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.

Arriving in Detroit in 2021 via the blockbuster trade that sent Matthew Stafford to Los Angeles, Jared Goff was initially viewed by national analysts as little more than a bridge quarterback or a thrown-in piece of compensation. Yet under head coach Dan Campbell and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, the former No. 1 overall pick quickly shed that label, orchestrating a career total reinvention that turned him into the beloved, steady field general of a championship-caliber Motown renaissance.

After navigating a difficult transitional year in 2021, Goff found his groove in 2022, throwing for 4,438 yards and 29 touchdowns to launch one of the league's most lethal offenses. His surgical accuracy and mastery of pre-snap reads became the heartbeat of the team's upward trajectory. By 2023, Goff cemented his status in Lions lore by steering Detroit to its first division title in 30 years and powering the franchise to two home playoff victories, reaching the NFC Championship Game.

Goff took his play even higher in the 2024 and 2025 campaigns, establishing himself as one of the most efficient pocket passers in modern NFL history. During a historic 2024 season, he set a franchise record with a 72.4% completion rate, threw 37 touchdown passes, and earned an AP MVP Award candidacy. He backed that up in 2025 with another stellar 4,564-yard, 34-touchdown output, becoming the first quarterback in Detroit Lions history to record three consecutive seasons with 30 or more touchdown passes.

Entering the 2026 season as the undisputed leader of a Motown powerhouse, Goff holds the highest career passer rating (101.3) and completion percentage (67.9%) in Lions franchise history. Behind a dominant offensive line and surrounded by explosive weapons, the veteran signal-caller has transformed Ford Field into one of the most intimidating environments in football, entering the current campaign with his sights firmly set on delivering Detroit its first Lombardi Trophy.

Thus far, Goff has 149 touchdown passes with a 149-47 TD-INT ratio.

The 2026 NFL season is here, and we have updated our Pre-Season Football Monitor.

As we have expanded our projects, we can’t say we've expanded the team behind the scenes!  As a result, we are a little behind on this one, and we could only post the top 50 of the Pre-Season Monitor at this time.

We will add more during the season (and yes, we know that defeats the purpose of pre-season), but thank you for your patience.

Up first are the Quarterbacks, with a staggering eight ranked in the top 50.

They are:

#1 QB, #2 Overall: Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers. #1 Overall Last Year.

#2 QB, #4 Overall: Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs, #3 Overall Last Year.

#3 QB, #9 Overall: Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams, #26 Overall Last Year.

#4 QB, #12 Overall: Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens, #10 Overall Last Year.

#5 QB, #16 Overall: Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills, #17 Oveall Last Year.

#6 QB, #32 Overall: Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles, #33 Last Year.

#7 QB, #37 Overall: Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys, #37 Last Year.

#8 QB, #46 Overall: Jared Goff, Detroit Lions, #45 Last Year.

Look for more information on this project shortly.

2025 Pre-Season Rank #46, pSeason 2024 Pre-Season Rank #89, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #100, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #112. 2021 Pre-Season Rank #106, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #117.  Peak Period: 2021-25

In 2018, Jared Goff led the Los Angeles Rams to a Super Bowl appearance.  They did not win, and although he won two Pro Bowls, the Rams gave up on him and traded the Quarterback to the Detroit Lions.  In Stafford’s first season in L.A., he won a Super Bowl, making Goff look bad in the process, but years later, Goff and the Lions proved it was not a one-sided transaction.

Goff brought Detroit to the NFC Championship Game in 2023 and was a Pro Bowl Selection in 2022 and 2024.  In 2023, Goff had his best year to date, throwing for 4,629 Yards and 37 Touchdowns, but the potent Lions were bounced early in the playoffs.  Nevertheless, Goff finished fifth in the MVP race that year, and is still young and talented enough to take the talented Lions to a Super Bowl win.   If that happens, this will result in a colossal jump for Goff.