Detroit Lions 2026 award predictions: My MVP pick is easy, but the breakout player might surprise you
Some Lions award picks practically made themselves. Others require betting on young players taking much bigger roles than anyone expects in 2026.
The Detroit Lions kick off their 2026 season against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, and before the action starts, it’s time to hand out some preseason superlatives. These are my predictions for the Lions’ award winners this season, from MVP to Breakout Player of the Year. Let’s break it down.
MVP: Jahmyr Gibbs
I don’t think there is a single player on this team more important to what the Lions want to do than Jahmyr Gibbs. Detroit’s offense is a completely different animal when Gibbs is not on the field. The idea should be simple: don’t take Gibbs off the field unless it’s a short-yardage third down or a goal-line situation. He should consistently be out there because he changes the way defenses operate. And even when opponents shift their game plans toward stopping him, he still blows right past it.
He’s just such an important factor to this team, and that is why I’m naming him the MVP. Honorable mentions go to quarterback Jared Goff, defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, and punter Jack Fox.
Offensive Player of the Year: Jahmyr Gibbs
This one’s pretty easy because it’s the same guy who just won the MVP. I believe the Lions when they say Gibbs is going to be their bell cow this year. Because of that, I think he’s going to get more run and more opportunity than we’ve ever seen him get. Detroit has Sione Vaki and Jacob Saylors as their running back two in a committee-type setup, but right now, it’s fair to say the Lions are going to feel a lot more comfortable when they have Gibbs on the field.
He attacks on the ground, and he attacks through the air. We’re projecting he could have 2,000 total yards this year, possibly even more than that, with 20-plus touchdowns. The Lions have a much better offensive line now. I think the offense is going to look a lot better, and I think Gibbs is going to be exactly as advertised.
Defensive Player of the Year: Aidan Hutchinson
Come on, guys. Super simple. We know what Hutchinson is capable of. He’s one of the best edge rushers in the NFL, a first-team All-Pro. He’s going to generate a ton of pressures, but I think this could be a special year for him because he has pass-rush help. Last year, if Hutchinson didn’t get it done, nobody was doing it. This year he has D.J. Wonnum, Alim McNeill, Tyleik Williams, Ahmed Hassanein, Derrick Moore, and Skyler Gill-Howard. He’s got a bunch of guys who can absolutely get in there and make things happen. It doesn’t all have to be on Hutchinson for the first time, like, ever. He could absolutely eat this year.
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Blake Miller
This is an incredibly hard one to give away. You have to go with offensive tackle Blake Miller because he’s really the only offensive rookie the Lions have. That doesn’t mean I think Miller is going to struggle. I think Miller is going to have a great year. There’s just no rookie wide receiver, running back, or tight end who can go out there and wow everybody. Miller wins this almost by default.
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Derrick Moore
I think Moore is going to be very good for this team once he starts catching on and getting more opportunities. Wonnum is clearly the Week 1 starter going forward, but eventually Moore will start to earn more and more snaps. I could see Moore finishing with around eight sacks this year while getting better at setting the edge in the run game. Keith Abney, Skyler Gill-Howard, and Jimmy Rolder all have a shot here, but I’m going with Moore because I think he’s going to get the most opportunities of all these guys.
Comeback Player of the Year: Alim McNeill
I’m seeing it already. This one was tough because it was between McNeill and cornerback D.J. Reed, who both had tremendous summers. But McNeill is looking like a freak right now. He looks like a guy who’s going to destroy some offensive lines, and he’s been practicing this summer as if he’s already doing exactly what I’m predicting he’ll do here. I think he’s going to have a tremendous season, and Lions fans will stop talking about how that contract was a bad idea or how they should trade him. Alim McNeill, your Comeback Player of the Year.
Breakout Player of the Year: Skyler Gill-Howard
This was also hard because part of me wanted to say Jackson Meeks, but I really believe by the end of this season, Gill-Howard is going to be a fan favorite. I don’t know exactly what that looks like in terms of early snap counts. There’s a chance we see him just 10 to 15 snaps here and there at first. But by the end of the season, you start seeing him more and more. I think this is somebody who could come out and have five to six sacks this year and just have a big-time rookie year for a sixth-round pick. And I think next year you see him being an even bigger part of this team.
Those are the awards. We’ll come back at the halfway point of the season and talk about where things stand, whether we were right or wrong about any of this, and then we’ll check back in at the end to see what happened.
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