Since Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell came to Detroit, on the back of strong draft classes, the Lions have become one of the best teams in the NFL. As a reflection of that, they jumped from two players on Pro Football Focus' top 101 players list from the 2022 season to eight players on the same list from the 2023 season.
PFF is out with its list of the top 101 players in the NFL from the 2024 season. And once again, the Lions are very well-presented with nine players making the cut: Aidan Hutchinson, Brian Branch, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Kevin Zeitler, Jahmyr Gibbs, Kerby Joseph, Penei Sewell, Frank Ragnow and Jack Campbell.
Let's see how they ranked.
Detroit Lions once again well-represented on PFF top-101 list
Hutchinson would have been much higher if he hadn't suffered a broken leg in Week 6, but alas he comes in at No. 86 .
"Had Hutchinson not fractured his leg in early October, he would have likely been in contention to be named the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year. He may have played just 280 snaps in 2024 — the lowest of any player in the PFF 101 — but his impact was undeniable. Across his five starts, the explosive Lions edge rusher racked up eight sacks thanks to his massive 38.3% pass-rush win rate, paving the way to a 95.0 PFF pass-rush grade — the highest charted by any defender with 150 or more pass-rush snaps."
Campbell had a breakout second season, leading the Lions with 131 total tackles as PFF graded him out No. 10 overall at linebacker. He landed at No. 84 on the top-101.
"In his first year as a professional, Campbell largely struggled in coverage and looked to be a linebacker that had to come off the field on passing downs. Now, the Lions linebacker is a fully-fledged playmaker in the middle of this defense, finishing with top-10 marks fitting the run (82.5 grade) and in coverage (74.2) during the regular season."
At No. 60, after one of the best seasons of his career, is Zeitler.
"Eight years after making his first PFF 101 appearance, Zeitler is back on this list. The journeyman who’s played for five different teams was an immediate star in his first year with the Lions.
"His 87.2 run-blocking grade was second among all guards in the league this year while he placed third in overall grade (86.8). Zeitler finished his 13th season in the league as the fourth-most-valuable guard according to PFF’s wins-above-replacement metric
"The soon-to-be 35-year-old is once again a free agent and is still one of the top guards available even at his age."
Coming in at No. 55, off a fantastic second season as a follow up to a fantastic rookie campaign, is Branch.
"The first of two Lions safeties on this list, Branch has now made the PFF 101 in each of his first two seasons."
"The Alabama product led all safeties in the NFL with a 90.8 run-defense grade while his 83.7 overall grade ranked fifth. Branch finished 2024 as the second-most-valuable safety in the league according to PFF’s wins above replacement metric."
Cracking the top-50 at No. 49, after another excellent season, is St. Brown.
"St. Brown was the most valuable receiver in the NFL this past season according to PFF’s WAR metric. He earned a top-five grade at the position for the third straight season while placing second in catches (115), fifth in receiving yards (1,263) and third in touchdowns (12). St. Brown was the only receiver in the NFL with 100-plus catchable targets with only one drop."
At No. 47, almost needing no additional comment, is Ragnow.
"Ragnow has been one of the NFL's best centers throughout his entire career and makes his third PFF 101 list here."
"After leading all centers with an 88.1 PFF grade last season, the 28-year-old was second this year with an 86.1 mark. His 90.9 run-blocking grade, in particular, was the best among all centers in the league."
Getting into the top-40, Gibbs comes in at No. 36.
"After a promising rookie season in 2023, Gibbs vaulted into the upper echelon of NFL running backs in 2024, earning a top-three PFF rushing grade (91.4). His elite quickness and explosive burst made him a constant big-play threat, as he finished in the 98th percentile among qualifying backs in breakaway rate (percentage of runs that went for 15-plus yards)."
Pushing into the top-30, at No. 26, is Sewell.
"In his fourth year—and still just 24 years old—Sewell has firmly established himself as one of the nastiest blockers in the league. His athleticism shines in the run game, as evidenced by his 91.2 run-blocking grade on zone concepts, ranking in the 92nd percentile this past season."
And last but certainly not least, we have the highest-ranked Lion on the PFF top-101 for the 2024 season--Joseph at No. 19.
"Joseph had a breakout season in 2024, leading all safeties with a 91.1 coverage grade and nine interceptions. His pairing with Brian Branch anchored the NFL’s top safety unit, even amid numerous injuries around them. Joseph was also one of the league’s most reliable tacklers, missing just six all season—the sixth-fewest among safeties with at least 600 snaps."
A strong case can be made for Gibbs and Sewell to be higher on the list, and Joseph too for that matter. But let's not lose track of the fact that the Lions almost had 10 players on this list, and if David Montgomery (PFF's 10th-best graded running back for the season) hadn't missed the end of the regular season they might have gotten it done.
