The Detroit Lions return their top four wide receivers from last season – Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Tim Patrick and Kalif Raymond — who combined to catch 223 passes for 2,873 yards and 24 touchdowns. That’s a lot of production back in the lineup for quarterback Jared Goff.
The return of so much firepower won’t stop general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell from trying to add some more youth to the room via the NFL Draft later this month.
“Love that group,” Campbell said of his receiver room heading into the draft. “But we were fortunate we got out last year during the season, for the most part, unscathed as far as injuries. That group, TP (Patrick) and Lif (Raymond) and obviously Saint (St. Brown) and Jamo (Williams), those guys we got have been big for us.
“We would love to bring in more competition, particularly some youth. That would help and let them mix it up. Get in there and see where it all falls.”
Wide receiver class draft strength: Versatility. It’s not as strong a receiver class at the top as we’ve seen the last few draft cycles but it’s a class that features good diversity — there’s size on the outside, slot production and good speed from this group.
There were 26 receivers at the Combine who ran a sub-4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash and 10 who went sub-4.4. The class is lacking a real superstar outside of maybe Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, but teams looking for quick production from all three receiver spots will be able to find it.
Lions wide receiver depth chart: St. Brown, Williams, Patrick, Raymond, Ronnie Bell, Antoine Green, Tom Kennedy.
Lions wide receiver draft priority: Low. It’s certainly not a glaring priority given what the Lions have coming back. Detroit was the first team in NFL history to have two running backs and two receivers produce at least 1,000 scrimmage yards last season. It was just the second time in team history two receivers — St. Brown and Williams — had at least 1,000 receiving yards and at least seven touchdowns (Herman Moore & Brett Perriman, 1995).
But as Campbell said, adding some youth to the room and competition makes sense as Williams is the only one of the main contributors at receiver still on his first NFL contract. Holmes said last week at the Annual League Meetings the team plans to pick up his fifth-year option by May’s deadline.
Five wide receivers who could fit the Lions:
1. Luther Burden III, Missouri
6-0, 206. 4.41 40-yard dash
His numbers dipped a little bit in 2024, but inconsistent quarterback play affected that too. In 2023, Burden caught 86 passes for 1,212 yards and nine touchdowns with 1,313 all-purpose yards. He had 61 catches for 676 yards and six touchdowns this past season. Burden fits the Lions from a speed, athleticism and playmaking standpoint. He’s really good after the catch.