On Friday, we got our first look at the Detroit Lions’ rookie class. With rules being particularly strict about the level of participation allowed at this point in the offseason, it was only a minor taste. Yet it was still enough to make first impressions on these young players.

As coaches have repeated several times already this offseason, it will not be an easy path for these rookies. Over the first three years of Detroit’s roster rebuild, they often relied on their rookies to not only fill out their 53-man roster, but most of them played heavy roles during the actual games.

Those times are gone.

The Lions are NFC North returning champs and enter 2024 with Super Bowl expectations, and a lot of starting jobs already claimed

So today’s Question of the Day is:

How many rookies will make the Lions final roster?

My answer: Let’s look at this from a few different points of view.

Last year, it was 7: Jahmyr Gibbs, Jack Campbell, Sam LaPorta, Brian Branch, Colby Sorsdal, Brodric Martin, Steven Gilmore (Hendon Hooker was als on the Non-Football Injury list).

We can also make predictions just based on the draft picks: Terrion Arnold, Ennis Rakestraw Jr., Giovanni Manu, and Sione Vaki are certainly going to make it. Given the lack of depth at defensive tackle, Mekhi Wingo seems safe, too. And Christian Mahogany has enough upside that he seems likely to make it, too. But is Detroit really in a place where they can keep all of their draft picks—and maybe even a UDFA or two?

Let’s run down the current Lions’ roster and list the non-rookie “locks” to make the team:

1. Jared Goff
2. Hendon Hooker
3. David Montgomery
4. Jahmyr Gibbs
5. Amon-Ra St. Brown
6. Jameson Williams
7. Kalif Raymond
8. Sam LaPorta
9. Brock Wright
10. Taylor Decker
11. Graham Glasgow
12. Frank Ragnow
13. Kevin Zeitler
14. Penei Sewell
15. Aidan Hutchinson
16. Alim McNeill
17. DJ Reader
18. Marcus Davenport
19. Josh Paschal
20. Brodric Martin
21. Jack Campbell
22. Alex Anzalone
23. Derrick Barnes
24. Jalen Reeves-Maybin
25. Malcolm Rodriguez
26. Carlton Davis
27. Brian Branch
28. Amik Robertson
29. Kerby Joseph
30. Ifeatu Melifonwu
31. Jack Fox
32. Whoever wins the kicker battle
33. Whoever wins the long snapper battle

There is plenty of room for competition from rookies, believe it or not, although I was pretty liberal in excluding players from being locks. For example, I think guys like Donovan Peoples-Jones, James Mitchell/Shane Zylstra, Colby Sorsdal, Dan Skipper, James Houston, John Cominsky, Emmanuel Moseley, and C.J. Moore all more than likely make the roster. That leaves us with about a dozen spots left.

Ultimately, I think there’s ample room for everyone in the rookie draft class—though they’ll still have to beat out the likes of Detroit’s bubble players like Craig Reynolds, Antoine Green, Kayode Awosika, Levi Onwuzurike, Mathieu Betts, Khalil Dorsey and Kindle Vildor.

I think you can probably expect at least one UDFA to make it, as well. So my answer is seven rookies will make the initial 53-man roster.

What do you all think? Scroll to the comment section below and offer your thoughts?