Allen Park — At some point in the past year, the Detroit Lions fell out of love with guard Christian Mahogany. However, the door remains ajar for the third-year lineman to regain the franchise’s affection.
Had you been ready to pencil Mahogany into Detroit’s starting lineup for the next decade after two spot starts as a rookie, no one could have reasonably faulted your over-enthusiasm. Sure, you would have been jumping the gun on the smallest of sample sizes, but he was so dominant in both appearances. Even after missing his inaugural offseason program while battling mononucleosis, he played with an impressive mix of confidence and physicality.
Months earlier, the Lions were elated Mahogany had slid to them in the sixth round of the draft. General manager Brad Holmes proudly proclaimed Mahogany had “a little dirtbag in him,” a somewhat crude description to praise the lineman’s gritty nastiness that fit what the team wanted to be about in the trenches.