The Detroit Lions have become one of the NFC’s best teams in part due to their surplus of young talent.
So it is no surprise three Lions, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Aidan Hutchinson and Penei Sewell, were named as the top 25 NFL players who are 25 and younger compiled by The Athletic.
Hutchinson was No. 4, Sewell was named No. 7 and St. Brown was listed at No. 11 on the top-25 list that was unveiled Tuesday.
The Lions had the most player on the top-25 of any team, and tight end Sam LaPorta — who turns 25 in January — was named on the honorable mention. In part thanks to those four players, the Lions have reached the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1993-94 and finished above .500 in three straight years.
Detroit reached the NFC Championship Game in 2023 then went 15-2, won the NFC North and earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC in 2024.
Why Is Aidan Hutchinson On The Top-25 Under 25 List?
Hutchinson, the No. 2 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, earned the his spot on the list due to his dominant first 2.5 seasons in the NFL. He led the Lions in sacks in 2024 (7.5), despite playing just five games due to a broken leg he sustained in their Week 5 win over the Dallas Cowboys.
“After following up a strong rookie season with his first Pro Bowl campaign in 2023, Hutchinson led the NFL in sacks (7 1/2) through his first five games of 2024,” Mike Jones wrote. “A broken leg ended his season prematurely, but Hutchinson has made a full recovery and should return to terrorizing quarterbacks in Week 1.”
The 6-7, 268-pound product from the University of Michigan has 28.5 sacks, 10 passes defended four interceptions and four forced fumbles in 39 games for the Lions.
Why Is Penei Sewell On The Top-25 Under 25 List?
At left tackle, Sewell may be more important, since he protects quarterback Jared Goff’s blind side. But he may be less well known nationally than St. Brown or Hutchinson, since he does not get the same face time on TV.
But smart people believe Sewell, the No. 7 overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, is the best player on the Lions, since he got the fourth-highest tackle grade from Pro Football Focus in 2024.
“Sewell continues to help anchor the line of one of the most potent offenses in the league,” Jones wrote. “Last season, Sewell earned first-team All-Pro honors for a second straight year, and Pro Bowl honors for the third time in his four-year career.”
Sewell’s best attribute is his durability, since he has not yet missed a game since joining the NFL in 2021.
Why Is Amon-Ra St. Brown On The Top-25 Under 25 List?
St. Brown may actually be the NFL’s most underrated player, though as a star in commercials and the top wideout on the Lions in consecutive seasons, he is starting to get his due.
“A two-time All-Pro selection and three-time Pro Bowl pick, St. Brown has topped the 1,100-yard mark in three straight seasons and last season ranked third in the NFL with a career-high 12 touchdown catches,” Jones wrote.
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