Detroit Lions wide receiver Dominic Lovett (19) may need to carve out a niche on special teams in order to make the roster.Jacob Hamilton | MLive.com
The NFL draft brings hope and excitement for every team, but for the players selected, particularly late-round picks, it’s just the beginning of an arduous journey toward making the final 53-man roster. And on a talent-loaded Detroit Lions team, that mountain has never been steeper to climb.
“How many of the teams’ seven draft picks will make the roster? It is a tighter window than ever. There are sure to be a couple of UDFAs that steal a spot,” MLive’s Ben Raven posed on the latest Dungeon of Doom podcast.
For a franchise accustomed to having plenty of roster spots available for developmental talent, this represents a dramatic shift. Success has created a logjam of proven performers, leaving precious few openings, regardless of draft status.
“I said all of them are not going to make it. I just do not see it. Of the seven draftees, I’ll say six,” co-host Kory Woods predicted, pointing to the challenge facing the Lions’ front office.
Perhaps no draft pick faces a steeper climb than seventh-round receiver Dominic Lovett out of Georgia. Selected 244th overall, Lovett enters a receiver room that’s already crowded.
“When you’re pick 244 and you’re joining a receiver room that is as top heavy as this one, and with a third-round pick in Isaac TeSlaa, that’s tough,” Raven said. “It’s not to say he (Lovett) couldn’t do it. And Brad Holmes loves to keep his draft picks. But pick 244 making a 15-win roster. I don’t care how many UDFAs made it last year. Like the window is tighter.”
The conversation extends beyond just draft picks and receivers, with previous developmental projects like defensive tackle Brodric Martin and offensive lineman Colby Sorsdal now finding themselves squarely on the roster bubble.
“The time is now for Brodric Martin. There is no locked spot for him on the 53-man roster. He’s gonna have to earn it,” Raven said.
