Most Improved Rosters Heading into the 2022 NFL Season
By Hunter Haas
4. Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions were putrid to start the 2021 season. They did not win their first game until December 5th against the Minnesota Vikings. It wasn’t all bad, though. From the beginning of December to the end of the season, the Lions went 3-3 in their final six games, ending on a very positive note. The offense averaged 25 points per game in that span, with Goff playing well in the final stretch of games (excluding games missed in weeks 16 and 17).
Fourth-round pick from the 2021 NFL Draft, Amon’Ra St. Brown, became a household name during the final month and a half of the season. Coinciding with the team getting hot and winning three of their final six games, St. Brown went nuclear. In that six game span, St. Brown caught at least eight passes in each contest. In total, he hauled in 51 passes during that stretch of games. Compare this to his 39 receptions across his first 11 games, and it illustrates just how bonkers St. Brown went at the end of the season. D’Andre Swift took a step up, serving as the best rusher and best receiver on the team in a number of weeks during the season. TJ Hockenson was in the midst of a breakout campaign, but was forced to miss the final five games, cutting his third NFL season short.
The offensive line is the strongest unit on the entire roster. The No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Penei Sewell, is well on his way to becoming a top offensive tackle in the league. Taylor Decker, Jonah Jackson, and Frank Ragnow are all serviceable, and their chemistry playing together makes them even better. Detroit should be able to run the football at will, and Goff will see more clean pockets this season than he did in 2021.
Free agency was quiet for the Lions, with the biggest signing being wide receiver DJ Chark. Chark is a solid veteran that will be able to help free up room for other members of the offense. Where the Lions saw the most improvement was through the 2022 NFL Draft. When the Jaguars opted to take Travon Walker with the No. 1 overall pick, they made Detroit’s decision for them. Aidan Hutchinson, a Michigan native who was fresh off a Heisman runner-up campaign, became the easiest pick that general manager Brad Holmes will ever make. Hutch immediately serves as the top pass rusher on the roster, which should in turn improve the linebacker corps and secondary.
The Lions’ second first-round pick was slated to be No. 32, but after watching former Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams drop and drop and drop, Holmes picked up the phone. Ultimately, Detroit was able to leapfrog all the way up to No. 12 overall, giving the franchise the opportunity to get a potential superstar at wide receiver. Jared Goff can help ease the development of Williams, the same way that he did with St. Brown in 2021. You’d be hard-pressed to find a more promising wide receiver duo under the age of 23.
Other draft picks that will start immediately include Josh Paschal, a defensive lineman out of Kentucky, and Kerby Joseph, a safety out of Illinois. I can understand having more of the flashy teams in the place of Detroit on this list, but Aidan Hutchinson and Jameson Williams are the type of guys that can single-handily improve their respective units. Even if Goff isn’t the long-term answer, the offensive firepower that includes St. Brown-Williams-Chark-Hockenson-Swift is absurd. Add in Penei Sewell and whoever ends up at quarterback after Goff is set up for success.