Breaking down the five best Detroit Lions players on the 53-man roster.
Our rankings of the Detroit Lions ’ 2025 roster come to a close with the players we viewed as the top-five on the roster. Before we get into it, a couple of notes on these five players:
- All five of them are Brad Holmes draft picks
- Four out of the five were consensus top-five players
- Three are first-round picks, one is a second-round pick, and the last one is a fourth-round pick
- The oldest player in this top-five is 25-YEARS OLD(!!!)
- Three have already earned contract extensions, while the other two remain on rookie deals
- Between all five players, they have 10 Pro Bowl selections (including at least one for each player) and four All Pros.
Without further ado, here are your top-five Detroit Lions players for the 2025 season.
Note: For methodology and more details, check out the first installment of this series.
Previously:
- Players ranked 90-81
- Players 80-71
- Players 70-61
- Players 60-51
- Players 50-41
- Players 40-31
- Players 30-21
- Players 20-11
- Players 10-6
5. S Brian Branch (Highest ranking: 5, Lowest ranking: 8)
Last year’s ranking: 8
2023 ranking: 27
Branch’s meteoric rise up the rankings is well-earned. In his rookie season, he was an outstanding nickel cornerback. He followed that up by making his transition to safety look just as easy. While he didn’t have the disruption stats that his safety-mate Kerby Joseph did, Branch’s value is in his versatility. He can tackle (109 in 2024), he can play man-to-man, he can be the single-high safety (16 passes defended, 4 INTs), and he can blitz (1.0 sack, 6 QB hits, and 10 pressures on just 31 pass-rushing snaps per PFF).
Those kinds of defensive chess pieces have become very popular and valuable to teams these days, and Branch is one of the best in the league at it.
4. RB Jahmyr Gibbs (Highest: 2, Lowest: 4)
Last year’s ranking: 6
2023 ranking: 12
In just two years, Gibbs has managed to push himself into the top-three conversation of NFL running backs . Last season, Gibbs rushed for 1,412 yards and 16 touchdowns, earning himself a Pro Bowl nod and a few Offensive Player of the Year votes. Gibbs’ 1,412 rushing yards were the best rushing season for a Lions player since Barry Sanders’ 1998 season (1,491 yards), and his 16 rushing touchdowns were second only to Jamaal Williams’ 2022 season.
And he may only be scratching the surface here. The plan appears to be to expand his role as a receiver, where he already managed to catch 52 passes for 517 yards last year. Could a 1,000 receiving, 1,000 rushing yard season truly be ahead ?
3. EDGE Aidan Hutchinson (Highest: 2, Lowest: 4)
Last year’s ranking: 4
2023 ranking: 4
2022 ranking: 5
If Hutchinson hadn’t gotten injured last year, he likely would’ve challenged for No. 1 on this list. His incredible pace of 7.5 sacks through five games had him chasing Defensive Player of the Year honors—something no Detroit Lions player has accomplished in team history. Despite missing 12 games, he still led the team in sacks, quarterback hits (17), and was tied for first on the team in PFF pressures in the regular season (45).
If he can pick up where he left off, there is no limit to his game. It is not unrealistic to believe he could be the best defensive player in football.
2. WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (Highest: 2, Lowest: 4)
Last year’s ranking: 3
2023 ranking: t-1
2022 ranking: 4
2021 ranking: 22
St. Brown finishes in the top-five for the fourth straight year, and climbs a spot from last year—thanks to the retirement of last year’s No. 2 Frank Ragnow.
This year, St. Brown has the opportunity to do something no Lions player has ever done: reach 100 receptions in four straight seasons. St. Brown will likely jump to at least fourth on the list of Lions all-time receiving leaders, and with three Pro Bowls and two All Pros under his belt already, he should be considered one of the greatest Lions receivers of all time, even though he’s just four years into his career.
1. OT Penei Sewell (Highest: 1, Lowest: 1)
Last year’s ranking: 1
2023 ranking: t-1
2022 ranking: 2
2021 ranking: 8
For the second straight year, Sewell is the unanimous choice for best player on the Lions roster. Detroit’s right tackle has not only been named First-Team All-Pro in back-to-back seasons, but he’s now largely considered among the top three offensive tackles on either side of the ball. He also remains the emotional heartbeat of the team, serving as one of the team’s captains for two consecutive years.
If you had to pick one player who has the best chance to end his career in a gold jacket, it’s undoubtedly Sewell.