Detroit Lions have one of NFL's best rosters, but a few blind spots still need addressing

How many late-round picks can you have?

That’s the question Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes admitted he asked himself during last week’s NFL draft, within the context of where the Lions’ Super Bowl-ready roster is at this point in the offseason.

The Lions return most of their starters on both sides of the ball, filled their biggest need at cornerback by doubling up at the position in the first two rounds of the draft and have backups at most positions who would contend for starting jobs elsewhere.

When Holmes packaged two Day 3 draft picks to move up in a trade and take defensive lineman Mekhi Wingo in the sixth round, he knew he was doing so at the expense of potential back-of-the-roster depth elsewhere.

“You start looking back and you’re like, ‘Well, you’ve got two sixes, you’ve got a seven,’” Holmes said. “You start looking, you’re like, ‘It’s going to be hard. Yeah, we could get this wide receiver, but he doesn’t play special teams, so I don’t really know how this is going to work cause now he would have to really win a spot but he’s probably not.’ And some guys, it just doesn’t add up or make a lot of sense.”

The Lions still have weaknesses on their roster they can address in the coming months via trade or the second wave of free agency. Here’s a look at their four biggest blind spots, potential ways to fill them and how likely each one is to cost them a chance at a Super Bowl.

Wide receiver

This is the most obvious remaining need after the Lions passed on pass catchers in the draft. Trading up to take cornerback Terrion Arnold cost them a third-round pick, and eight receivers came off the board between their second-round pick (No. 61) and trading up late in Round 4.

SUPER BOWL OR BUST: With contract done, Lions OT Penei Sewell sets sights on new goal: 'I want the big boy'

The Lions have one of the best receivers in football in Amon-Ra St. Brown but are thin behind that. Jameson Williams will play as the No. 2 receiver and his deep speed is an important element of the offense, but he’s still unproven — 25 career catches — entering Year 3.

It’s thin behind Williams, with Kalif Raymond, Donovan Peoples-Jones and second-year receiver Antoine Green probably next in line. If anything happens to St. Brown (and to a lesser extent Williams), the Lions would be a world of hurt at this position, though their token contract offer to Josh Reynolds — one they rescinded after their initial moves in free agency, then came back with again — shows the value they put on a No. 3 receiver right now with Sam LaPorta and Jahmyr Gibbs viable options in the passing game, too.

There are a handful of capable veteran receivers still on the market — Tyler Boyd, Odell Beckham Jr., Michael Thomas, Russell Gage, Michael Gallup and D.J. Chark to name six — and it won’t come as a surprise if the Lions add one before training camp. Thomas (from his time with the New Orleans Saints) and Chark (in 2022) have ties to the staff.

The Lions are diversified enough on offense that this shouldn’t be an issue, but they’re one major injury away from trouble.

Safety

This is an interesting one because the Lions have plenty of options in the secondary after overhauling their cornerback room this offseason, but no experienced backups at safety behind starters Kerby Joseph and Ifeatu Melifonwu.

Brian Branch is expected to start at the slot cornerback position and excelled there as a rookie last season. He’s likely next up at safety, as Amik Robertson can handle slot duties, too. But the Lions liked how Branch played when they took safety responsibilities off his plate midway through last year, with Dan Campbell saying in March the team split Branch’s “focus too soon” and wants him to “continue to grow at the nickel position and then he'll be able to tell us where we can go with him” at safety this year.

Brandon Joseph, who spent last year on practice squad, is the only other safety currently on the Lions roster, though Holmes said the secondary is made up of “VBs” (versatile backs) not “CBs” (cornerbacks) during the draft.

“The versatility component is big for us and it’s kind of the approach that it was last year, too, when we got E-Man (Emmanuel Moseley) and (Cam) Sutton and CJ (Gardner-Johnson) and all those guys,” Holmes said. “It wasn’t about just fitting those DBs in boxes, it was just the versatility in getting smart, gritty DBs.”

Joseph is coming off hip surgery and won’t practice this spring and Melifonwu has a long injury history, so there are injury concerns to monitor. Some of the best remaining free agents on the market are safeties, too, including Justin Simmons, Quandre Diggs and Micah Hyde. But without playing time to offer a veteran who has no role on special teams, the Lions are probably best rolling with what they have.

Kicker

Michael Badgley has been solid in parts of two seasons with the Lions. He made 20 of 24 field goals in 2022 and was a perfect 7-for-7 including the playoffs last year. But the reality is, the Lions signed Badgley as a street free agent midseason two years ago then relegated him to the practice squad most of last year. They clearly like him, but only to a point.

Badgley is the odds-on favorite to handle kicking duties this fall the way things stand now, though Michigan’s James Turner will be around this spring as part of the Lions’ undrafted free agent class.

There’s another kicker looming, of course, in Jake Bates of the Michigan Panthers, but he can’t sign anywhere until his season is done in June and there’s no guarantee he either continues his hot streak — he’s 7 of 9 now on the year — or comes to Detroit once he’s free.

The Lions have not put much value on the kicker position the past three years, perhaps in part because of Campbell’s penchant to try and convert fourth downs. Badgley’s accuracy from short distance is comforting, and there are veterans on the market — the Jacksonville Jaguars released Joey Slye — if the Lions want to go that route for competition.

But left untended, this is certainly an area that could come back to bite the Lions in the playoffs.

Defensive line

In some ways, Wingo might have been the best addition the Lions could have made to their defensive line once they passed on help the first two days of the draft. Wingo played as a pass-rushing defensive tackle in college, but Holmes said he sees the rookie as more of a big end with sub-package interior rush ability.

The Lions have good depth on their defensive line, so it’s probably not right to call this a “need.” Aidan Hutchinson is one of the best defensive ends in football, Alim McNeill and D.J. Reader will start inside, James Houston has tantalizing sub-package rush ability, and Marcus Davenport Josh Paschal and John Cominsky, like Wingo, can play on the edge or inside depending on the package.

Generating a consistent pass rush could be a concern, though, if something happens to Hutchinson or McNeill, so the Lions need Houston to blossom in Year 3 and their antennas should be raised for impact help closer to the trade deadline.

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on X and Instagram at @davebirkett.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions needs: Even with loaded roster, a few holes still remain