The Detroit Lions were one of the NFL's 10 youngest teams in 2025. Having found so much success with such a young roster, it's hard not to love their chances of remaining a dominant force for the foreseeable future. But that doesn't mean they can be complacent with roster construction.
Having a strong veteran presence in the locker room is valuable, but that needs to exist within a framework of young talent that is ready to keep the roster strong both short-term and long-term.
And that's why, for as much as Lions fans will hate the idea, Detroit needs to draft Dan Skipper's replacement this week.
Lions' NFL Draft Plans Must Include Replacing Dan Skipper
Skipper is a fan-favorite, I get it. A tackle who not only serves as a sixth o-lineman by lining up at tight end, but who also catches passes (including a touchdown in 2024) is always going to be popular. But the issue with Skipper is that this role is still a niche one, and his success in that role doesn't make up for his struggles elsewhere.
Ultimately, "sixth o-lineman" is a highly replaceable role, especially because the pass-catching is such an incredibly small part of it. At the end of the day, the same skills that make someone a good starting lineman will cover 95% of what's required there.
And more importantly, that player still needs to be a great depth piece, capable of starting when the line gets hit with the injury bug. And that's where we see why it's soon becoming time to abandon ship on Skipper.
The soon-to-be-31-year-old had three games in which he played at least 20 snaps in 2024. In those games, Pro-Football-Focus graded him out at 58.7, 53.3, and 58.4. This included lowlights of a 39.5 pass-blocking grade against the Texans in Week 10 and run-blocking grades below 50 against the Bears in Week 13 and the Packers in Week 14.
The Lions averaged 27.7 points per game in those three — a significant decline from the 34.4 per game they average in their other 14.
Skipper is back on a one-year contract he signed this offseason, which means now is the perfect time to draft his replacement. You can never really have too much depth on the offensive line, and not needing someone to step up in their rookie season means the team can afford to wait a little and grab more of a project player who can get up to speed in 2025 before fully replacing Skipper in 2026.