In our second installment in this week’s POD Mailbag, we take a look at the Lions ideal secondary and much more.

With the summer portion of the offseason on the horizon, we’ve brought back our written mailbag and taken to Twitter, asking Detroit Lions fans to provide us with questions about the team. There were a lot of solid questions this week, and as Jeremy Reisman promised in our Mailbag: Part 1, we’ve got a second installment for you.

Let’s jump back in.

I think the most natural player to go to for this answer is Jameson Williams. The Lions have slowly put more responsibility on him and have consistently talked about his growth. But beyond words, the inaction taken by not adding more “starting” wide receiver depth after losing Josh Reynolds points to Williams getting more opportunities in 2024.

Since Williams is the easy answer here, I’ll give you a second player that I believe is primed for a breakout: Josh Paschal. At first glance, Paschal may appear as EDGE 4 on the Lions depth chart, as John Cominsky has been a starter the majority of the last two seasons, and the Lions brought in Marcus Davenport, who may be slated to start. But in the second half of last season, the Lions began to shift more responsibility onto Paschal’s plate and he started most games over the final month of the season and the playoffs. Add in Davenport’s inability to stay healthy and the opportunity for Paschal to break out and make an impact will be there.

I combined these two questions because there’ll be an overlap in my response.

First, let’s project the starting players in the secondary. On the outside at corner, the Lions have several options to challenge for roles, but my guess is the Week 1 starters will be Carlton Davis and rookie Terrion Arnold. Brian Branch will start at nickel, which puts him close to the line of scrimmage where he can shine. That leaves Kerby Joseph and Ifeatu Melifonwu to start at safety. In two-deep safety looks, they both have the range to drop, but when they shift to single-high, look for Joseph to play center field and Melifonwu to shift into the slot opposite Branch.

On the outside, the Lions have solid depth/competition in Amik Robertson, Emmanuel Moseley (once healthy), Kindle Vildor, and rookie Ennis Rakestraw. But on the inside, the Lions have some positional flexibility—most notably in Branch and Melifonwu—to adjust to scheme and opponent.

Both Branch and Melifonwu can play in the slot, in the box, and deep at safety. Branch tends to work better in the box, while Melifonwu works better deep, which is why they are in the roles I projected above. In base sets, the Lions can play things straight, but they also have the ability to disguise. Because Branch and Melifonwu are both elite blitzers, you can blitz one from the slot while dropping the other in coverage. This gives defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn the flexibility to blitz from the strong and/or weak side of the formation without tipping his hand—see the Divisional Playoff game vs. Buccaneers for examples of this.

So because of this flexibility, I expect the Lions to lean on Branch, Melifonwu, and Joseph as their top three options at safety, with recently re-signed C.J. Moore as their fourth option. This does not necessarily preclude the Lions from adding another veteran safety to the mix, but they seem comfortable with their top four options for now.

Additionally, in situations where Branch is at safety in two safety sets, I believe the Lions will lean on Rakestraw at nickel. Rakestraw opened rookie minicamp in the slot and began his college career there as well.

TL:DR

• Carlton Davis: CB1A
• Terrion Arnold: CB1B
• Brian Branch: NB1 and SAF3
• Ennis Rakestraw: NB2 and outside CB depth
• Kerby Joseph: Single-high SAF1
• Ifeatu Melifonwu: SAF2 (with NB range)

As Jeremy pointed out in his OTA preview article, we are very limited in what we can report about the Lions' approach to kickoffs, but based on how the new rules are designed, it seems to lend itself to more athletic blockers—like tight ends and running backs—will be favored on one side of the ball, while the other leans on athletes who can shed blocks and make tackles—like linebackers, hybrid rushers, or bigger defensive backs.

The Lions have done a nice job of adding players in those skill ranges this offseason—including targeting rookie running back Sione Vaki in the fourth round—and they have reportedly been scheming up adjustments since before the rule was even passed, in order to be properly prepared. Then, add in the creativity of special teams coordinator Dave Fipp combined with coach Dan Campbell’s aggressive approach and the Lions seem to be in a good spot to have one of the top special teams units again in 2024.

Looking at this draft class, the most important player for the Lions' Super Bowl plans has to be Terrion Arnold. He’s expected to be an impact player this season and improving the Lions' coverage will be paramount in overcoming the obstacles that held the team back last season.

But let’s expand on Keith’s question and identify the players who may fit into the other categories as well.

Beyond Arnold, Vaki is expected to be an instant impact player on special teams. While his contributions at running back could see some life in the back half of the season, he should be on the field in all special teams phases on day one.

Rakestraw also seems to fall into the category of “player who could show up in the back half of the season,” but since I already talked about him, I’ll pivot to Mekhi Wingo for my pick here. Wingo’s ability to create and rush the passer up the middle is a skill the Lions desperately need, but it’s probably going to take him a minute to adjust to the NFL because of his size. The traits are there, and so is the work ethic, and once he figures out how to properly use his advantages—which will only happen with reps—he could burst onto the scene very quickly.

As far as which player will “pop in year 2/3”, it makes sense to look at the offensive linemen. Christian Mahogany is considered more pro-ready but Giovanni Manu likely has the greater upside. If the Lions need to call on a rookie in 2024, that could mean Mahogany, while Manu seems more on target for 2025 or 2026.