In Detroit in 2022, much of the spotlight was placed on top pick Aidan Hutchinson. 

Rightfully so, as the talented rookie led the team with 9.5 sacks. However, another rookie also had an impressive season that did not get talked about as much. 

James Houston IV went from being on the roster bubble to being a vital cog of the pass rush. At least one national outlet has started to take notice. 

National NFL writer Cynthia Frelund recently picked the most underappreciated  player on each NFC team. 

Frelund chose Houston as the most underappreciated Lion. This is after Houston collected eight sacks while only starting in two games. Houston also forced a fumble, collected 12 total tackles, and seven tackles for loss. 

Regarding Houston, Frelund had the following analysis:

Despite playing in just seven games as a rookie, Houston piled up eight sacks. Pretty darn impressive. Only one defender had a higher pressure rate than Houston's 20.7 from Week 12 through 18 — that was veteran Arden Key at 21.2, per NGS. And according to computer vision, Houston ranked top five on the season among pass rushers in burst rate (the time it takes to travel 3 yards). In other words, that sack total was not a fluke.

While Houston likely will not get eight sacks for every seven games he plays in, his incredible burst rate implies that this was no fluke. Houston's impressive pressure rate puts him in elite company in the league. It will be interesting to see if Houston can maintain the impressive start over a full 17-game season.

With Houston, Hutchinson, and the Okwara brothers, the Lions' defense seems to be in good hands for the forseeable future.