The Detroit Lions suffered some major losses along their offensive line this offseason.
First it was Kevin Zeitler, who left for a one-year deal with the Tennessee Titans. Zeitler played at a very high level in his lone season with the Lions.
The other departure was an even bigger deal. Frank Ragnow surprisingly decided to retire this offseason. He was an All-Pro in 2024.
Those losses have left the Lions with some major uncertainty on the interior of their offensive line.
Pro Football Focus' Dalton Wasserman believes a second-year guard could play a big part in easing that uncertainty next season.
Wasserman named Christian Mahogany as one of the top breakout candidates for the 2025 NFL season among offensive linemen.
The Lions need Wasserman to be right about Mahogany's potential breakout during the 2025 season.
Even with a top-two right tackle in Penei Sewell and a dependable left tackle in Taylor Decker, things still don't look great for the Lions' offensive line.
They have three spots they need to fill on the inside of the line with Graham Glasgow, Mahogany, Tate Ratledge, Trystan Colon and Giovanni Manu as leading options for those spots.
Glasgow showed signs of decline last season and that could continue a year later. Ratledge and Manu have never taken a snap at the NFL level. Colon has experience, but has never been more than a rotational option.
Mahogany only made two starts as a rookie, but those stats at least give the Lions reasons for optimism. He held up well in his first NFL action, which may have been why the Lions didn't feel the need to bring Zeitler back.
No matter what, it seems like there is going to be a learning curve for the Lions' offensive line in 2025 as they insert players with minimal experience and potentially change at least one player's position.
If Mahogany can progress from the solid couple of starts last season, it would definitely make the transition easier for the Lions. If he has a breakout season, he could help the Lions remain among the NFL's best offensive lines at a time where that doesn't seem like a certainty.
However, if he struggles, the Lions could be facing an uphill battle on the offensive line.
