Filed under: More Detroit Lions make PFF’s top 101 players than rest of NFC North combined The Detroit Lions roster was stacked in 2024, and it remains in a strong place moving into 2025. By Feb 25, 2025, 9:00am EST If you buy something from an SB Nation link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.
More Lions make PFF’s top 101 players than rest of NFC North combined
NFL Combine preview: 10 linebackers the Lions should watch
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Vote on the Detroit Lions’ 2024 Play of the Year
Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images The Detroit Lions had a ton of crazy plays from the 2024 season, but only one can be the best. Vote on the 2024 Detroit Lions Play of the Year. There are not enough staff members on Pride of Detroit to nominate all of the worth candidates for the Detroit Lions’ 2024 Play of the Year. Some teams only get one or two unforgettable moments for a season. The Lions had upwards of 20, and it happened in all phases of the game: offense, defense, and special teams. If you need a trip down memory lane, this highlight reel of the best plays from the Lions’ 2024 season offers 13 of Detroit’s most memorable moments. Which one of these @Lions‘ plays this season was your favorite? ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/1zQa4pzAsy — NFL (@NFL) February 19, 2025 But there can only be one winner for this award. Here are our nominees for 2024 Detroit Lions Play of the Year. Scroll down to the poll at the bottom of the post to determine the winner. Previous awards: Breakout Player of the Year Special Teams Player of the Year Rookie of the Year Coach of the Year Game of the Year Pride of Detroit Moment of the Year Defensive Player of the Year Offensive Player of the Year Detroit Lions 2024 Play of the Year Jeremy Reisman: David Montgomery bulldozes Devon Witherspoon DAVID MONTGOMERY IS A BEAST. : #SEAvsDET on ABC : Stream on #NFLPlus and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/OiTpKUNzPB — NFL (@NFL) October 1, 2024 In a season filled with crazy trick plays and high-pressure moments, the play that will stick with me the longest is David Montgomery stealing the soul of Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon. What should have been a checkdown pass for 2 yards turned into a 40-yard explosive play I’ll never forget. He made just about every single player on the Seahawks defense miss a tackle on the way to one of the most impressive single efforts of any play in 2024. Max Gerber: Dan Skipper’s TD vs. Bills OL DAN SKIPPER RECEIVING TOUCHDOWN. : #BUFvsDET on CBS/Paramount+ : https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/fmdNnVDnPe — NFL (@NFL) December 15, 2024 Who doesn’t love to see an offensive lineman get the ball? Especially when it’s fan-favorite Dan Skipper, who the crowd erupts for every time he reports as eligible. The man who looms over the rest of the offense, nearly seven-feet tall, laid out a quick block against a Buffalo defensive lineman and released to a shoddy out route. The cherry on top was when he lowered his shoulder and attempted to truck a defender just for the fun of it as he crossed into the end zone. A year after the Dallas debacle, Skipper finally got six. Al Karsten: 4th-and-inches conversion vs. Packers The @Lions go for it… and get it!#GBvsDET on Prime VideoAlso streaming on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/uHtmLGvCWW — NFL (@NFL) December 6, 2024 Moving past some of the genius and razzle dazzle of the hook-and-ladders, the tackle eligible pass, the reverses, flea flickers, and even the Stumbleroski—the Lions’ most impactful play of the season was a hand-off on their fifth fourth-down attempt of their Week 14 Thursday night bricktacular Jake Bates walk-off. It was a tie ballgame with 43 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and the Lions had fourth-and-inches at the Packers 21-yard line. Dan Campbell elected to go for it and went off right tackle for 7 yards with David Montgomery. Campbell told everyone when he was hired that they would drag opponents into the abyss and outlast them and that’s what they did right there. It was the personification of gritty winning. Ending the game on their terms. Ty Schalter: 4th-and-inches conversion vs. Packers Jared Goff is never gonna run for 900 yards in a season. He’s never gonna run an RPO and have a linebacker more afraid of him keeping it than giving it to his All-Pro tailback. He might not even ever catch his own pass for a touchdown. But in one play, Jared Goff committed every bit of athleticism he had to compensating for adversity and putting the ball right in David Montgomery’s gut as if nothing had happened. And in what was the most important—and Most Lions—play of the season to that point, Monty got not only the inches he needed but seven damn yards on top of it. Erik Schlitt: Walk-off David Montgomery TD vs. Rams David Montgomery runs it in for the @Lions win! pic.twitter.com/iKUEHAvgMK — NFL (@NFL) September 9, 2024 The Lions opened the season by hosting the Los Angeles Rams on “Sunday Night Football” and both teams battled to a 20-20 tie at the end of regulation. Detroit won the coin flip and the Lions showed the world who they really were. The Lions ran eight plays in overtime, one pass (to Jahmyr Gibbs), and seven runs, with five of them going to David Montgomery. The Lions’ physicality shined and the offensive line bullied the Rams at the line of scrimmage, while Montgomery took away their will to fight. Finally, with the ball on the 1-yard line, the Lions turned to Montgomery once more and he bulldozed his way into the endzone for the win. Hamza Baccouche: Hook-and-ladder vs. Cardinals Little hook n ladder shenanigans for the score #DETvsAZ | FOX pic.twitter.com/EBUcoJeBn5 — Detroit Lions (@Lions) September 22, 2024 I wrote about this (specific to trick plays) in December, and my answer hasn’t changed. The hook and ladder from Amon-Ra St. Brown to Jahmyr Gibbs in Arizona was unlike any other trick play we’ve seen, and it was so perfectly timed and executed that it’s my favorite. John Whiticar: Stumblerooski vs. Bears We told ya he’s an athlete #ProBowlVote | @JaredGoff16 | @samlaporta pic.twitter.com/Fx4NZvBrGE — Detroit Lions (@Lions) December 22, 2024 I’m not the oldest football fan out there, but I have never seen a play call like that before. The creativity alone is insane—draw up a play where your quarterback and running back stumble intentionally?! Factor in
NFL considering more adjustments to kickoff rule for 2025
Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images The NFL’s revamped kickoff format may be in for another shake-up ahead of the 2025 season. After implementing the “dynamic kickoff” rule in 2024 to encourage more returns and reduce injuries, the league is now weighing further modifications to improve the play’s impact on the game. One of the biggest potential changes under discussion is moving the touchback spot from the 30-yard line to the 35-yard line. If approved, this would mark the third adjustment to the touchback placement in less than a decade, following previous shifts in 2016 and 2024. Another proposal would move the kickoff spot back five yards to the kicking team’s own 30-yard line, a move designed to further increase return opportunities. The goal behind these potential tweaks is to strike a balance between player safety and the excitement of special teams play. In 2024, the dynamic kickoff rule led to a notable increase in returns—jumping from 21.8% in 2023 to 32.8%. The new format, which prevented players from moving until the ball reached the designated “landing area,” helped reduce high-speed collisions while keeping the kickoff as an active part of the game. In addition to changes on kickoffs, the league’s competition committee is also exploring ways to make onside kicks more viable. Under the current system, onside kick attempts can only be made in the fourth quarter, and teams must announce their intent in advance. With a success rate below 10% in recent years, some have argued for alternative options—such as allowing a team to convert a fourth-and-15 or fourth-and-20 play instead of attempting an onside kick. The league is also considering expanding the use of replay assist for certain penalty reviews. A key focus of these discussions is whether to allow replay officials to intervene on penalty calls related to quarterback slides. This stems from a controversial roughing-the-passer call in the Kansas City Chiefs’ playoff victory over the Houston Texans earlier this year. While the league wants to ensure correct calls are made, it remains hesitant to open the door for reviews of all subjective penalties. Any proposed rule changes will be voted on during the NFL’s annual league meeting in late March. To pass, a proposal must receive at least 24 votes from team owners. If the dynamic kickoff sees another adjustment, it could reshape special teams strategy once again in the 2025 season.
Can you guess this former first round pick in today’s in-5 trivia game?
Think you can figure out which Giants player we’re talking about? You’ll get five clues to figure him out in our new guessing game! We’re back for another day of the Big Blue View in-5 daily trivia game. Game instructions are at the bottom if you’re new to the game! Feel free to share your results in the comments and feedback in the Google Form. Today’s Big Blue View in-5 game Previous games Monday, February 24Sunday, February 23Saturday, February 22 Play more SB Nation in-5 trivia games NFL in-5MLB in-5MMA in-5 Big Blue View in-5 instructions The goal of the game is to guess the correct Giants player with the help of up to five clues. We’ll mix in BOTH ACTIVE AND RETIRED PLAYERS. It won’t be easy to figure it out in one or two guesses, but some of you might be able to nail it. After you correctly guess the player, you can click “Share Results” to share how you did down in the comments and on social media. We won’t go into other details about the game as we’d like your feedback on it. How it plays, what you think of it, the difficulty level, and anything else you can think of that will help us improve this game. You can provide feedback in the comments of this article, or you can fill out this Google Form. Enjoy!
Can you guess this Eagles specialist in today’s in-5 trivia game?
Think you can figure out which Eagles player we’re talking about? You’ll get five clues to figure him out in our new guessing game! We’re back for another day of the Bleeding Green Nation in-5 daily trivia game. Game instructions are at the bottom if you’re new to the game! Feel free to share your results in the comments and feedback in this Google Form. Today’s Bleeding Green Nation in-5 game If you can’t see the game due to Apple News or another service, click this game article. Previous games Monday, February 24Sunday, February 23Saturday, February 22 Play more SB Nation in-5 trivia games NFL in-5MLB in-5MMA in-5 Bleeding Green Nation in-5 instructions The goal of the game is to guess the correct Eagles player with the help of up to five clues. We’ll mix in BOTH ACTIVE AND RETIRED PLAYERS this week. It won’t be easy to figure it out in one or two guesses, but some of you might be able to nail it. The game appears in slot #3 of the BGN layout each day this week and as noted above, will appear in this article exclusively. Additionally, there is a more general version of this at SBNation.com, which features a variety of random players that do not necessarily have Eagles history. After you correctly guess the player, you can click “Share Results” to share how you did down in the comments and on social media. We won’t go into other details about the game as we’d like your feedback on it. How it plays, what you think of it, the difficulty level, and anything else you can think of that will help us improve this game. You can provide feedback in the comments of this article, or you can fill out this Google Form. Enjoy!
2025 NFL Draft: 5 sleepers to watch at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine
Trevor Sikkema details five NFL draft sleepers to watch at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. 2025 NFL Draft: 5 sleepers to watch at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine 2YPK29W Virginia Tech’s Bhayshul Tuten celebrates after a touchdown against Virginia during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Blacksburg, Va. (AP Photo/Robert Simmons) By Trevor Sikkema Posted Feb 25, 2025 6:00 am EST Dont’e Thornton could become a fan favorite: He’ll look the part at around 6-foot-5, but he could stand out in the jumps and the 40-yard dash. He was a versatile track and field guy in high school, participating in the 100-meter dash, high jump, long jump and triple jump. That size and speed combination could make him a fan-favorite Bhayshul Tuten looking to impress: Tuten reportedly can hit almost 40 inches in the vertical, was clocked at over 23 MPH in a game and has hit 4.32 seconds in the 40-yard dash. He is an elite athlete of the backfield who can stand out among a crowded running back class. 2025 NFL Draft season is here: Try PFF’s best-in-class Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2025’s top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team. Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes It’s one of our favorite weeks of the football calendar: NFL Scouting Combine week, where we learn so many things about players — whether that’s measurables, athletic testing or even some great quotes to describe who they are as people. It’s also a big week for shake-ups on the big board and in the mock draft simulator. Here are five sleepers who could see their stock rise at the combine. LB EUGENE ASANTE, AUBURN It has been a long road for Asante to earn an NFL combine invite. He was a four-star recruit who committed to North Carolina out of high school. During his three seasons at UNC, he was primarily a special teamer. He then transferred to Auburn, where it was much of the same his first year there. Then, he got his chance to start and even become a team captain. The constant through all those years of college ball was his athleticism. He’s been clocked in the high 4.4-second range in the 40-yard dash with some impressive weightlifting numbers on Bruce Feldman’s ‘Freaks’ List. He could have a monster week in Indianapolis from an athletic testing perspective. WR DONT’E THORNTON, TENNESSEE Thornton felt underutilized in Tennessee’s offense this past season with just 26 receptions. However, those receptions went for 661 yards thanks to a 25.4 yards-per-reception average. His 80.6 receiving grade was the highest of any Volunteer this past season. He’ll look the part at around 6-foot-5, but he could stand out in the jumps and the 40-yard dash. He was a versatile track and field guy in high school, participating in the 100-meter dash, high jump, long jump and triple jump. That size and speed combination could make him a fan-favorite when it comes to the mock draft simulator. He could also be a front-office favorite as well for certain NFL teams. He scored a game athleticism score above 90.0 in each of the last three years. The Hokkies had a couple of speed demons on offense this year, one of which was Felton, who measured in at over 6-foot-4 and 223 pounds. Now, combine that with some of the numbers Bruce Feldman reported this offseason — Felton jumped over 36 inches in the vertical, nearly 11 feet in the broad and was clocked at 4.42 seconds 40-yard dash. He never earned more than 650 receiving yards in a single season, but if he puts up those athletic numbers at the combine, he’ll have people believing his most productive football is ahead of him. Tuten started his college career at North Carolina A&T, where he rushed for over 1,300 yards as a sophomore before making the jump to the ACC at Virginia Tech. Feldman reported that Tuten can hit almost 40 inches in the vertical, was clocked at over 23 MPH in a game and has hit 4.32 seconds in the 40-yard dash. He is an elite athlete of the backfield who can stand out among a crowded running back class. His 0.33 missed tackles forced rate would rank in the 95th percentile compared to recently drafted backs. Grant was a two-time FCS All-American in 2023 and 2024 as a lean and explosive offensive tackle. At 6-foot-4 and around 300 pounds, Grant has a lot of position versatility (perhaps even as a center in the NFL). His reported arm length is around 35 inches, the 80th percentile. Feldman also has reported that he ran a very impressive 10-yard split at 1.44 seconds. He earned a 91.0 overall blocking grade this past season with just a 2.4% pressure percentage.
Rams 3-round mock draft
Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images Will Rams break streak of avoiding cornerbacks in the draft? The Los Angeles Rams rarely target cornerbacks early in the draft, will 2025 be the best opportunity for a change of pace? Sam Teets, who posts scouting reports of draft prospects every single day on his Sports Talk newsletter, has a new 3-round mock draft out on Monday. Here are his three picks for the Los Angeles Rams. 26. Los Angeles Rams: Azareye’h Thomas, CB Florida State Unless I’m forgetting someone, the Rams haven’t used a top 100 selection on a true outside cornerback since taking Janoris Jenkins in 2012. The Eagles broke a similar streak when they took Quinyon Mitchell last year, and that worked out pretty well. There are some nice free agent corners this year, so the Rams have options. Thomas is listed at 6’1, 191 on the NFL.com website and we should get better measurements, athletic times at the combine this week. Here’s what Lance Zierlein had to say about him: Press-man cornerback with average speed but excellent length to disrupt game flow for opponents. Thomas deters early looks his way from quarterbacks by jabbing, crowding and smothering the release from press. He lacks route recognition and lateral twitch to stay tight to breaks from off-man. He also needs to develop his instincts and trust his eyes from zone coverage. He has average top-end speed but competes to shrink the receiver’s downfield catch odds using his length and ball skills. He’s more likely to spoil a catch than make a play on the football that results in a turnover, but that could change with more experience. He’s below average in run support, although he improved in that area in 2024. Thomas needs more seasoning, but he could become a good starter within two or three years. It’s been a while since the Rams have drafted any solid corners as they still have to find upgrades to Derion Kendrick and Cobie Durant. Starter Ahkello Witherspoon is a free agent and Darious Williams is a cap casualty candidate. In the third round, Teets has the Rams choosing linebacker Chris Paul Jr. at 90, then going to the other side of the ball and picking WR Troy Horton at pick 100. LB Chris Paul, Jr 6’1, 235 lbs Here’s what The Draft Network has to say: While Paul looks the part of a linebacker, he’s relatively undersized and looks smaller than his listed weight. He has room to add mass onto his athletic frame and not lose much of his quick twitch and athletic ability. He’s growing as a diagnoser against the run, but when he hits his gap and locates the running back, he’s rewarded with tackles for loss. When he’s slow to process what’s happening, he tends to guess and can overlap himself in a teammate’s gap, giving a rushing lane to an opposing running back. He uses good body positioning to mitigate his shorter arms when he can, but too often, he gets swallowed up by longer offensive linemen because he lacks the ability to stack and shed blocks regularly. He locates the football fairly well, but read-option plays can be difficult to sort out. Paul is at his best in coverage, where he can showcase his oily, loose hips and mirror the quarterback’s eyes. He is functional in both man and zone coverage, but his willingness to follow the quarterback when he gets out of the pocket causes him to vacate responsibility too frequently. He doesn’t have the best hands to create turnovers, but he can quickly break up passes and cover ground. He has the speed to cover running backs and some receivers and the willingness to man up tight ends, although he will lose the size battle there. His click and close gets him downhill against screens and backs in the flat. However, his tackling angles, undercutting blocks, and poor positioning give ball carriers too much space. Keeping outside leverage and more patience will help create more negative plays for the offense. He doesn’t have a pass rush plan or many tools, but he’s a great blitzer in a free lane with the upside to spy the quarterback. Paul could work to succeed Christian Rozeboom and Troy Reeder in a year or less. WR Troy Horton 6’1, 187 lbs Also from TDN: Tory Horton is a twitchy and fluid wideout with the skill set and collegiate production that should translate quickly to the next level. Highly productive wideout inside the Rams offense where his experience in producing at an extremely high clip showcases a wideout that has the nuance, maturity, and fundamental skill set to compete at the game’s highest level. Overall, Horton is a nuanced wideout with many of the traits teams look for in contributing pass-catchers at the next level. Considering his frame, skill set, and production, Horton remains one of the country’s most talented wideouts with a chance to hear his name called in the top 100 selections in the 2025 NFL Draft. Horton wouldn’t be an answer to Cooper Kupp, but instead to Tutu Atwell and Demarcus Robinson. The Rams do not have a second round pick this year. How would you feel if they picked these three players in April? Let us know in the comments.
Bengals News (2/25): Good Conversations
Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images Bengals news from around the web. Bengals News Bengals can have confidence their latest coaching hire will work out better for them compared to other teams in recent years Cincinnati’s coaching staff is just about finalized. Trey Hendrickson Shares Update on Contract Talks With Bengals Hendrickson has made his stance clear, but he and the Cincinnati Bengals are talking. Bengals hire Sean Desai as senior defensive assistant Another set of eyes on the defense, this one with a lot of experience. Bengals get shocking Tee Higgins trade offer in new projection Duke Tobin and co. would have to think long and hard about this one. Bengals fill big needs on both sides of the ball in mock draft update This would be a huge first two rounds. NFL Combine: 5 offensive prospects who fit Bengals needs The combine is ramping up this week. These could be some names to watch. NFL News NFL team submits proposal to ban tush push The Eagles have perfected it, but one team wants to see it go away. Sean McDermott non-committal on Von Miller’s future Could Buffalo move on from his massive contract? NFL to only invite 8-10 players to Draft 13 draftees were invited in 2024. Chargers Hiring Former Jim Harbaugh, Michigan Assistant to Coaching Staff A reunion in LA.
Biggest questions for Sanders, Ward, Top Draft prospects at Combine
Shedeur Sanders | Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images Diving into what to look for from the team’s options with the sixth pick this week With the NFL Combine this week, the Las Vegas Raiders will get some answers on the 2025 NFL Draft Class. The Raiders have several options with the No. 6 overall pick, including making a run at quarterbacks Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders in addition to best player available options like defensive tackle Mason Graham and wide receiver Tetairora McMillan. So, what is at least one question each of the top prospects tied to the Silver and Black can answer during the Combine this week? QB Cam Ward, Miami Q: How big is he? Ward is reportedly undecided on whether he’ll participate in any of the on-field drills in Indianapolis and may not need to as he seems destined to be a Top 5 pick in the draft. But his measurements will be worth keeping an eye on. The former Hurricane is listed at 6-foot-2, which is on the shorter side for an NFL quarterback, so it will be worth noting whether the listing is a legitimate or rounded-up 6-foot-2. With that comes the hand size question as well, where Ward is ultimately just looking at checking boxes at this point. QB Shedeur Sanders, Colorado Q: How do teams view his character? It was announced over the weekend that Sanders won’t be throwing at the combine and will be focusing on showing teams who he is as a person during interviews instead. Like Ward, Sanders has plenty of good tape to lean on, so this week it will be interesting to see if any reports surface about how teams view his personality. As to be expected from Primetime’s son, Sanders certainly doesn’t lack any confidence and can rub people the wrong way with some of his antics. So, it will be interesting to hear if the league puts any weight into that. DT Mason Graham, Michigan Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesMason Graham Q: Where does he fall on the size chart? On the field, Graham is a legitimate talent who was one of the most disruptive defensive players in college football over the last two years. But he might be a bit of a size outlier, making it noteworthy which percentiles his height and arm length fall into, especially the latter. CB Will Johnson, Michigan Q: How fast and explosive is he? This is the perfect event for Johnson to earse some recent narratives. While missing about half of the season this past fall also plays a big factor, Johnson’s draft stock has seemingly stalled as questions quickness and long-speed have come up. The combine is tailor-made to address those concerns, assuming he participates in the on-field drills. A good 40-time and times in the change of direction drills can help the Michigan product regain some momentum in draft talks. WR Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona Q: What are his change of direction numbers? Arguably the biggest question surrounding McMillan heading into the draft is if he’s a good enough separator to be a top-teir receiver in the NFL. So, it will be interesting to see how he stacks up to the rest of the class in the 3-cone drill and pro-agility shuttle as he can lack some explosion at the top of routes to separate from corners consistently. OL Will Campbell, LSU Q: How short are his arms? Campbell is a pretty clean prospect who is widely considered the best offensive lineman in the class. However, his best position at the next level is up for debate. Some view the LSU product as a guard, primarily to due to his lack of arm length. That makes his measurements worth keeping tabs on this week. RB Ashton Jeanty, Boise State Q: How small is he? Jeanty reportedly will also be sitting out of the on-field drills this week, leaving his size as the biggest question to answer in Indy. Listed at 5-foot-9 and 216 pounds at Boise State, it will be interesting to see how those measurements stack up with his numbers at the combine. If the roster size is correct, he has below-average height and weight for a NFL running back, according to MockDraftable.
