Detroit Lions depth chart projection after mandatory minicamp: Surprise starters emerge on both sides of the ball
Detroit Lions depth chart projection after minicamp is here. A few unexpected starters emerge on both sides of the ball, including some names that weren’t widely expected to be leading battles this early.
Mandatory minicamp is in the books for the Detroit Lions, and there are about six weeks to go before training camp opens up. Before that, we’ve already done a 53-man roster prediction. Now we’re going to take those players and put them into our depth chart projection. He we go.
Lions offensive depth chart projection
Ok, let’s talk about what we’ve got going on here. The left guard battle is going to be a big-time battle this summer. Maybe the biggest battle of training camp for the Lions. I’ve got Miles Frazier winning the job because ultimately I believe he’s going to be the more balanced option, whereas Mahogany was good at run blocking, but struggled at pass blocking.
The other thing you might notice is that Conklin is ahead of Wright, but I don’t think that’s like a set-in-stone thing. I think there will be some fluidity here where they sort of bounce back and forth between what the opponent is calling for, and they play about the same number of snaps.
Lions defensive depth chart projection
Ok, there’s more to talk about here. I know the first thing that might come to your mind is “Why is Wonnum starting over Moore, who they just took in the second round?” It’s not that simple. Like the Conklin/Wright thing, it’s fluid.
The Lions are likely to take their time with Moore to get him to the point where he’s balanced and can do everything they want. So to start, they’ll have Wonnum on the field for early run snaps and then put Moore in on the late snaps to pass rush. At some point in 2026, you’ll see Moore start to get more snaps and eventually just be the starter.
I’ve got both Branch and Joseph starting in Week 1. Yes, I know that sounds crazy, but the Lions have not ruled out Branch being back at training camp and even mentioned that it was possible. So maybe we’re willing it into existence here.
Initially, I thought Rodriguez would be the starter at Will to start the season, and that might happen, but Rolder has come along faster than expected. Granted, that’s at the pajama party, but you can see how it can translate to getting pads on. So I’m going with him being the Week 1 starter there.
Abney is going to be good for the Lions, and I believe he can start at some point. But right now, McCreary might be a bit undeniable. I have to go with him.
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