The Detroit Lions are in the offseason, but they’re still prepping for what will hopefully be another record-breaking season in 2025 and one that finally, for the first time in franchise history, gets them to the big game. While every single player on their roster is important, there are always some players who are just at the heart of the team and provide a strong core, strength and experience.
So, which players will make or break the Lions in 2025? Following the NFL draft and NFL schedule release, PFF has released its tally of each NFL team’s three best players of 2025. “While quarterback remains the most important position in the sport, every roster has a core, the foundational players who will ultimately determine the ceiling and stability of a team in 2025,” they note in the May 20 piece.
They add that while some players are obvious heavy-hitters, some are not. So, let’s get into their picks for the Lions in 2025.
Lions’ Top 3 Players, According to PFF
Sure, Lions quarterback Jared Goff is one of the most important pieces of the puzzle for the team, but PFF doesn’t have him included as one of the top three players in Detroit for 2025. Instead, PFF names Amon-Ra St. Brown, Aidan Hutchinson and Penei Sewell as the most important players for 2025.
“St. Brown continues to dominate PFF’s receiving metrics,” they state in the article, noting that he “leads all wide receivers in WAR in 2024 (0.70), cumulative WAR over the past three years (1.70) and average WAR over that span (0.57).” Also, his 92.5 receiving grade is only behind Tyreek Hill for the same seasons.
“Hutchinson opened 2024 with one of the most dominant five-game stretches ever recorded, earning a 95.0 pass-rush grade and a 38.9% win rate before injury,” PFF adds. “Sewell delivered a second consecutive elite run-blocking grade (91.5) and remains one of the top offensive linemen in football.”
So, numbers don’t lie. These are the guys who will make or break the Lions this season.
Jared Goff Sits Inside ‘Solid Starters’ Quarterback Tally
PFF also has a tally out, published May 20, of their quarterback rankings going into the new season “based on a combination of recent performance and career trajectory.” In it, they have Goff named as the No. 9 quarterback in the league, calling him one of the “solid starters who have flashed high-end play.”
“Goff has piloted one of the NFL’s most productive offenses over the past two seasons, earning an 84.8 passing grade over that span, the seventh-best in the league,” they note in the feature. “We’ll soon find out how much of that success was tied to Ben Johnson, now the Bears’ head coach, but the results speak for themselves: Goff has been a top-10 quarterback over the last two years.”
Their pick for the best quarterback in the league is Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, stating that even though the team fell short against the Eagles last season, “the supporting cast hasn’t always helped, particularly at receiver” and that “no one blends poise, playmaking and postseason performance like Mahomes, which is why he remains at No. 1 entering 2025, even if the field is closer than ever.”
