Detroit Lions rules ESPN’s All-Youngster roster.

In the NFL, youth is the currency. Young players are more affordable and enhance the reputation and long-term viability of a team, so general managers are chasing them for their rosters.

Brad Holmes, the general manager of the Detroit Lions, has undoubtedly been employing that tactic since he took over the team in 2021. The Lions have been among the league’s youngest teams ever since he amassed draft capital and cleared the rosters of costly veterans.

In a recent ESPN article, Matt Miller and Matt Bowen claimed that the Lions had also done a fantastic job of identifying young players with talent. The top NFL players under 24 were assembled into a 22-man roster by the ESPN duo, along with a reserve squad.

Four Lions players made the list in total: linebacker Jack Campbell, right tackle Penei Sewell (who ESPN moves to left tackle to accommodate Darnell Wright), tight end Sam LaPorta, and edge defender Aidan Hutchinson. To be clear, Detroit represented four out of twenty-two players, or eighteen percent of the total, with all four of those players being first-team selections.

Even more encouraging is the possibility that a couple Lions players were left off the list. Even though Jahmyr Gibbs, the running back, is only 21 years old, his statistical output is actually quite similar to that of ESPN’s choice, Bijan Robinson.

Note: Gibbs has played 379 snaps, while Robinson has played 496.

Jahmyr Gibbs: 41 receptions, 109 carries, 566 yards (5.2 YPC), 5 touchdowns 278 linear feet
Bijan Robinson: 32 receptions, 240 yards, 3 touchdowns; 141 carries, 703 yards (5.0 YPC).

The 22-year-old Brian Branch, who finished his rookie season with 51 tackles, seven tackles for loss, six passes defended, and a pick six, is not included on the list either. Players with the potential to be not just excellent but outstanding, such as Josh Paschal (23), Kerby Joseph (23), Jameson Williams (22), and Alim McNeill (23), all project to be key players for this team in the future.

In summary, this team’s future is still incredibly bright. Here is a list of every player on ESPN’s under-24 roster.

Is it true that every good team faces challenges during the season, as Dan Campbell claimed this week? The Detroit News’ Justin Rogers examined every team with 10 wins over the previous three seasons to determine how many of them experienced difficult periods (spoiler alert: nearly all of them).