Our rankings of every Detroit Lions players on the 2025 roster kicks off with players we placed in the bottom 10.
As we inch toward Detroit Lions training camp, it’s time to take inventory of the roster.
For the past six seasons, we’ve undertaken the exercise of ranking every single player on the team’s roster. This exercise not only provides us with a nice debate on how good each player is, but it also helps put the entire roster into perspective. For example, go back and look at our 2021 list . Players like Jamie Collins and Jack Fox cracked the top-10. Tyrell Williams—who would play one singular game for the Lions—was 17. On this year’s list, it was difficult to fit all of the proven talent into the top-20.
You can find our archive of lists here: 2024 , 2023 , 2022 , 2021 , 2020 , 2019 .
In order to create this list, we polled the entire Pride of Detroit staff. The following people submitted at least partial lists from 1-90: Jeremy Reisman, Erik Schlitt, John Whiticar, Ryan Mathews, Morgan Cannon, Max Gerber, Meko Scott, Brandon Knapp, Al Karsten, Hamza Baccouche, and Chris Perfett. Rankings were averaged to create consensus rankings.
As in previous years, we will release our list 10 players at a time, starting at the bottom. Here are the players we ranked from 90-81.
90. TE Luke Deal (Highest ranking: 84, Lowest ranking: 90)
Last year’s ranking: N/A
The bottom of this list is littered with undrafted rookies, as it is nearly every year. Deal is unique in that he wasn’t part of the Lions’ original UDFA class, but earned his spot on the 90-man roster via tryout during rookie minicamp . Deal is a high-character player (two-time captain) and had a ton of college playing experience, and fits more of the mold of a blocking tight end.
89. RB Anthony Tyus (Highest: 82, Lowest: 90)
Last year’s ranking: N/A
One of two running backs most likely fighting for a shot on the practice squad, Tyus is a bruising back (6-foot-1, 226 pounds) who had an explosive season at Ohio last year—rushing for 1,215 yards and nine touchdowns in 13 contests.
88. RB Kye Robichaux (Highest: 83, Lowest: 89)
Last year’s ranking: N/A
Robichaux is the other half of the UDFA running back tandem. Though he is ranked above Tyus, four of our 10 writers had Robichaux lower on their list. Tyus did get a little more on his contract, but Robichaux had two strong seasons as Boston College’s lead back.
87. OL Mason Miller (Highest: 81, Lowest: 90)
Last year’s ranking: N/A
Another UDFA, Miller hails from North Dakota State—overlapping with Lions current tight ends coach Tyler Roehl. Miller started a dozen games at left guard and nearly triple that at right tackle. That versatility gives him an outside chance at the roster with Detroit going through some major changes on the offensive line.
86. WR Malik Taylor (Highest: 81, Lowest: 89)
Last year’s ranking: N/A
Like Deal, Taylor found his way onto the roster after making a few big plays during his rookie minicamp tryout—but unlike Deal, he is not a rookie. In fact, he’s been around since 2019. However, he has only made three game appearances total in the last three years. Taylor is a Detroit local and has the size (6-foot-1, 220) and athleticism you’d want in a WR-X, but he’s got a tough road to the roster with Tim Patrick and now Isaac TeSlaa on the team.
85. DL Keith Cooper (Highest: 78, Lowest: 90)
Last year’s ranking: N/A
Another UDFA signed after rookie minicamp tryouts, Cooper played as an edge defender at Houston last year, tallying 3.5 sacks and 10 quarterback hits in 12 games. His game likely has a little more versatility to it, and he’ll need to tap into that to crack the 53-man roster.
84. S Ian Kennelly (Highest: 71, Lowest: 88)
Last year’s ranking: N/A
There has already been a little hype around Kennelly, although he has certainly benefitted from some extra media coverage as a local UDFA. Kennelly grew up in Macomb and attended Grand Valley State, where he was a standout defender and earned the team’s Player of the Year award in 2024. But he’s more than just a local phenom: he’s got a great athletic profile, and he’s full of grit.
83. DT Raequan Williams (Highest: 69, Lowest: 90)
Last year’s ranking: N/A
Many likely remember Williams from his days at Michigan State , but he’s been jumping round NFL teams for the last five seasons trying to find a more permanent home. He’s only appeared in seven career games, with 7 tackles and 1.0 sack to his name. There’s a lot of defensive tackle competition on the roster right now—11 players currently signed—so Williams will have to beat the odds to make it onto the field in Detroit.
82. TE Zach Horton (Highest: 78, Lowest: 87)
Last year’s ranking: N/A
Like Deal, Horton enters the tight end competition as a UDFA with tough odds. Working in Horton’s favor—which is likely why he’s higher on the list than Deal—is the fact that Horton has some experience playing fullback. He also has $100,000 in guarantees in his contract—fourth most among the Lions’ UDFA class —which likely means Detroit likes him a fair share.
81. LB DaRon Gilbert (Highest: 76, Lowest: 86)
Gilbert is the only player on the first 10 of this list who was with the Lions last year. He was part of the 2024 UDFA class, but was eventually waived during the preseason with an injury settlement. Amidst Detroit’s crazy linebacker injuries, he eventually signed back in Detroit to the practice squad, but never got the call up. The Lions liked him enough to ink him to a futures deal in January.