Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we maintain and update our existing Top 50 lists annually.  We are pleased to present our pre-2026 revision of our top 50 Detroit Lions.

As for all of our top 50 players in football, we look at the following: 

1.  Duration and Impact.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Football League.

3.  Advanced Statistics.

4.  Playoff performance.

5. Their respective legacy on the team.

6. How successful the team was when he was there.

7. Respecting the era in which they played.

Criteria 1-4 will make up the lion’s share of the algorithm.  Please note that we have implemented this for the first time.  This has changed the rankings all throughout the board.

Last year, the Lions had high expectations but fell to a 9-8 record.  Nevertheless, the team had been so bad for so long that, despite the organization's longevity, four new entrants made our top 50.

As always, we present our top five, with no changes occurring.

1. Barry Sanders
2. Joe Schmidt
3. Bobby Layne
4. Dutch Clark
5. Lem Barney

You can find the complete list https://www.notinhalloffame.com/football/top-50-football-players-by-franchise/top-50-detroit-lions">here:

The first new entrant is Offensive Lineman, Penei Sewell.  He explodes into the #30 spot.

Quarterback Jared Goff enters the list at #42.

Wide Receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown debuts at #43.

The fourth and final new entrant is Offensive Lineman Taylor Decker.  He enters at #50.

We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.