The general consensus is you can fully evaluate an NFL team's draft class about three years in. Players have built resumes, good or bad, and the knee-jerk reaction bias that can come from circumstances that may have brought a particularly good or bad year is largely removed.
But that doesn't stop instant evaluation from happening when draft picks are made, or more evaluation after just one season.
It's not breaking news that the Lions didn't get a lot out of their 2024 rookie class. First-round pick Terrion Arnold played a big role, but injuries/illness (cornerback Ennis Rakestraw, defensive tackle Mehki Wingo, guard Christian Mahogany) impacted others. Running back Sione Vaki simply didn't see a lot of offensive snaps, though he excelled on special teams. Offensive lineman Giovanni Manu had a "redshirt year" as he made the transition from a Canadian college to the NFL.
Undrafted rookie Hogan Hatten was a highlight, winning the long snapper job and avoiding any memorable mistakes all season as kicker Jake Bates and punter Jack Fox had excellent seasons.
To be frank, most other teams got a lot more from their rookies this past season. None of the Lions' rookies that didn't have much of an impact in their first year should be written off completely, but it was not a great start.
Detroit Lions' 2024 rookie class gets appropriately bad ranking
So as expected, Gennaro Filice of NFL.com ranked the Lions' 2024 rookie class No. 28 in the league with a C- grade.
"Like Philadelphia, Detroit drafted cornerbacks in the first two rounds. Unlike Philadelphia, Detroit didn't enjoy immediate Super Bowl-winning returns. Ennis Rakestraw Jr.’s season was waylaid by injuries, so it’s hard to judge his actual performance. Terrion Arnold, on the other hand, basically started the entire season -- and he experienced significant growing pains, particularly in a flag-filled opening month."
Filice noted how Arnold was thrown right into the proverbial fire, comfortably leading the league in man-coverage snaps while showing improvement as the season went on. All of that is nothing new.
Filice also noted how Mahogany excelled in his two starts, one at each guard spot including the playoff game, and how Vaki was the special teamer on the PFWA's All-Rookie Team. Also nothing new there.
The idea can be questioned, but the Lions probably only planned on getting a notable rookie year contribution out of three guys from their 2024 draft class: Arnold, Rakestraw and Vaki. Manu, Wingo and Mahogany were never in line for big roles right away, regardless of the circumstances that set Wingo and Mahogany back. So garnering dismal outside evaluations of the rookie class as a whole one season in is was practically a part of the plan, and one has already come.
