Even the Kool-Aid drinkers realize that the 2021 season is most likely going to be a rough one for the Detroit Lions. Not only are they coming off a dismal 5-11 season but they have a new GM, new head coach, and a new quarterback, who happens to be a downgrade from Matthew Stafford.
But what about the future?
Most Lions fans seem to have hope that Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell will lead the franchise in the right direction and that they will soon be making the playoffs.
Well, according to ESPN, the next three years are not exactly looking great for the Lions. In fact, ESPN has the Lions ranked No. 31 out of 32 teams in their “NFL Future Power Rankings 2021: Projections for all 32 teams for the next three seasons” list.
Here is what they have to say about our Lions. (To see the full rankings, please click here. Note: This is behind a paywall)
31. Detroit Lions
Overall score: 65.1
Why they’re here: Perhaps no franchise is positioned to play the patient game more than Detroit, as new general manager Brad Holmes and coach Dan Campbell have little pressure on them this season or likely even next. Detroit has extra draft capital ahead with much better cap flexibility starting in 2022; it plans to build the roster through the trenches, as was evidenced through its 2021 draft class. This is going to take a while, but there appears to be a blueprint. — Yates
Biggest worry: Campbell has done as good of a job of hiring a staff as you could possibly do in Detroit as a first-time head coach. Now, the question for me is how players will take to his leadership style. This is an intense guy who talked about biting kneecaps at his introductory news conference. Leadership comes in many different forms, and only time will tell if his style will pay off. — Riddick
What could change for the better: The offensive line will be together for a while to support Jared Goff. The average age of the starting five is 24.8 years old, with Halapoulivaati Vaitai the only player over 27. Taylor Decker, Frank Ragnow and Penei Sewell are under contract for at least the next four seasons. — Fowler
Stat to know: The Lions had the worst expected points added per play allowed against the pass when employing man coverage and when employing zone coverage. A fresh start with a new coaching staff can only help. — Walder
