![\"Detroit](\"https:\/\/www.mlive.com\/resizer\/v2\/MVV6ICDZHBA4BCPRWXKHBTIH2Y.JPG?auth=c8ae80b60222e9ba884b775cc0581543554f959a028f5886f0603a932ba6c3f4&width=500&quality=90\")
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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<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n The NFL draft brings hope and excitement for every team, but for the players selected, particularly late-round picks, it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n \u201cHow many of the teams\u2019 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,\u201d MLive\u2019s Ben Raven posed on the latest Dungeon of Doom podcast.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cI said all of them are not going to make it. I just do not see it. Of the seven draftees, I\u2019ll say six,\u201d co-host Kory Woods predicted, pointing to the challenge facing the Lions\u2019 front office.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s already crowded.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you\u2019re pick 244 and you\u2019re joining a receiver room that is as top heavy as this one, and with a third-round pick in Isaac TeSlaa, that\u2019s tough,\u201d Raven said. \u201cIt\u2019s not to say he (Lovett) couldn\u2019t do it. And Brad Holmes loves to keep his draft picks. But pick 244 making a 15-win roster. I don\u2019t care how many UDFAs made it last year. Like the window is tighter.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThe time is now for Brodric Martin. There is no locked spot for him on the 53-man roster. He\u2019s gonna have to earn it,\u201d Raven said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In the latest Dungeon of Doom podcast episode, MLive discusses the challenges of breaking though and making Detroit’s roster.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":23808,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-detroit-lions"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Detroit](\"https:\/\/www.mlive.com\/resizer\/v2\/552CU7GYDVE47H4G5OC6SRR3YQ.jpg?auth=d9c96e8c9e30b418af8e18997e7b4a5cea3f091ec73ccdeb54aa242fc0a43046&width=500&quality=90\")
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