Detroit Lions stock report: Risers, fallers at every position vs. Falcons

The Detroit Lions’ second preseason game of the 2025 season is in the books, and it’s time to check back in on the players who helped or hurt their stock against the Atlanta Falcons.

For injury or rest purposes, the Lions did not play 31 players in this preseason game of the 2025 season, with another six still sitting out due to being on an injury list (PUP/NFI).

Let’s take a quick look at an overview of the roster with our game day depth chart, noting that the players without a position color did not play in this game. Additionally, if a player’s name is written in red, they came into the game with an injury, but if they were injured in the game, their name is boxed in red (or denser black).

This was a clear separator game for Allen. The veteran signal caller looked poised and confident throughout his opportunities, while Hooker struggled, despite starting the game with more talented players surrounding him.

Allen was willing to take deep shots in this game and was rewarded with a big 68-yard connection with UDFA rookie Jackson Meeks. He also showed solid accuracy on both his touchdown passes, dropping a nice ball to Isaac TeSlaa on a fade route and a line-drive pass to Meeks on an out route at the goal line.

Hooker’s accuracy wasn’t terrible, and you could easily fault Meeks for a drop on third down, but overall, Hooker did not show good ball protection skills and twice put the ball on the ground unnecessarily. He did have a nice, quick throw on a successful fourth-down conversion and scrambled 22 yards for another first down, but that was probably the end of his highlights.

With Vaki unable to play in this game, Reynolds got the start and looked solid, despite the statistics being lower than desired. Small got the next opportunity, but he also struggled to manage much on the ground. Saylors (9 rushes for 35 yards, and 2 receptions for 14 yards) showed more range than we’ve seen in recent practices, producing on inside and outside runs, catching screen and flare passes, and even converted on a fourth-and-3 by rushing for 4 yards.

As mentioned in the quarterback section, TeSlaa (2 receptions for 18 yards, TD) and Meeks (3 receptions, 78 yards, TD) caught touchdown passes and overall looked like the top two receiving options on the day. TeSlaa is proving that he’s going to earn regular season opportunities, while Meeks looks like he’s slated for the WR7 role at a minimum. After a quiet first game, Bell (2 receptions for 26 yards) was more involved in this game, producing both as a pass catcher and as a blocker. Keeney-James and Taylor had minimal opportunities and failed to stand out much beyond the blocking game.

While the trio of Zylstra, Yeboah, and Horton continue to split reps in the battle for the TE3 job, each showing a very different role. Zylstra continues to be the only one producing as a pass catcher (3 receptions for 8 yards), while Yeboah is arguably the best blocker, and Horton is the only tight end getting reps at fullback and H-back.

The Lions’ starting offensive line was: Manu (LT), Awosika (LG), Colon (C), Ratledge (RG), and Miller (RT). Colon was injured in the second quarter and replaced by Eguakun at center. A few plays later, Hooker fumbled for the second time and was replaced by Allen, and the offensive line also adapted by sending in Muti at left guard and Sorsdal at right guard. Sordal appeared to injure his left leg on the first play of the drive, but he played through it. On the final drive of the half, Sorsdal was replaced by Niese at right guard.

In the second half, the Lions’ offensive line was Manu (LT), Muti (LG), and Miller (RT) returning to their respective positions, while Niese shifted inside to center, and Eguakun replaced Sorsdal at right guard.

Many fans got their first look at Lions’ second-round pick Tate Ratledge, who rested in the first preseason game but started at right guard against the Falcons. He showed solid anchor in pass protection and had a nice leverage-to-pancake block on a run by Reynolds.

Manu is still struggling with speed rushers, and still has a long road ahead of him, but he continues to take positive steps forward. Awosika has been repping at right guard all camp, but with Ratledge taking reps, we saw Awosika shift to left guard and bump Muti out of the starting lineup—a very telling development in the IOL hierarchy.

Muhammad and Lynn got the starts in this game and both rewarded coaches for their confidence by each producing a sack. Muhammad showed his production range by also showing up in run defense and drawing a holding penalty, while Lynn added some pressure, and could find a role on the regular season roster as a situational pass rusher. Hassanein got in a pressure or two of his own, was in on a tackle for loss, and showed his tenacity by tracking down a screen pass that he read early in the play.

Ukwu and Agude appear to have fallen behind Lynn in the EDGE reserve battle. Last week, Agude failed to set the edge leading to a big run by the Chargers, and this week, Ukwu was guilty of a similar play, as he got caught crashing down the line instead of holding his edge.

Some Lions fans also got their first look at Lions’ first round pick Tyleik Williams. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as easy to see how he won his reps, as it was for Ratledge, because he was consistently getting double teams, despite playing at the 3-technique. He looked strong, and his ability to tie up two offensive linemen opened up opportunities for other players to make run stops and get pressures.

Smith got the start at nose tackle, and has now seen reps all along the interior defensive line (NT, 3T, and 4i). He’s not flashy but reliable and coaches love that trait in him. Martin came off the bench at nose tackle, but it’s unclear if he’s behind Smith or if it was a result of him missing the two most recent practices. Martin looked significantly more powerful than he had previously this camp, showing great push and penetration, even securing a tackle for loss.

Overall, the Falcons only produced 22 rushing yards in the game, which is why we don’t see any stock down candidates here.

Nowaske was the big winner amongst the linebackers. Not only did he get the start at SAM, but he also shifted to MIKE when Cunningham’s day was done. This positional range testing is a subtle move by the coaching staff to test the talent level of a player who they feel has established themselves as a contributor. He’s in a great spot right now.

The Lions started Bootle and Hallett on the outside, but it was Whiteside who made the most impactful plays at corner, showing the ability to square up a receiver in the open field, and almost securing an interception that ended up being categorized as a pass breakup.

Hallett lands in the “muddled” category because there were large ranges in his production. In addition to starting on the outside, he also contributed in the slot, as the Lions’ second nickelback on the field. He produced a team-leading four tackles on the night, yet also got flagged for a pass interference penalty on a play where he allowed a touchdown.

Norris is the main story amongst the safety group, as he suffered a scary injury that required immediate medical attention and an ambulance to rush him to a local hospital. Fortunately, after a few hours of nervousness, the team reported that Norris was stable and had feeling and movement in all his extremities.

For the rest of the safeties group, Ya-Sin carried over his cross-training safety reps from practice this week into the game. While Ya-Sin looks like the clear fourth cornerback on the depth chart, his showing at safety should give him even more roster security. Ya-Sin was aggressive in downhill run support, played terrific in space, and looked very natural at both safety spots, despite his limited experience.

It’s also worth noting that Kennelly got the start at safety over Strickland, who started against the Chargers last week. Now, this may just be part of a planned rotation, but it also goes to show that the UDFA rookie is very much in the mix for a roster spot.

Bates connected on a 57-yard field goal, looking in mid-season form, as it was probably good from beyond 60.