Lions Athleticism Growing 'By Pretty Big Leaps'

Where do Lions rank in team athleticism compared to rest of NFL?

Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, center, smiles while practicing with quarterback Jared Goff during OTAs / Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Detroit Lions have steadily worked to improve the athleticism of the roster.

Back in 2019, the team only had an average Relative Athletic Score of 6.56. In three years at the helm, general manager Brad Holmes has worked to add more athletic draft prospects to the roster, developing a core that has the organization poised to be playoff contenders for the next several seasons.

The creator of the RAS scale, Kent Lee Platte, noted in his recent ranking of NFL team athleticism just how far the Lions have come since the former office and coaching staff were dismissed back in 2020.

Platte explains, "The overall athleticism of the Lions roster has been growing by pretty big leaps since 2020. They went from a very low ranked 6.56 in 2019 to 6.7 in 2021, 6.92, 7.29, and now 7.5. Nearly a full point jump on average and they're still improving."

Detroit's roster currently ranks 12th in overall athleticism, just behind the Dallas Cowboys.

Dan Campbell does not want complacency

Detroit's young roster is seeking to take the next step forward after coming close to winning the NFC last season.

Dan Campbell is looking forward to seeing his team learn and apply advanced concepts, as many of the coaches on his staff have remained and a core group of talented players has been established

When the fourth-year head coach was asked if he had any concerns about his team outside of injuries, Campbell noted, "No. I don’t. Injuries you have no control over. You do the best you can with the way you set things up and training is a big part of that, guys taking care of their body. But no, no I don’t. What I worry about is the things we have control of, so I shouldn’t have to worry about it right? We put the work in, nobody gets complacent, there shouldn’t be any entitlement, we’ve got to go back to work and as long as we do that, we’ll be just fine.”

12. Detroit #Lions
Avg #RAS 7.5

The overall athleticism of the Lions roster has been growing by pretty big leaps since 2020.

They went from a very low ranked 6.56 in 2019 to 6.7 in 2021, 6.92, 7.29, and now 7.5. Nearly a full point jump on average and they're still improving.

— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) May 23, 2024

Additional reading

1.) 'We All Want Sacks': With New D-Line Coach, Lions Can Meet Goals

2.) Lions OTA 3 Takeaways: Defense Is Better, Will Hooker Backup Goff?