The Detroit Lions have a top 5 offensive line in the NFL. At times they were clearly the tippy top offensive line in the league. But there were also times in which it looked like this group needed help. The Lions dealt with injuries at almost every spot on the line and when those injuries happened, the team struggled.
The Lions may also be on the verge of losing starting left guard Jonah Jackson to free agency. So naturally, an offensive lineman has felt like a need for the Lions in the draft this offseason. After the 2024 NFL Combine, it seems the Lions might not feel that same way. At least at the level that fans and media do.
The reason I feel this way is simple. I talked to 10 offensive lineman on Friday that I thought the Lions would probably have some interest in and would be in spots that they could take them and not one of them had a formal meeting with the Lions this week. There’s obviously a lot more than 10 there, but when you talk to 10 guys in a row and they all say no, that’s something.
One offensive lineman did tell another reporter that he had met with the Lions and that was BYU tackle Kingsley Suamataia. He is Penei Sewell’s cousin. That would be a interesting get for the Lions. Suamataia is currently slated to go in the second round.
What could all this mean? Look, you don’t have to have a formal meeting to get drafted by a team. Players have been drafted by teams that they’ve never had discussions with before. With that said, the Lions did draft four players that they had formal meetings with at last years combine. So they do value that process.
This could point to a possible return for Jonah Jackson in Detroit. The Lions did have interest in bringing him back ahead of the 2023 season. There was a feeling that maybe that interest had waned after Jackson had dealt with injuries all year and his play struggled at times. Maybe that is not the case.
The Lions may very well draft an offensive lineman in the 2024 NFL Draft, but right now it feels like it’s not a top need for them. Especially when you consider the amount of players they met with at other positions.