DFN Mailbag, Part II: Should the Lions consider drafting a tight end or safety in the early rounds?

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Here’s some leftover questions from yesterday’s mailbag. Enjoy.

Q: How much of the o-line issues last year can be attributed to talent vs coaching? — Scott Beaudry

Justin: Scott, that’s a really difficult assessment to make.

Late last season, I wrote that it was important for Dan Campbell not to gloss over offensive line coach Hank Fraley in the overall evaluation of what went wrong during the 2025 season. I have to imagine that was part of the process and Campbell feels good about the position coach going forward.

That’s an unsurprising conclusion to reach. Fraley’s groups have been more successful than not during his time with the Lions. Last year was a predictable step back, but the coach’s track record merits an opportunity to fix things.

Offensive line play is so much about chemistry. Detroit shuffled its entire interior last season with two notable drop-offs from the year before. Going from Frank Ragnow to Graham Glasgow at center is like going from a Wagyu ribeye to a top sirloin at your local grocery store.

There’s nothing wrong with the sirloin. Prepared correctly, you can make a great meal. But it’s not holding a candle to the Wagyu ribeye. It’s just not and it’s almost unfair to compare the two.

Then, at right guard, the Lions underwent a much-needed youth movement, but there’s almost always going to be an immediate dip going from a Pro Bowler to a rookie because of a lack of experience and their adjustment to the speed and strength of the professional game.

Maybe the biggest issue from last year was the performance of Christian Mahogany. I’m guilty of feeding the hype on this one. He looked so good in a small sample size as a rookie in 2024, and I thought he had one of the best training camps on the roster. Yes, he lacked some experience, but he was giving off set-it-and-forget-it vibes heading into the season.

Instead, Mahogany was leaky in pass protection, allowing 27 pressures and six sacks in 11 games. To be fair, those numbers are inflated by a rough closing stretch after what felt like a premature return from a broken leg, but there was troubling inconsistency prior to the injury.

Can we blame that performance on coaching? To an extent, that’s fair, but we also probably expected too much from a guy who fell to the sixth round a year earlier and missed most of his rookie offseason. In hindsight, of course there was going to be some of these inconsistencies.

We expected Fraley to maintain a standard with lesser pieces. And he’d tell you that’s his job. It will be interesting to see what kind of growth Ratledge and Mahogany make with a full season under their belts, plus the anticipated injection of talent upgrades elsewhere, most notably center.

Q: I understand the need for strengthening the trenches, but it feels like getting a high impact tight end should happen, especially with the new OC and LaPorta’s health. Or is it a luxury we can’t afford? — John Rumery

Justin: Respectfully, I think it would be a frivolous use of resources.

On a talent-deficient team, you can make a case for building an offense out this way, but the Lions already struggle with distribution of touches. On any given week, Jameson Williams, David Montgomery, Isaac TeSlaa or LaPorta aren’t getting the touches/targets they’d draw in a less congested offense.

Adding another mouth to feed to the setup would only compound the problem. It’s better to invest in the blocking, so that quarterback Jared Goff can cleanly distribute to his talented arsenal, or the defense, so that they can get quicker stops, getting the ball back to the potent offense.

Now, I think there is room to add to the tight end group, but I’d put the emphasis on a dominant blocker. They’re not particularly easy to find, given the way the college game has evolved. That said, give me a Darnell Washington or Payne Durham type to round things out.

Q: What are your thoughts on the Lions moving up to draft Caleb Downs in Round 1, or bringing in a starting caliber safety like Zakee Wheatley in Round 2, to protect against the health uncertainties for both Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph? — Kyle

Justin: I like Downs as much as the next guy, but I’m not going to advocate trading up for a safety.

Overall, given the number of short- and long-term roster holes, I don’t think it’s in the Lions’ best interest to be giving up resources to climb the board in the first round this year. But, if they do, it would have to be for a premium position like offensive tackle or edge.

Beyond the first round, I’m open to the argument of selecting a safety. By late April, the team should have a clearer picture regarding the recovery status for both of the starters, which will help them make an informed decision, based on need.

However, while I use the word need, remember, that’s not how the team would or should draft. If they’re on the clock and have 10-15 players graded ahead of the next safety on their draft board, you don’t want the team reaching for a specific position and bypassing better talent.

Q: Is it time to blow up and start over completely? — @MC3Whodat

Justin: OK, who let the 97.1 Ticket Texter in here?

Q: How do the Lions get the most out of Derrick Barnes? — @JohnsonBrook

Justin: I strongly believe Barnes is at his best playing off the ball. But given Detroit’s personnel the last few seasons, the team determined the way to get the veteran linebacker on the field more was to give him extensive reps along the defensive line.

Barnes’ knowledge of the scheme sharpens his diagnostics when playing the run. He has the athleticism to work some spy, and the combination of a quick first step and pop in his hands to do damage as a blitzer. Let’s see a higher percentage of those things as opposed to asking him to beat an offensive tackle off the line with a limited arsenal of pass-rush moves and average ankle flexibility.

The larger answer to the question is the Lions might need to let Alex Anzalone walk in free agency to carve out more off-ball opportunities for Barnes, subsequently letting the team backfill his edge reps with a player who has a better pass-rushing skill set.

Q: Whom do you think is most likely to be re-signed this offseason out of Roy Lopez, Amik Robertson and Kalif Raymond? — @FriedrichsJk

Justin: To be clear, these decisions won't affect each other. But if I was to rank the players by likelihood they’ll be back with the Lions next season, it's Lopez, Robertson, then Raymond.

The Lions could use another nose tackle to round out the interior rotation and Lopez was a great fit last season. Plus, he shouldn’t cost much more than the $3 million he earned in 2025.

Robertson has been a strong culture fit and brings versatility to the table, but I could see the Lions wanting to give former second-round pick Ennis Rakestraw the chance to be the starting slot corner. That’s risky, given the injury history, but the team could find a cheaper insurance policy at nickel. Robertson could net offers that pay him in the $5-7 million range this offseason.

Raymond has been a cultural building block since arriving in Detroit in 2021. He’s produced, as well, setting the franchise record for punt return yardage while twice earning All-Pro honors in the role.

However, his role on offense has shrunk in recent years and will continue to do so as TeSlaa commands more playing time. And while Raymond has juice left in the tank, he’ll turn 32 in August and his 7.5-yard average on punt returns last season was his worst since 2017.