Ok, we're 15 days away from the Detroit Lions final cutdown day. The roster is starting to take shape after the first preseason game of the year. At this point we have a pretty good idea of who is going to make it and who isn't. 

All hope isn't lost for players if they don't make the 53 man roster though. There's always a shot at making the 16v man practice squad. Today we're going to predict which 16 players make it for the Lions. First, here are the NFL rule for practice squads. 

You can six players that have any type of NFL experience, four players that have accrued no more than two seasons in the NFL and then any amount of players that have played less than nine NFL games. Let's take a look at who could make it this year. 

Player	Position
Adrian Martinez	Quarterback
Mohamed Ibrahim	Running Back
Antione Green	Wide Receiver
Chase Cota	Wide Receiver
Alex Mollette	Offensive Lineman
Matt Nelson	Offensive Lineman
Savion Smith	Defensive Back
Brandon Joseph	Defensive Back
Brady Breeze	Defensive Back
Anthony Pittman	Linebacker
Steven Gilmore	Defensive Back
Trevor Nowaske	Linebacker
Parker Romo	Kicker
Connor Galvin	Offensive Lineman
Devine Ozigbo	Running Back
Daniel Helm	Tight End

This was actually hard to do than the 53 man roster projection. There's only 16 spots and a lot of players showed something during camp and in that first preseason game. Ultimately, I went with these 16 guys to start off with. Let's highlight some of them and explain my thought process. 

First you'll notice there's a lot of receivers and defensive backs. The Lions really didn't have any defensive linemen that showed much on Friday aside from guys that are expected to make the 53 man roster. 

I went with Chase Cota because he got targeted a lot of Friday and seemed to come through more than any other receiver. He was targeted seven times and caught four balls for 60 yards. It's clear the Lions like what he can bring to the table. Antione Green isn't going anywhere because the Lions spent a draft pick on him and he looked alright too. 

Maurice Alexander vs Dylan Drummond is the one to watch here. I went with Drummond on the 53 man roster this week, so Alexander makes his way over to the practice squad. That punt return touchdown really helped him. 

On the defensive back front, Brandon Joseph was a guy that I thought had a shot to make the 53 man roster early on into things. He's a lot like C.J. Moore and I thought he'd fit right in as a replacement for the suspended Moore. He had a pretty good outing on Friday. The secondary is just too full to have him on the main roster though. 

The Lions must like Brady Breeze, becasue they keep bringing him back. He's been in with the Lions in one way or another since the 2021 season. Similar situation with Savion Smith. The Lions seem to like him since they held onto him. Plus, he was slated to get more playing time in 2022 until he got injured against the Patriots 

Some other players of note are Adrian Martinez and Mohamed Ibrahim. Ibrahim has looked good enough to want to see more from him. I thought he would work perfectly as the running back three when the Lions picked him up after the draft, but he's just not ready for that yet. 

Martinez is the perfect practice squad quarterback. Maybe he can find his way into a backup role in the NFL some day. Until then, he needs more work and Detroit is a good place to get it. 

Here's some quick thoughts on everyone else:

• Alex Mollette: I'm intrigued by his ability to play multiple spots along the line
• Matt Nelson: Had a rough game on Friday, but still probably makes it due to lack of depth
• Parker Romo: That leg is too powerful to let him stray too far
• Anthony Pittman: I wouldn't be surprised if the Lions found a way to carve a spot on the main roster for him. Good special teams guy
• Steven Gilmore: You hope he turns into his brother at some point. Had a good game Friday
• Trevor Nowaske: Got a lot of reps Friday and showed some stuff. I think the Lions want to see more
• Devine Ozigbo: Has a connection to Dan Campbell from New Orleans days. Not 100% on this one. 
• Connor Galvin: Looked decent on Friday and the Lions need some depth at tackle
• Daniel Helm: The Lions tight end depth is nearly nonexistent after LaPorta, Mitchell and Wright. They used a lot of guys last year