I have to say I’m loving the OL interior:
Cade Mays, Mahogany, Ratledge, Juice Scruggs and Seth McLaughlin. Seth has to show something to stick but the top four are set.
At OT Sewell, Larry Borom, Miles Fraser and Manu. Say Freeling gets drafted here…is that a really solid OL? Feels like serious competition.
Are we good there heading into the draft? I think we are at this point. Thoughts?
I think the talent level would be excellent, but I suspect our performance will come down to Petzing.
Out …… IN
Decker……?
Glasgow…. Mays
Skipper…. Borom
Colon……. Scruggs
Egkuban….. McLaughlin
Still though, having a super solid LT the past 7-8 years we might have taken that for granted.
Not to mention lost our all pro center a year ago.
Can’t say I love it, but we are rebuilding it
The Lions peak OL play was 2022-2024. Decker, Rags and Sewell were the anchors.
But we had Jonah Jackson, Evan Brown, Graham Glasgow and Zeitler sprinkled in there.
Mays isn’t peak Frank BUT…Cade might be better in certain areas while Ragnow is the better overall player. Cade is WAY better than Glasgow.
Ratledge was pretty damn good last year. He got better too after a terrible start.
Mahogany has a shot at being good if he can settle down and stay healthy. He has to beat out Juice. Better than Jackson? Maybe. Not yet but in 2026? Maybe.
Sewell is Sewell.
A rookie will not be better than prime Decker. But better than 2025 Decker? Yea, likely.
There is a ton of OL potential here right now. Very exciting.
Maybe I’m just an optimist, but I think the 2026 line is already meaningfully better than the 2025 line, assuming Borom at RT and Sewell at LT.
May is going to be a big upgrade over the 2025 version of GG, which in and of itself will stabilize the line.
I think / feel / hope that 2026 Borom is going to be as good or better than 2025 Decker. Taylor is a warrior, but his body was just breaking down on him. Borom has very good recent tape and advanced metrics. It’s not bonkers to project that going forward.
The young guards should be better with experience and a better center.
Totally agree with @Thats2 that scheme and play calling will define the limits. Last year’s line was good enough to produce the #5 offense. I see no reason why this year’s should be any less good if Petzing has the goods.
Not sure if Mahogany will be the guy at LG. He’s been with the team for two seasons. Both mostly were missed due to illness or injury. Last season’s return left a lot to be desired.
Frazier, just like Mahogany, was injured the majority of his rookie season. But, looked good in his short return. He may be a better option if he improves in the run game.
Unfortunately, both are better RGs. I believe it’ll be a real battle for a starting spot at LG this offseason. Both are expected to be healthy.
I wouldn’t be quick to name either as the starting LG until the season starts. Mahogany should get first dibs, I expect.
Whoever is at LG will look a lot better between Mays and Sewell. That’s a huge leg up.
If Penei moves to LT: I wholeheartedly agree.
I see Borom as a Skipper replacement too. I’m surprised by how many see him as a Decker replacement.
Sure he has starter possibilities but I think he’s a solid swing tackle. And an insurance policy incase we miss out on a better starting option.
Assuming Sewell moves to LT and the Lions draft a RT….. I think the Lions OL is well above average in talent but young and inexperienced… which will likely rank them near AVG or slightly above.
I don’t see any comparison with Borom to Skip other than a roster spot. Borom is not going to pass through waivers if we cut him like Skip was numerous times. I think he was signed to be our starting RT in 2026. I think the dilemma starts if Freeling is available when we pick at 17. Do the Lions believe he will not be available? Do they not see him as a solution at LT? Do they draft him and sit him for a year and then move Sewell back to RT? I ask because Freeling is clearly a LT with all the traits to be a very good one.
I think the Lions jump all over Freeling.
Borom is a fantastic swing tackle and a viable starter if necessary.
Sewell (left OR right tackle), a 1st RD. rookie, Borom pushing a rookie and Miles Fraser with Manu on the outside looking in.
I can see Brad going edge in rd. 1 and OT in rd. 2 now.
Borom has the recent play that would suggest he could be the starter. Even if they draft a tackle high, I think a rookie is going to have a hard time beating him out. Either way, good competition.
If that’s how the draft plays out, it’s a fine problem to have. If the draft doesn’t present a starting-caliber tackle, I feel like Sewell-Borom won’t be any worse (and quite possibly better) than Decker-Sewell was last year.
I really hope that Manu can grow into the swing tackle role.
I’m not sold on Mahognoy being a starting caliber guard, Ratter is going into his second year, who knows if we are going to be good or not. We signed a center who can’t pull and plays on a phone booth. This line fixed with a rookie, our line will never be as good as 2024.
MCM…many feel like Mays is a great fit here. Time will tell.
A rookie tackle needs to be compared to Fecier in 2025. Taylor rarely even practiced. Decker opted to play again yet the Bears signed OT J. Wills instead.
I agree about Mahogany. He is gonna have to beat out Juice Scrugs, a credible veteran starter.
To me, that’s perfectly fine—so long as we can run the ball effectively. Last season, we struggled in that area and it showed. But if we establish a competent running game, everything changes. We become more efficient in the red zone and turn more of those opportunities into touchdowns.
I heard that Petzing is pretty good ,so we’ll see, I think we need a good DE -other than that , I’m not worried about the group.
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I don’t see how Mays is that guy. Dude signed for 8M per year but that is at lower end of the league for the position. When I hear guys like Jansen on the radio who say he is only good in a phone booth and not pulling. My thought is, how does he fit our offense, and why do people think this is the long term answer? Assuming the draft is going to fix the position when we don’t know who that guy is or where he is going to be drafted is wishful thinking. I’m failing to see the vision here to upgrade the roster. I see a team pinching pennies to re-sign guys who won’t be FA’s in 2 years. I’m just not seeing te vision.
We don’t have a LT, I’m not seeing how we are going to be a juggernaut running the ball or keeping Goff standing up. We have Sewell and a bunch of Jags.
Plus maybe a rookie who will likely be up and down like Tate last year no matter how good he is