After a slow start to last season which saw Lions sitting at 1-6 through Week 8, Detroit then won eight of the last 10 games to finish at 9-8, the team’s first season with a winning record since 2017. The Lions were still in the playoff hunt entering the final day of the regular season but just missed out, with the Seahawks reaching the postseason over Detroit on tiebreakers. This upcoming season, which will be the third under head coach Dan Campbell, the Lions will be looking to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
Last season, Detroit finished with the 4th-ranked total offense in the league but had the worst defense in the NFL. However, most of the defense’s struggles came during the team’s terrible 1-6 start, turning things around to become one of the top teams in the league down the stretch. Quarterback Jared Goff didn’t throw a single interception in the final nine games of the season, while RB Jamaal Williams led the league with 17 rushing touchdowns. Williams, however, is no longer in Detroit after signing a three-year deal with the Saints. Defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson, the second overall pick in last year’s draft, made an immediate impact with 9.5 sacks and three interceptions as a rookie.
To replace Williams, Detroit signed RB David Montgomery (from CHI). They also brought back WR Marvin Jones Jr. for a second stint with the team while signing former Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to a one-year deal. Gardner-Johnson will join a secondary without Jeff Okudah, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 draft, who was traded to Atlanta for a fifth-round pick this year (No. 159).
Despite finishing last season with the team’s best record since 2017, Detroit will begin this year’s draft with the sixth overall selection, acquired from the Rams in the Matthew Stafford-Jared Goff trade prior to the 2021 season. The Lions’ then have their own first round selection with the 18th overall pick.
Click here for the entire 2023 NFL Draft order and keep reading to see who the Lions will take in the 2023 NFL Draft. Coverage of the latest news from around the NFL is available all year round from Pro Football Talk on Peacock and the NFL on NBC YouTube Channel.
Detroit Lions 2023 NFL Draft picks:
Round 1: No. 12 (from CLE through HOU and ARI) - Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Alabama
Round 1: No. 18 - Jack Campbell, LB, Iowa
Round 2: No. 34 (from ARI) - Sam LaPorta, TE, Iowa
Round 2: No. 45 (from DET) - Brian Branch, S, Alabama
Round 3: No. 68 (from DEN) - Hendon Hooker, QB, Tennessee
Round 3: No. 96 (from ARI) - Brodric Martin, DT, Western Kentucky
Round 5: No. 152 - Colby Sorsdal, OL, William & Mary
Round 7: No. 219 (from HOU through MIN via PHI) - Antoine Green, WR, North Carolina
Check out draft picks for the other NFC North teams:
Green Bay Packers 2023 draft picks