The Lions’ last 3 draft classes are getting lumped together, but the numbers tell three very different stories
Detroit’s recent drafts have become a major source of frustration, but snap shares and the Lions’ history of developing young players show why they shouldn’t all be judged the same way.
The Detroit Lions are two games into the 2026 season, and one thing has become painfully clear: the 2024 NFL Draft class is done. It’s over. The numbers don’t lie, and they paint a picture that Lions fans need to accept before lumping every recent draft into the same bucket of frustration.
The 2024 draft class: almost no role remains
Regular-season usage through Week 2. Offensive and defensive percentages use that player’s side of the ball; special teams is shown separately.
| Player | Rd. | Pos. | Off./def. snaps | Off./def. share | ST snaps | ST share | Current context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terrion Arnold | 1 | CB | — | — | — | — | Released before the season |
| Ennis Rakestraw Jr. | 2 | CB | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | Inactive in Weeks 1 and 2 |
| Giovanni Manu | 4 | OT | — | — | — | — | Reserve/NFI; unavailable |
| Sione Vaki | 4 | RB/ST | 33 | 23.2% | 42 | 66.7% | RB2 and core special-teamer |
| Mekhi Wingo | 6 | DT | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | Inactive in Weeks 1 and 2 |
| Christian Mahogany | 6 | G | 11 | 7.7% | 0 | 0.0% | Started Week 1; injured after 11 snaps and missed Week 2 |
Detroit has run 142 offensive snaps, 164 defensive snaps and 63 special-teams snaps through two games. A dash means the player was unavailable to accumulate a 2026 snap share.
Look at the snap counts so far. Ennis Rakestraw has not played yet. Terrion Arnold has already been released. Giovanni Manu has been on NFI since the second day of training camp. Sione Vaki has played 23% of the offensive snaps and 66.7% on special teams, which is expected for a core special teamer. Mekhi Wingo has not played yet. Christian Mahogany has played 7.7% of the offensive snaps. He’s injured and will get a chance to come back, but what more do you need to see at this point? This thing’s over.
The 2025 class is a different story
What I notice a lot is that people keep throwing the 2025 class into that same conversation. The thing I keep hearing is that the Lions are struggling because Brad Holmes hasn’t had a good draft since 2023. And look, 2024 was horrible. It was really bad. I’ve mentioned before that 2024 was in general a really bad draft for every team. This was not a good draft class league-wide, one of the worst we’ve seen in a while. I don’t say that as a way to get Holmes out of criticism. He did his part. It was bad. There really wasn’t any alternative. It was going to be really bad or not as bad.
The 2025 draft class: three established pieces
This is why the 2025 group should not be lumped in with 2024. Ratledge, TeSlaa and Williams are already central members of their units.
| Player | Rd. | Pos. | Off./def. snaps | Off./def. share | ST snaps | ST share | Current context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyleik Williams | 1 | DT | 82 | 50.0% | 11 | 17.5% | Major defensive-line rotation |
| Tate Ratledge | 2 | G | 142 | 100.0% | 10 | 15.9% | Every-down starting right guard |
| Isaac TeSlaa | 3 | WR | 101 | 71.1% | 0 | 0.0% | Starting WR3 |
| Miles Frazier | 5 | G | 0 | 0.0% | 10 | 15.9% | Reserve lineman; field-goal unit |
| Ahmed Hassanein | 6 | EDGE | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | Inactive in Weeks 1 and 2 |
| Dan Jackson | 7 | S | — | — | — | — | Not on the active roster |
| Dominic Lovett | 7 | WR | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | Practice squad |
The 2025 class is different. Tyleik Williams has played 50% of the defensive snap share, and that number has gone up significantly. He’s a huge part of the Lions defensive line, and it’s going to keep climbing, though Detroit likes to rotate there. Tate Ratledge has played 100% of the snaps. Isaac TeSlaa has played 71.1% of the snaps. I know he’s not getting targets yet, but right now he’s a big part of what the Lions want to do because of the blocking he brings. Miles Frazier is getting snaps nobody expected him to get. Ahmed Hassanein is the one where it’s like, what’s going on? I thought he’d play more, and I’m sure he will get his opportunity. Dan Jackson isn’t on the team. Dominic Lovett is on the practice squad. The two seventh-round picks, the fifth-round pick, and the sixth-round pick aren’t getting a whole lot of action, but Williams, Ratledge, and TeSlaa definitely are.
The 2026 class needs patience, not panic
The 2026 draft class: the opportunities are already there
Two games are too early to judge a rookie class, but four picks have already received real offensive or defensive work.
| Player | Rd. | Pos. | Off./def. snaps | Off./def. share | ST snaps | ST share | Current context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blake Miller | 1 | OT | 77 | 54.2% | 5 | 7.9% | Started and played every snap in Week 1; injured for Week 2 |
| Derrick Moore | 2 | EDGE | 35 | 21.3% | 0 | 0.0% | Defensive rotation in both games |
| Jimmy Rolder | 4 | LB | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | Inactive in Weeks 1 and 2 |
| Keith Abney II | 5 | CB/NB | 25 | 15.2% | 5 | 7.9% | Played defensive snaps in Week 1; inactive in Week 2 |
| Kendrick Law | 5 | WR | — | — | — | — | Season-ending IR after an offseason ACL tear |
| Skyler Gill-Howard | 6 | DT | 71 | 43.3% | 11 | 17.5% | Substantial defensive role in both games |
| Tyre West | 7 | DL | — | — | — | — | Released from the practice squad before Week 1 |
The 2026 draft class is also getting thrown into that conversation, but there’s a separate discussion to have there. Blake Miller has played 54.2% of the snaps. He did not play in Week 2, and that number will get higher once he comes back. Derrick Moore has played 21% of the defensive snaps. Keith Abney did not play in Week 2 but got 15% of the snaps in Week 1. Skyler Gill-Howard is the big shocker of them all at 43.3% of the snaps. Jimmy Rolder is a different situation. He spent a lot of time injured at camp, and once he came back, he had essentially one week of practice. The Lions like to ramp their guys up. I wouldn’t be surprised if he played against the Jets or came back in Week 4.
Here’s the thing, though. Lions fans do this every single year. They see all these draft picks not playing in the first half of the season and assume the guys must not be any good. I remember when the Lions didn’t play Jahmyr Gibbs a lot early on. People were freaking out. Fantasy nerds were really freaking out. But then look at what happened.
We created the Dan Campbell Trust Index over the summer, and I think it’s a great tool to utilize here because you’ll see the trust growth. Amon-Ra St. Brown had a trust score of 65 as a rookie. Nobody ever remembers that, but he didn’t really start showing up until that win over Minnesota, and then he just would not go away. That trust grew in Year 2 and again in Year 3. Derrick Barnes had a bit of a down Year 2 with an injury, then hit 86 in Year 3. Alim McNeill went up massively. Kerby Joseph went up massively. The only reason McNeill’s score dipped in Year 3 was the obvious: the injury.
How Campbell’s trust can change over a player’s first three years
The Dan Campbell Trust Index measures responsibility given by the coaching staff, not talent. Scores are out of 100.
| Player | Rookie year | Year 2 | Year 3 | Three-year change | What the path shows |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amon-Ra St. Brown | 65 | 96 | 100 | +35 | Earned a larger rookie role, then became an unquestioned foundation piece. |
| Derrick Barnes | 60 | 44 | 86 | +26 | His path was not linear. A reduced second-year role did not stop a major Year 3 jump. |
| Alim McNeill | 60 | 93 | 89 | +29 | Moved from a defined rookie rotation into a near-foundation-level role. |
| Kerby Joseph | 58 | 96 | 100 | +42 | Did not open his rookie year as the answer, but quickly became one and never gave the job back. |
Trust tiers: 90–100 Immediate Foundation; 75–89 Trusted Contributor; 60–74 Earned His Way; 40–59 Development Track; under 40 Redshirt/Low Trust. Injury seasons should be treated as incomplete rather than automatic zeroes.
The Lions build their rookies up over time. Blake Miller is going to get his reps and be a starter all year long. Skyler Gill-Howard is going to continue getting more opportunity. That guy is feeling like a steal right now. If you’re freaking out about Moore, Rolder, and Abney at this point, don’t. These guys are going to continue getting more opportunities as the season goes along, and then as the years go along, they’ll get even bigger roles after that.
Detroit is not a team that needs to rely on rookies to win games at this point, and it’s a team that genuinely likes to take it slow with its guys. There’s a plus to that approach. Don’t throw them in the deep end right away.
The bigger picture
I still think a guy like Hassanein is going to get a lot more opportunity coming up soon. TeSlaa is a big part of what the Lions want to do on offense even though the targets haven’t come the way Detroit would like. Jared Goff definitely threw his way a lot more against Buffalo, and we’ll see where that goes. The blocking ability alone has been impressive. I do still think the Lions should give Tay Martin some opportunities, but we’ll see. Miles Frazier is what he is: a reserve lineman.
By the end of the year, we’re going to look at the snap share on all of these 2026 guys and see it be much higher than it is now. I still stick to the point that this could be one of the most trusted draft classes the Lions have ever had. We’ll see where it goes. But for 2024, it’s over.
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