Predicting which players will hold starting spots on the 2025 Detroit Lions offensive line.
Just over a month ago, I asked readers to predict the Detroit Lions ’ two starting guards. The most common answer at the time was Christian Mahogany and Graham Glasgow. But if we’re being honest, that question was extremely premature—and I admitted as much.
Now that the NFL Draft has come and gone, with the Lions drafting two potential starting guards, the same question has a very different outlook. While back in April, it certainly looked like the Lions were going to add at least one veteran free agent to fill the void left by Kevin Zeitler’s departure, now there’s a bounty of options on the interior offensive line.
So today’s Question of the Day is:
What will the Lions’ starting offensive line look like in 2025?
My answer: There should be no expected changes at the tackle or center position. Unless Giovanni Manu takes a massive, unforeseen jump, Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell are the team’s left and right tackles, respectively. Frank Ragnow isn’t going anywhere.
But the guard positions remain up for grabs, and it appears there are four front-runners to challenge for the two open spots: Glasgow, Mahogany, second-round pick Tate Ratledge, and fifth-round pick Myles Frazier. There’s always an outside possibility Kayode Awosika, Netane Muti, or even Colby Sorsdal will enter the competition, but they have work to do.
Glasgow brings by far the most experience of the group, and that likely puts him as a starter when training camp opens, but no one was drafted higher than Ratledge. That’s why it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if the Lions opened training camp with Glasgow back at left guard and Ratledge at right guard.
But this is going to be a true competition. Mahogany—who finished the season at right guard to replace the injured Zeitler—fully has a chance to win a spot, particularly because he may be the team’s long-term answer, given that Glasgow will soon be 33 years old. There also must be some significant optimism on Frazier because the Lions traded up 11 spots from the sixth round to the fifth round in order to grab the former LSU Tiger.
The waters have been muddied a bit due to the Lions aggressively cross-training Ratledge at center, but I don’t view that as anything more than wanting their starting guard to have versatility in case anything happens to Ragnow. I think the full plan is to have Ratledge start at right guard this year.
This means the left guard position is the one that’s really up for grabs. Will Graham retain it, or will he be surpassed by Mahogany or Frazier? Brad Holmes dumped some cold water on Mahogany’s rookie season, noting that the sample size of his play was too small, and he still has a lot to learn. I’m going to run with that and suggest that Glasgow holds onto a starting spot one more year.
Many have questioned whether Glasgow is better served on the right, as he performed much better in 2023 there than at left guard in 2024. While there may be some truth to that, Glasgow was also playing injured for much of last season, and I think his struggles are a little overstated.
So, my prediction for the starting offensive line in Week 1:
LT: Taylor Decker
LG: Graham Glasgow
C: Frank Ragnow
RG: Tate Ratledge
RT: Penei Sewell
What does your starting lineup look like for the Lions offensive line? Scroll down to the comment section and let us know.