Last week we did our first ever Detroit Lions mailbag piece. We'll be doing that again this week by the way. Send your Lions questions to @AtoZ_Payton. One of the biggest questions of that mailbag was which Lions player do I think can have a breakout season in 2023? 

I chose James Mitchell. I think the tight end is ready for a much bigger role this coming season. I've been dwelling on that question all weekend. While I think Mitchell is ready to break out, he's not the only Lions player I think is ready to do that. 

I've thought it out and here's three Lions I think are poised for a breakout season. 

Kerby Joseph 

You might think that Kerby Joseph had a breakout season in 2022. You wouldn't be totally wrong about that. Joseph found a lot of success in his rookie year and he was really fun to watch. I think he's even better than that in 2023. 

I'm not talking about him breaking out and just having a good season, I'm talking about Joseph becoming a Pro Bowler and a star of the NFL. Joseph has all the skill and swagger that it takes to make that jump. 

What would he have to do? He'd have to simply take last years play and keep that trajectory going. Sadly for him, Aaron Rodgers is no longer in the NFC North to help give him three interceptions. He'll have to find them elsewhere. 

Kalif Raymond

Maybe Raymond has already broke out. He was second in receiving yards on the Lions in 2022. He had a pretty decent 2021 too. There's a couple reasons I put him in this piece today. 

The first is that with Jameson Williams missing the first six games of the season with a suspension, Raymond should see a lot of production during that time. Just like he did in 2022. 

The other reason is that its been bubbling for years and Lions fans know it. Raymond is just too good to be under the radar anymore. He made so many big plays last season on both offense and special teams. Its time he gets his flowers in the national sense. I'm not saying he makes a Pro Bowl or becomes a superstar or anything, but I think the rest of the NFL takes notice of how good Raymond is and how good of a team guy he is. 

Jerry Jacobs 

This kid just keeps getting better and better every season. He's gone from undrafted rookie who had a long shot to make the team to an undrafted rookie who played way better than you're used to seeing an undrafted rookie play. He continued to build on that in his second season. 

In year three, Jacobs could be ready to take the next step and carve out a starting role for himself. He'll have to beat out new Lions corner Emmanuel Moseley to get that done, but Jacobs has already started to make it known that he's coming for the spot and that he's a worthy challenger. 

Even if Jacobs can't secure the role in 2023, I still expect him to continue to trend upwards. By year four, Jacobs should be a real problem for anyone looking to challenge him for a spot as a starter. Jacobs just believes in himself too much and his work ethic is just too good for me to think otherwise. 

Featured image by Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK