The Detroit Lions have a refurbished wide receiver depth chart, but the group is ranked appropriately by Pro Football Focus.
Last year at this time, the Detroit Lions wide receiver group looked pretty bad. And that was with free agent signings Tyrell Williams and Breshad Perriman in place, with whatever optimism they might’ve had attached to them. Amon-Ra St. Brown was an interesting fourth-round rookie, if a glint of hope was your thing.
Perriman was of course cut before Week 1, while Williams was injured in Week 1 and was eventually let go with an injury settlement. Quintez Cephus had a promising start to the season, before a season-ending shoulder/collarbone injury in Week 5.
So things got thin at wide receiver for the Lions very quickly. St. Brown emerged late in the season, and Josh Reynolds did fine after being picked up off waivers.
In an effort to bolster the Lions’ wide receiver corps this offseason, general manager Brad Holmes signed DJ Chark and traded up to draft Jameson Williams No. 12 overall. Reynolds and Kalif Raymond were re-signed.
Pro Football Focus ranks Detroit Lions wide receiver group appropriately
Ben Linsey of Pro Football Focus has continued his run of NFL positional rankings by ranking the wide receiver groups in the league.
The Lions are in an appropriate spot, interlaced with some optimism.
21. DETROIT LIONS
This receiving corps is on the rise. The Lions have two solid pieces returning from last season in T.J. Hockenson and Amon-Ra St. Brown and also added a few more options in the draft and free agency, specifically players who could stretch the field.
D.J. Chark Jr. brings a unique combination of size (6-foot-4) and speed (4.34-second 40-yard dash), and Jameson Williams’ impact can be seen in his production against a seemingly infallible Georgia defense last year. That infusion of speed was necessary for a Lions offense that ranked dead last in average depth of target in 2021 (6.8 yards).
Last August, as the group had been overhauled, the Lions came in at No. 31 on PFF’s ranking of the NFL’s wide receiver corps (with Perriman and Tyrell Williams). Now it’s being built up again, and the current ranking reflects that promising profile.