When you look around the league at teams like the Cleveland Browns or the New York Giants, you see rookie after rookie playing well. Yet, the Detroit Lions? They have not had a lot of success so far with the 2025 draft class. So far, only one rookie has really stepped up and played well, with most of the current crop of newbies not even seeing significant time on the field.
Of the seven Lions in their rookie seasons, five haven't gotten played enough (if at all) to warrant a grade from Pro Football Focus. That's not good for the class, and only time will tell if things will improve down the stretch.
So let's look how everyone shakes out.
DT Tyleik Williams - Rd 1, Pick 28 (PFF: 53.6)
It's not a great start to see your first pick struggling as he is. Tyleik Williams was the team's first-round pick, and he's shown to be a very mediocre player so far. He's struggling against the run more than many expected, and his impact on the pass-rush isn't as strong as necessary to make up the difference. Still, he's shown some talent for getting after the quarterback, so it's possible Williams just needs time to turn things around. However, through the first eight weeks, he's not grading out too highly.
Grade: D+
G Tate Ratledge - Rd 2, Pick 57 (PFF: 68)
Like with Williams, there's an obvious gap with Tate Ratledge's game right now. He's a bad pass blocker. It may not be a forever issue; he may just need time to develop it, but so far, his pass blocking has been atrocious. It's the worst on the team, and it's not even close. Yet, his run-blocking is exceptional. In fact, he may be the second-best blocker in this area behind Penei Sewell.
He's so good, in fact, that it makes him arguably the best player from this draft class so far. He's a key reason why the Lions' rushing attack is as strong as it is (7th in the league in rushing yards per game). When you impact something so positively, it's hard to deny your importance. The Lions still need him to improve, but for now, he's getting a good grade.
Grade: B-
WR Isaac TeSlaa - Rd 3, Pick 70 (PFF: N/A)
This one's a bit upsetting. The Detroit Lions are struggling at wide receiver. They have as tar in Amon-Ra St. Brown, but practically no other wide receiver has stepped up besides him. Enter Isaac TeSlaa, a player, you'd think would be an obvious day-one starter for the Lions. Yet, the team held off on him, barely playing him through the first seven games.
TeSlaa has found limited success, starting one game and scoring two touchdowns so far, but he plays so rarely that it's hard to really evaluate him. Which, in turn, is an evaluation.
The receivers on the Lions aren't good or consistent, aside from St. Brown, and if you can't take away opportunities from mediocre receivers ahead of you, that is your evaluation.
Grade: D+
G Miles Frazier - Rd 5, Pick 171 (PFF: N/A)
Of all the players on this list who have disappointed or not proven anything, Miles Frazier remains the one who has the most potential. Frazier got hurt early and hasn't played a down. He's been out since July and hasn't done anything worth talking about. That would be a bad sign, but luckily for Frazier, it's unlikely he would've played anyway. While the pass-blocking at guard can be shoddy at times, Frazier wasn't likely to take anyone's spot this season. It's not like with TeSlaa or Ratledge, where there was an obvious need.
Frazier isn't in a position where the team needs him to produce currently, making his grade rather obvious.
Grade: N/A
DE Ahmed Hassanein - Rd 6, Pick 196 (PFF: N/A)
Right now, only one player was cut from the team that got drafted in 2025: Ahmed Hassanein. The defensive end was cut rather early into his career, not making it into September before the Lions parted ways. One could point to his injury as a contributing factor, which is fair, but the team didn't part ways with Frazier, who, like Hassanein, was set to miss a lot of time.
So why did Hassanein get cut? Frankly put, he didn't impress enough. If the Lions liked what they saw from him, they would've kept him around one way or another. He didn't impress enough, and so the Lions cut ties with him.
Grade: F
S Dan Jackson - Rd 7, Pick 230 (PFF: N/A)
Dan Jackson, sadly, has not had a shot to prove what he can do yet in Detroit. Like with Frazier and Hassanein, the Lions' safety has been hurt since the summer. When he returns, if he returns this season, it's likely the team will see him ride the pine pony.
As of right now, the safeties are playing well enough as a unit that Jackson won't push for playing time. Injuries or poor play could happen eventually, pushing Jackson to see time relatively soon, but that seems unlikely at this juncture.
Grade: Incomplete
WR Dominic Lovett - Rd 7, Pick 244 (PFF: N/A)
We're going to grade Dominic Lovett a bit harsher than others here. Like with TeSlaa, Lovett plays a position of need for the Lions. Yet, like with TeSlaa, he hasn't done much. Now, as a seventh-round pick, that's not too surprising. He's played in all seven games, mostly as a special teams guy, and has made zero impact whatsoever. He hasn't caught a pass, recorded a tackle, or made any real impact on the team, aside from one 22-yard return.
It's a little wild that someone who is on all four special team groups and a wide receiver wouldn't have more stats or tangible examples of impactful plays by now. He's young and has time to improve, but he's got a long way to go.
Grade: D-
The early returns from the Lions' 2025 draft class haven't been promising. Hopefully, each rookie gives Detroit plenty of reasons to increase these grades by the end of the year.