Our 2025 Detroit Lions roster rankings move to players 60-51, many of whom are on the 53-man roster bubble.
We’ve reached Players 70-61 on our 2025 Detroit Lions roster ranking. When you figure in the 53 players who make the main roster, there are 16 players below that who make it to the practice squad—or the players essentially ranked 54 through 69. That’s at the heart of this list. Many of these players will stick around, and a few of them have a decent shot at the roster.
What’s perhaps most interesting about this interval of players is that it represents some of the biggest risers and the biggest fallers from last year’s list. Let’s dive in.
Previously:
60. C Kingsley Eguakun (Highest ranking: 50, Lowest ranking: 74)
Eguakun takes a pretty significant jump in this year’s ranking despite spending the entirety of his rookie season on the practice squad with no call-ups. That said, Eguakun had the most guarantees tied to his UDFA contract last year, and he plays a position that is suddenly a lot more essential than expected: center.
Eguakun isn’t expected to challenge for a starting spot, but if he’s developed enough from last year, being the primary backup center is not out of the question.
59. iOL Michael Niese (Highest: 50, Lowest: 74)
Niese is right there in the exact same situation, although he’s a year ahead of Eguakun in his development. Last year, Niese was the Lions’ primary depth, making the 53-man roster and being active for all 17 games. That said, he was only needed for 35 offensive snaps last year and primarily served as a specialist on field goal units.
58. WR Dominic Lovett (Highest: 50, Lowest: 75)
Last year’s ranking: N/A
Lovett is a tad lower than I expected, simply because he was a drafted player. However, it highlights the depth of this team that a seventh-round pick is no longer considered a top-53 talent on the team.
Lovett will certainly have a chance to make the roster as WR6, but he’ll have to continue to flash some of the special teams skills he displayed in his last couple seasons in Georgia—particularly as a gunner.
57. iOL Trystan Colon (Highest: 39, Lowest: 72)
Last year’s ranking: N/A
Only one player had a wider disparity of rankings than Colon (see if you can guess who).
A late free agency add, Colon does indeed have a wide variety of outcomes in Detroit. The veteran offensive lineman has 15 starts to his name and has logged starts at all three interior offensive line positions. He was added right after Frank Ragnow’s retirement, leading some to believe he could win the starting job or be the primary backup. But he still has a long way to go to get there.
56. LB Anthony Pittman (Highest: 50, Lowest: 65)
Last year’s ranking: N/A — 52 in 2023
Pittman returns to Detroit firmly entrenched in a competitive linebacker position battle. The Lions have a load of depth, and many are very skilled specialists like Pittman. Defensive acumen may be the separator in the room, seeing as Detroit will be down Malcolm Rodriguez for a while. Pittman doesn’t have a ton of experience on defense—166 snaps over six seasons—but he’s got some versatility to potentially even back up the SAM linebacker role.
55. DT Pat O’Connor (Highest: 51, Lowest: 58)
Last year’s ranking: N/A
A mid-camp addition last year, O’Connor returned to the team that drafted him and provided some much-needed relief to a heavily injured room. O’Connor played everything from nose tackle to edge defender for the Lions last year, playing a career-high 235 defensive snaps. Now reunited with defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers, he’s got a legitimate chance to stick, but a healthy defensive line room won’t make it easy.
54. iOL Netane Muti (Highest: 43, Lowest: 67)
Muti was on track to compete for a spot on the 53-man roster last year before suffering a season-ending injury early in training camp. Detroit is in the midst of a youth movement on the offensive line, but could still use some trusty veterans. Muti will likely compete with the aforementioned Colon, Niese, and Kayode Awosika for a few reserve spots on the roster.
53. S Dan Jackson (Highest: 48, Lowest: 59)
Last year’s ranking: N/A
Jackson is another one I expected to be higher on this list before I started ranking players myself. However, I ended up having him 56, even though I believe he’ll be a four-core special teamer right out of the gate. He also has the chance to be important safety depth, considering the Lions don’t have much proven talent behind Kerby Joseph, Brian Branch, and Avonte Maddox.
52. LB Trevor Nowaske (Highest: 42, Lowest: 58)
Last year’s ranking: N/A — 79 in 2023
Nowaske, like Pittman, made his triumphant return to Detroit after spending training camp elsewhere. The Lions were happy to get him back, particularly for his special teams skills. Detroit only waived him in the first place due to some injury-related roster maneuvering they had to make in 2023, and he unfortunately did not clear waivers.
Last year, Nowaske played in 14 games, started two, and finished fifth in special teams snaps—more than any Lions linebacker not named Ben Niemann.
51. CB Rock Ya-Sin (Highest: 41, Lowest: 60)
Last year’s ranking: N/A
Ya-Sin fills the veteran reserve cornerback role left vacant by the departure of Kindle Vildor. Over six seasons, Ya-Sin—a former second-round pick—has started 39 games, nabbing two interceptions and 31 pass defenses along the way. That said, he has started only a single game over the past two years, and the Lions are his fifth team in the past five years.
Ya-Sin’s roster spot is anything but guaranteed, because Detroit has a strong specialist in Khalil Dorsey, promising depth in Ennis Rakestraw, and versatile defensive backs like Maddox, who all likely warrant a roster spot before him.