The 2019 NFL Draft has been completed, and teams are currently filling their remaining 90-man roster with undrafted free agents looking to create competition at specific positions.
This is an ideal time to examine the Lions roster and one of the best ways to do that is by using a Roster Stack — predicting roles by grouping players by their expected value to the team.
Because this is the first Roster Stack of 2019, this version will break down the roster into seven sections: 1) Impact players, 2) Core players, 3) Starter battles, 4) Role players, 5) Depth battles, 6) Development needed, and 7) Undrafted free agents and Tryout players.
Note: The sections are ranked by importance, but the players within them are not.
Impact players
These are the players who if removed from the roster, would greatly impact the team’s overall performance.
| QB | Matthew Stafford |
| RB | Kerryon Johnson |
| WR | Kenny Golladay |
| DDE | Trey Flowers |
| NT | Damon Harrison |
| CB | Darius Slay |
| S | Quandre Diggs |
After four years as Lions general manager and two offseasons with a scheme he is intimately familiar with, Bob Quinn is finally starting to see the roster he has been building towards. Six months ago, two of the players on this list weren’t on the Lions roster, another two players were key draft picks over the last two seasons, and the remaining three were all given contract extensions by Quinn.
Core Players
These players make up the foundation of the team and have a significant weekly role on the roster.
| WR | Marvin Jones |
| TE | T.J. Hockenson |
| LT | Taylor Decker |
| IOL | Frank Ragnow |
| IOL | Graham Glasgow |
| RT | Rick Wagner |
| DL | Da’Shawn Hand |
| DT | A’Shawn Robinson |
| MIKE | Jarrad Davis |
| JACK | Devon Kennard |
| NB | Justin Coleman |
| S | Tracy Walker |
| K | Matt Prater |
| P | Sam Martin |
| LS | Don Muhlbach |
There are arguments to be made that some of the players in this group belong in the group above — including all four of Quinn’s first round picks — but for now, they’re still working towards maximizing their full potential.
Starter battles
Virtually each starting role on the Lions roster has a clear front-runner, but that’s not the case with all the positions. The players in this section will either win a starting role or find a home as a reserve/role player and likely have an inside shot at the Lions 53-man roster.
| OL | Tyrell Crosby |
| OG | Kenny Wiggins |
| OG | Oday Aboushi |
| WILL | Christian Jones |
| LB | Jahlani Tavai |
| CB | Rashaan Melvin |
| CB | Amani Oruwariye |
| S | Tavon Wilson |
| S | Will Harris |
The battle for right guard between Crosby, Wiggins and Aboushi should be a fun one to watch come training camp. Wiggins should have the early nod as the returning starter, but Crosby has the biggest upside by far, while Aboushi has previously played for offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and could surprise.
Erik’s prediction at RG: Wiggins opens camp as the starter.
The battle at linebacker may not be much of a battle at all as both Jones and Tavai could end up seeing the same amount of time on the field. Jones will likely be the technical starter because of his experience but based on the Lions second-round investment in Tavai, and the praise they’ve showered him with, expect him to find the field in a variety of ways.
Erik’s prediction at LB: Jones stays the starter.
At cornerback, Melvin was brought in as the presumed starter on the outside but then Oruwariye fell into their laps in the fifth round and should be able to compete right away.
Erik’s prediction at CB: Melvin starts but don’t be surprised if Oruwariye wins the job after the Lions Week 5 bye.
The battle for the third safety role could very well play out like the one at cornerback with Wilson starting the season off as the veteran in that role but concedes snaps to the rookie Harris at the bye week.
Erik’s prediction at third safety: It’s only a matter of time before Harris takes over for Wilson.
Role players
These players should feel comfortable with their role on the team based on their skill sets and the current level of competition from the other players at their position group.
| RB | C.J. Anderson |
| Slot | Danny Amendola |
| TE | Jesse James |
| DE | Romeo Okwara |
| EDGE | Austin Bryant |
| NB/PR | Jamal Agnew |
With the Lions expected to use a lot of 12-personnel (1 running back and 2 tight ends) James is expected to play a big role in the offensive scheme and you could make a case he deserves to be in the Core Players section, but until we see it on the field, he is likely taking a back seat to the 8th overall pick in Hockenson.
Anderson and Amendola are clearer role players and while they are both on one-year contracts, there should still be plenty of opportunities for them to see the field as proven veterans.
Okwara started last season at the Lions down defensive end role but the addition of Flowers obviously drops him to this group. But, if you examine the structure of Okwara’s contract, the team would actually lose money if he doesn’t make their 53-man roster, meaning you can mark him down in pen as a lock for the team.
Quinn said he was “pleasantly surprised” that Bryant was still on the board when the Lions went on the clock at pick No. 117 but at his post-draft press conference he seems very excited about the selection. Bryant played on the EDGE at Clemson and while most have labeled him a defensive end, I believe he found more success when he was allowed to operate in space and that his primary position will be backing up Kennard at the JACK linebacker position.
Agnew’s 2018 season was disrupted by injury but he still harnasses the ability to return to his All-Pro form as a punt returner. On defense, the addition of Coleman knocks Agnew down a spot or two but he should still be able to find the field as a second slot corner when the Lions shift into DIME sets.
Depth battles – the final 13 roster spots
Based on my predicted current roster structure there should be 13 remaining spots on the Lions 53-man roster. The players in this section are the current players who will likely be battling for these final spots, and while I will identify my predicted winners following the list, things are far from settled.
| QB | Tom Savage |
| QB | Conner Cook |
| RB | Theo Riddick |
| RB | Zach Zenner |
| RB/KR | Ty Johnson |
| FB | Nick Bawden |
| WR | Travis Fulgham |
| WR | Andy Jones |
| Slot | Tommylee Lewis |
| Slot | Brandon Powell |
| TE | Michael Roberts |
| TE | Isaac Nauta |
| IOL | Joe Dahl |
| OT | Andrew Donnal |
| NT | PJ Johnson |
| NT | John Atkins |
| WILL | Jalen Reeves-Maybin |
| MIKE | Steve Longa |
| LB/Sp.T | Miles Killebrew |
| CB | Mike Ford |
| CB | Marcus Cooper |
| CB | Teez Tabor |
| S/Sp.T | Charles Washington |
| S | Andrew Adams |
Savage should have the edge over Cook and with a lot of competition elsewhere on the roster, I am leaning against the team keeping three quarterbacks this season.
Erik’s prediction at QB: Savage only.
An argument could be made to keep or cut all four backs. Riddick is a special pass catcher but has a hefty cap hit. Ty Johnson has speed and kick return talent but has limited experience. People forget how dominating of a blocker Bawden is but he needs to show he can win on special teams as well. Zenner is a proven winner on special teams but is a limited option as a runner.
Erik’s prediction at RB: Riddick, Johnson, Bawden all in, Zenner out.
Fulham flew under the radar on draft day but he is a full QIB qualifier — one of only five full QIB WRs drafted — an elite run blocker, and could open the season as the fourth option at wide receiver. If the Lions want a slot receiver Lewis and Powell will have an opportunity to impress in camp, while Andy Jones’ special teams play will give him a strong chance.
Erik’s prediction at WR: Fulgham and Jones make the roster because they have more positional value. Powell shifts back to the practice squad.
I’m not ready to give up on Roberts yet, but he should feel a lot of pressure to perform as there are as many as four tight ends who could take his spot. Nauta is an underrated late addition in the draft and his ability to produce as an inline and H-back option is appealing.
Erik’s prediction at TE: the Lions carry four tight ends and both make the squad.
Erik’s prediction at OL: Donnal and Dahl return to the 53-man roster but both are looking over their shoulder at undrafted rookie free agents.
Erik’s prediction at NT: PJ Johnson edges out Atkins based on his skills set and ability to play at multiple spots.
Erik’s prediction at LB: Reeves-Maybin is a close to a lock as there is in this section, while Longa and Killebrew make the roster because of their special teams skills but shouldn’t feel comfortable.
Ford, Cooper and Tabor could all theoretically be in competition for the starting corner role with Melvin and Oruwariye, but the reality is there are only so many spots to go around and don’t be surprised if only one of these players makes the roster.
Erik’s prediction at CB: that single player is Ford.
With Diggs, Walker, Wilson and Harris already in the fold, Washington and Adams will need to separate themselves from the other to stand out for the team to consider keeping a fifth safety.
Erik’s prediction at Safety: Washington’s special teams gunner role earns him a spot on the 53-man roster.
Development needed
These players found a spot on the roster based on their previous accomplishments but based on the other additions to the roster, they will have some work to do in training camp if they hope to beat the odds and make the 53-man team.
| RB | Mark Thompson |
| RB | Kerwynn Williams |
| WR | Brandon Reilly |
| WR | Chris Lacy |
| WR | Deontez Alexander |
| TE | Logan Thomas |
| TE | Jerome Cunningham |
| IOL | Leo Koloamatangi |
| OL | Jarron Jones |
| DDE | Eric Lee |
| DDE | Mitchell Loewen |
| DDE | Jonathan Wynn |
| JACK | Garret Dooley |
| WILL | Tre Williams |
| CB | Dee Virgin |
| CB | Andre Chachere |
| S | David Jones |
| P/K | Ryan Santoso |
Thomas landing on this list may surprise some people considering Quinn has been trying to land him for a few seasons now, but after signing James, drafting Hockenson in the first and then Nauta late, Thomas needs a lot of help to make the team — like the team keeping four tight ends on the roster and him beating out Roberts and two underrated undrafted free agents.
Undrafted free agents and Tryout players
These players have been reportedly connected to the team as either undrafted rookie free agents or have been given a tryout to earn a spot on the 90-man roster.
| Undrafted Free Agents | |
| WR | John Duhart |
| Slot | Andre Wilson |
| TE | Donald Parham |
| TE | Nate Becker |
| RT | Ryan Pope |
| RG | Ben Benzschawel |
| RG | Micah St. Andrew |
| DT | Ray Smith |
| DT | Matt Nelson |
| JACK | Malik Carney |
| MIKE | Tre Lamar |
| CB | Josh Miller |
| Tryouts | |
| QB | Jalan McClendon |
| QB | Tanner Mangum |
| WR | Kyrion Parker |
| RT | Alex Bookser |
| DDE | Parker Hesse |
| LB | Anthony Pittman |
| CB | Tatum Slack |
Parham and Becker are talented enough to compete for a roster spot, but Parham — a 6-8 243-pound glorified wide receiver — is a matchup nightmare and could be a sleeper to sneak onto the roster.
The offensive line is far from settled and right tackle Ryan Pope and right guard Ben Benzschawel should find themselves in the competition from the first day of training camp. The Lions gave Pope an almost unheard of $140,000 in guaranteed money, which as Lions Wire’s own Scott Warheit pointed out is substantially more than Donnal’s — his primary competition — $15,000 which he got in his one-year contract.
Carney began his career as a linebacker but switched to quickly switched to a pass-rushing role and led the Tar Heels in sacks all three years he started as a rush end. His ability to rush with his hand in the dirt and from a standing position should make him a logical depth addition to the JACK linebacker position. He may be the best of the undrafted players as he has Anthony Barr-type upside.
