among the top 100 than any other in their division next season may not be that big an honor. Among the NFL, only the NFC South (7) as a whole will have fewer players than the NFC North (9) on the list.
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