Second-year offensive guard Christian Mahogany is poised to establish himself as a stalwart on the Detroit People Movers for years to come.
Our 2025 Detroit Lions roster preview continues with one of the team’s most critical new starters.
Mahogany experienced a surprising slide in the 2024 NFL Draft , but he’s already positioning himself to make the leap from Day 3 pick to Year 2 starter. If his trajectory continues, the Lions may have found yet another hidden gem in Brad Holmes’ draft classes.
Previous previews: QB Jared Goff , QB Hendon Hooker, RB Sione Vaki , RB Jahmyr Gibbs , WR Jameson Williams , WR Kalif Raymond, TE Sam LaPorta , OL Colby Sorsdal , OT Giovanni Manu , OT Penei Sewell , G Graham Glasgow , EDGE Aidan Hutchinson , DT Brodric Martin , DL Pat O’Connor , LB Malcolm Rodriguez , LB Grant Stuard , LB Jack Campbell , CB Ennis Rakestraw , CB Terrion Arnold, DB Brian Branch , LS Hogan Hatten , K Jake Bates .
Christian Mahogany
Expectations heading into 2024
Christian Mahogany was widely praised as a tremendous value pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, with analysts lauding both his talent and fit within the Lions’ scheme. However, expectations for his immediate contribution were modest. The Lions’ interior offensive line appeared set with Frank Ragnow, Kevin Zeitler, and Graham Glasgow, alongside reserves Kayode Awosika and Colby Sorsdal, who each started three games in 2023.
Mahogany’s outlook dimmed further after he missed the start of rookie training camp due to mononucleosis, keeping him away from the team for an extended period.
He began the 2024 season on the reserve/non-football illness list, finally returning to the facility in late August. At the time, head coach Dan Campbell addressed his return:
“We’re going to get him going, start working him, getting his body right, getting back there with (director of sports performance) Mike Clark and (director of player health & performance Brett Fischer), Fisch and those guys, and just start getting him back in shape,” Campbell said. “He’ll be in meetings. And then once we feel like he’s in a good place physically, then we’ll probably see where it’s at there.”
Given the circumstances and the uncertainty surrounding his illness, there were no real expectations for Mahogany to contribute offensively in 2024. The focus was simply on getting him healthy, acclimated to the offense, and adjusted to NFL speed in practice. Even a handful of solid snaps in blowout relief would have been considered a success.
Actual Role in 2024
5 games (2 starts) – 144 offensive snaps
Stats per PFF: 1 sack allowed, 1 QB hit, 4 total pressures, 1 penalty
PFF offensive grade: 91.5 (3rd out of 107 offensive guards – min. 100 snaps)
PFF pass blocking grade: 78.7 (5th out of 140)
PFF run blocking grade: 91.1 (3rd out of 140)
The New Jersey dirtbag’s NFL journey got off to a rocky start. Mahogany’s battle with mono kept him off the practice field until Week 5 and delayed his activation until Week 9.
Despite the setback, Mahogany swiftly put it all in the rearview mirror with an impressive Week 16 start against the Bears, filling in at left guard for the injured Graham Glasgow.
After that first start, Dan Campbell shared his praise:
“It was encouraging. I did think he tried to play violent, it was not too big for him. … He’s continued to just get better and better…he did some really good things.”
Mahogany followed it up with an even stronger encore performance in the Divisional Round of the playoffs against the Commanders, this time starting at right guard. He was a rock in the trenches, playing like one of the best players on the field. Across his two starts, the Lions offense averaged:
- 463 total yards per game
- 197.5 rushing yards per game
- 22 first downs per game
And he did it while starting on different sides of the offensive line in each game.
Notably, Mahogany’s 92.2 PFF grade against the Commanders was higher than:
- Any single-game grade Graham Glasgow posted in 2024
- Any single-game grade Jonah Jackson recorded in his entire NFL career
… and he did it in the playoffs. Even his 70.6 PFF grade against the Bears outperformed all but two of Glasgow’s games last season
Outlook for 2005
It was only a small, two-game sample size, but the traits Christian Mahogany displayed against NFL competition last season were undeniably impressive. What a difference a year makes: Mahogany now enters this year’s training camp penciled in as the presumptive starter at left guard.
At the NFL owners meetings prior to the draft, Holmes had this to say:
“it’s a small sample size of the starts that he played. They were promising, they were encouraging. We do feel like he has starter level ability, but he is still a young player, so we still need to make sure that he has competition.”
Early on, as an every-down starter, Mahogany projects to be a battering ram on the left side in gap schemes, providing a more imposing figure next to Taylor Decker and serving as a physical aid alongside the Lions’ new center. He thrives as a demolisher on double teams, and rooting out three-techniques should rarely be an issue. Mahogany will also provide a stout anchor in pass protection for Jared Goff, while showcasing his underrated value in the screen game with his ability to consistently reach his landmarks.
Areas for development in his first year as a starter include:
- Improvement as a zone blocker, particularly getting lateral and reaching the second level
- Handling quicker interior rushers, as he’s currently more adept at eating bull rushes
Without being too audacious, after another offseason under Hank Fraley, Mahogany has a real opportunity to become a top-two offensive guard in the NFC North by November. He could prove to be one of the best value offensive players in the NFL next season, while extending Decker’s high-level play and forming a formidable duo with Tate Ratledge at center for years to come.
Mahogany’s performance once the pads go on—especially during joint practices against the Dolphins and Texans —will be one of the most intriguing August developments to watch for Lions fans.