One preseason game is in the books as the Detroit Lions lost to the Atlanta Falcons by a score of 27-23 on Friday night.
As we move closer to the 2022 regular season, I will continue to release my most recent 53-man roster projection and with one preseason game behind us, I give you my latest 2022 Detroit Lions 53-man roster projection.
As you can see below, I still think rookie WR Jameson Williams will begin the regular season on the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list.
Of the eight players the Lions selected in the 2022 NFL Draft, I currently have five of those players making the initial 53-man roster.
Offense
Quarterbacks (2)
Jared Goff
David Blough
Goff is the obvious starter here and I expect David Blough to beat out Tim Boyle, especially after their performance against the Falcons.
Running backs (4)
D’Andre Swift
Jamaal Williams
Craig Reynolds
Jermar Jefferson
Swift and Williams (going into the final year of his contract) are a solid 1-2 punch IF they can stay healthy.
Wide receivers (6)
Amon-Ra St. Brown
DJ Chark
Josh Reynolds
Kalif Raymond
Quintez Cephus
Trinity Benson
Jameson Williams* (Predicting to start on PUP list)
This group actually looks formidable, especially once Jameson Williams is in the mix. Trinity Benson was not on this projection the last time but if the Lions keep just 2 QBs, there is an extra spot available.
Tight Ends (4)
T.J. Hockenson
Brock Wright
James Mitchell
Shane Zylstra
Look for rookie James Mitchell to earn the No. 2 spot on the roster behind T.J. Hockenson at some point.
Offensive Line (9)
Taylor Decker (LT)
Jonah Jackson (LG)
Frank Ragnow (C)
Halapoulivaati Vaitai (RG)
Penei Sewell (RT)
Obinna Eze (OT)
Matt Nelson (OT)
Evan Brown (C)
Tommy Kraemer (G)
The Lions will have one of the top offensive lines in the NFL if they can remain healthy. As you can see, I now have Obinna Eze making the roster over Dan Skipper.
http://gty.im/1240313004
Detroit Lions Defense
Defensive Line/EDGE (8)
Michael Brockers (DL)
Alim McNeill (DL)
Levi Onwuzurike (DL)
Jashon Cornell (DL)
Austin Bryant (EDGE)
Aidan Hutchinson (EDGE) (Rookie)
Charles Harris (EDGE)
Isaiah Buggs (DL)
Linebackers (6)
Alex Anzalone
Derrick Barnes
Chris Board
Julian Okwara
Malcolm Rodriguez (Rookie)
James Houston (Rookie)
Keep a close eye on Malcolm Rodriguez as he has a nose for the football and is not afraid to mix it up.
http://gty.im/1334563457
Cornerbacks/Safeties (11)
Amani Oruwariye (CB)
Jeff Okudah (CB)
Ifeatu Melifonwu (CB)
Bobby Price (CB)
Will Harris (CB)
AJ Parker (CB)
Tracy Walker (S)
DeShon Elliott (S)
Kerby Joseph (S) (Rookie)
Chase Lucas (CB) (Rookie)
C.J. Moore (S)
It will be interesting to see how well Jeff Okudah performs following an Achilles injury that sidelined him last season.
Special Teams (3)
Jack Fox (P)
Austin Seibert (K)
Scott Daly (LS)
Nation, do you agree with all 53 of these selections? If not, which changes would you make?
