Four players from the Detroit Lions were included in The Athletic’s 2023 NFL All-Rookie team.
The Detroit Lions’ 2023 rookie class is making waves, just as they have the entire season. This time, four of its players were selected to The Athletic’s All-Rookie team.
The NFL staff at Athletics included linebacker Jack Campbell, defensive back Brian Branch, tight end Sam LaPorta, and running back Jahmyr Gibbs on their list. In addition to making significant plays for the Lions in their first campaign, all four have been crucial to the team’s postseason drive.
How many people are criticizing Brad Holmes, the general manager of the Lions, and his draft choices right now? Not that many? Interesting. I’m kidding. Even I complained a little for the first 24 to 48 hours following the draft on “positional value.” But the lesson has been learned, thanks to Holmes’s next truly good selection class.
Here’s a preview of what the Athletic had to say about a few Lions rookies; you can view the complete list of rookies here.
Gibbs:
Diante Lee remarked, “I’ll admit to being wrong about what Gibbs was capable of in his rookie campaign.” “For an undersized back, he put up an incredible workload with over 230 touches and 1,200 yards of total offense.” Although he is still a boom/bust type of back, Detroit’s prolific run game has benefited from his change of pace.
LaPorta:
“One of the strongest TE groups in recent memory was selected in the 2023 draft. Ultimately, LaPorta was the only person in the lead, according to Nick Baumgardner. He became the first rookie tight end in NFL history to amass 86 receptions, and his position as a blocker in Detroit’s run game was ideal. What makes him so special about his game is that he embodies every exceptional tight end of recent memory: great route runner, great blocker, great hands, great in space.”
Branch:
Baumgardner added, “Branch started hot for the Lions before cooling off a bit due to injury, but he rebounded to finish strong.” The Alabama rookie turned into one of the most influential slot corners in the league by the end of the regular season. In the slot, he gave up just.96 yards per snap.
The remaining notes for today are as follows:
This is the best Jared Goff, according to a lot of people in the NFL. Discover why Ben Solak from Ringer is one of the believers.
🚨🚨JARED GOFF? MORE LIKE JARED…GOOD🚨🚨
Jared Goff's two playoff games with the Lions are each better by EPA per dropback than all six of his playoff games with the Rams.
Why? Because Goff 2.0 is a better QB than LA Goff ever was
Full show: https://t.co/PpiiB9hS8e pic.twitter.com/2Yj7KWwL4F
— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) January 24, 2024
Lions center Frank Ragnow is hurt, as he has been all season. Nevertheless, he anticipates being ready for the NFC Championship Game over the 49ers. More from Mlive’s Kyle Meinke.
Frank Ragnow (ankle/toe/knee/back) is dealing with so many injuries that they bleed across 2 boxes on the injury report. He expects to play in San Francisco, naturally.
But he's far from the only player banged up heading into the NFC championship game: https://t.co/kdVhMLvfn9
— kyle meinke (@kmeinke) January 24, 2024
It should come as no surprise that a large number of Lions supporters are traveling this week. For additional information on how the Honolulu Blue wave is expected to arrive in San Francisco, see Dave Birkett of the Free Press.
Lions fans ready for cross-country trip to 49ers: 'I'm going all-in; I don't care' https://t.co/uT03VOKU6p via @freep
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) January 24, 2024
Frank Ragnow, a center with the Lions, is one of the NFLPA Alan Page Community Award finalists.
Calais Campbell, Damar Hamlin, Frank Ragnow among finalists for NFLPA Alan Page Community Award. https://t.co/VO9ZzsWjrx
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) January 24, 2024
