A potential position change for a second-year Lions player could have a ripple effect along the roster
The Lions can make their offensive line a little deeper and gel a little better if they move one of their guards to tackle, a spot he’s already played
The Detroit Lions have spent a considerable amount of assets fixing their offensive line this year. There is no doubt about that.
They went out and got their starting center in Cade Mays and their swing tackle in Larry Borom in free agency. They got their starting right tackle, Blake Miller, in the draft. On top of that, the Lions got a lot of depth on the interior in Juice Scruggs and Ben Bartch, Seth McLaughlin, Melvin Preistly, and they brought back Michael Niese and already had Miles Frazier and Christian Mahogany.
There’s a giant battle happening for the left guard spot. But one of those guys you expect to be in the battle might not be in at all because of a position change.
Moving Miles Frazier to tackle makes a lot of sense for the Lions and Frazier
Going into the 2025 NFL Draft, we mocked Frazier to the Lions a lot. The reason we did that is that we know how much the Lions love positional versatility. If you can do more than one thing, the Lions want you more often than not. It’s that simple.
Frazier came to the Lions as a right guard, but he also played left guard, left tackle, and right tackle at LSU. Not just for a few games, but for full seasons. He has the size at 6-foot-6 and 325 pounds, and he has the athleticism to do it.
Now, there are some slight concerns with arm length. His arms are just under 33 inches long, but you’re not expecting Frazier to start at tackle for you. The idea here is that he’s your swing tackle after Larry Borom plays that role in 2025.
You’re moving Frazier to tackle at camp to see if he can do it in the NFL. If he can, then you have him keep working at it all of 2026 behind Borom, and then at the end of the year, you make the call if you want to have him step up to the big swing role in 2027.
How this move has a ripple effect
For starters, moving Frazier to tackle means he’s your tackle project now. It means you have to cut your losses on the Giovanni Manu project and admit that it didn’t work out. Unless Manu shows up and has a major step forward.
From there, that leaves an opening in the guard room. Now you have an extra spot to keep not just Christian Mahogany and Juice Scruggs, but maybe this is where you get a veteran guard like Ben Bartch, a roster spot, or Michael Niese lands it with his ability to play guard and center.
This move actively makes the Lions a deeper team. The question is, will they do it? We’ll see.
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