Former Detroit Lions general manager Martin Mayhew had one last draft class in 2015 and he used his final first round pick on guard Laken Tomlinson out of Duke. Tomlinson was supposed to be the next piece for the Lions but he struggled early and wound up losing his starting job in his second season. Then the Lions traded him to the 49ers for a fourth round pick. He was Mayhew's last bust.
Only he didn't turn out to be a bust at all. He became the 49ers starting left guard for five seasons and made a Pro Bowl appearance in 2021. It would appear the Lions gave up on him too soon.
He's spent the last two seasons starting for the Jets and while his play took a bit of dip, he remained their guy there for 34 straight games. The Jets released Tomlinson on Monday to save some money and he's now a free agent.
The Lions have an offensive line that's more than likely about to lose Jonah Jackson and doesn't have a solid backup plan outside of picking up a replacement in the draft. A Tomlinson return to Detroit is something that could make sense from a depth point of view.
The Lions had Colby Sorsdal and Kayode Awosika as their backup guards last year and more often than not when the team dealt with injuries, there was a noticeable drop-off in the Lions offensive line play with both in the lineup. Tomlinson can shore that up if given the chance.
This is the next likely step in his career. He was a starter for seven straight years and is now 32-years-old. He's in a spot where he can help some of the young players grow and there's also a much better support system in Detroit this time around when it comes to Hank Fraley and the rest of this Lions coaching staff.
We'll see what happens with Tomlinson soon enough, but this is an idea that I personally think should be explored.
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