Second-year offensive tackle Giovanni Manu is poised to make a big Year 2 jump, even if it means limited contributions on the field.
Our 2025 Detroit Lions roster review continues with one of the most enigmatic players on the team.
Offensive lineman Giovanni Manu was arguably the most shocking pick of Detroit’s 2024 draft class, with general manager Brad Holmes trading a future third-round pick to select the University of British Columbia talent in the fourth round.
With that aggressive of a move in the draft, Holmes clearly sees potential with the raw prospect, but his rookie season was spent behind closed doors. Still, there are a lot of reasons to expect a huge jump from the massive offensive tackle in 2025.
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Giovanni Manu
Expectations heading into 2024
From the moment the Lions drafted Manu, they warned the public that this was going to be a long-term project. All of the physical tools—including a massive but cut 6-foot-7 frame and incredible speed—are there, but an extensive amount of overhaul was needed to his form and football IQ.
“This is more of a down-the-road future deal, but the upside is enormous. Just really, really excited to work with him,” Lions general manager Brad Holmes said on draft night.
And when training camp hit, it was abundantly clear that the Lions had little intention of having him play a significant role during his rookie season.
“I would love to say, ‘Hey we’re going to get him this year by the middle of the season,’ and that would be great, and that’s always going to be the goal is, how fast can we get one of these guys to where they’re contributing and helping us,” coach Dan Campbell said at the beginning of training camp. “But we also knew what we were acquiring. We’re prepared to take this as it comes. Whenever he’s ready, he’s ready, and that’s okay. If that doesn’t mean it’s this year and it’s next year, great. Certainly, we’re trying to push to get him ready now. That’ll always be the goal with these guys.”
Actual Role in 2024
0 games played — inactive each week
As most expected, Manu’s rookie season turned out to be a redshirt year. He made the initial 53-man roster, stayed on it all year, but was never part of the active gameday roster.
But that doesn’t mean it was a wasted season. While the media was not privy to Manu’s development in practice from September to January, players and coaches were. And just about everyone raved about the progress he made, as detailed by this excellent piece from Justin Rogers of Detroit Football Network . Here are just a few snippets:
Offensive line coach Hank Fraley:
“I liked where he ended last year, where he was with his play, where his demeanor was, where he really was, assignment-wise. He really did a good job, and he grew every day.”
Assistant offensive line coach Steve Oliver:
“I can’t pinpoint one specific thing because he’s a more confident, totally transformed player. You see the strength when he gets hold of guys, plus the feet and the athletic ability.”
Defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike:
“He’s out of the baby-giraffe stage and he’s a full-grown giraffe or whatever the hell you want to call it. He’s using that big-ass frame of his and he’s using it right. Any run plays, he’s coming downhill and he’s scooting guys out of the way. His form is good. I don’t know what Hank has been teaching him, but he’s learning quick.
“…His improvement, I would say, has been the same as (Christian) Mahogany’s. Both of them during the offseason, I’d say it was really easy to beat them (one-on-one). Really easy. Three months later, they’ve developed so quickly, they’re playing so much better.”
Defensive end Josh Paschal:
“He has a very strong reach block. In the run game, I feel like he’s going to be a menace. I feel like the coaches have done a great job developing him. I’m excited to see what his future holds.”
General manager Brad Holmes:
“If you’ve watched the film of Gio in OTAs and you watched the film of Gio in practice, I mean, it literally is night and day.”
We can only take these people’s words for Manu’s development, but the praise is so widespread—and often very specific—that it feels like you can trust these testimonials.
Outlook for 2025
The 2025 offseason is already off to a strong start for Manu. It appears left tackle Taylor Decker has taken him under his wing a bit, as the duo trained with former NFL offensive lineman LeCharles Bentley earlier this year.
“With LeCharles, there are a lot of guys out there who do a really good job with these guys, and I know what kind of shape Decker is in,” Fraley said this spring. “We have a bunch of guys that go to LeCharles that are on our roster here. I know this: Decker always comes in ready to play, in shape, and ready to go. I know LeCharles a little bit, we played in the same era a little bit there, so I like what LeCharles is about and how he gets the guys ready to play.”
But where does that leave Manu? There was some early talk about playing him at guard, and Campbell hinted at it again this offseason. But on the field at OTAs, Manu was strictly at offensive tackle during the practices open to the media. While Decker and Penei Sewell have the starting tackle gigs locked down, could Manu push the likes of Dan Skipper, Jamarco Jones, and Colby Sorsdal for the primary backup job? Could he eventually take over for Decker as early as 2026?
Those are questions that I’m sure the Lions don’t even know right now. As much progress as he’s made in a year, the Lions have openly admitted there’s still plenty of progress needed, particularly in the mental aspect of the game.
“He does have a physical presence about him, and he can exert his physicality on the field. That’s what I think you got to see later in the year. Now it’s, can he take that next step? It’s a huge step,” Fraley said.
During OTAs, Manu assumed the backup left tackle position—already a promotion from last year’s third/fourth-team designations. It’s a small sign of the progress promised by everyone in the building. But we’ll have to see in training camp—when the pads go on—just how much growth has truly happened.