The Locks
Amon-Ra St. Brown is not just a lock, he’s probably the best slot receiver in the NFL. You already know what’s coming. Over 115 catches. At least 1,400 yards. Ten touchdowns, maybe more. Drew Petzing takes over the offense and that changes nothing for St. Brown. He’s getting his targets. He’s getting his numbers.
Jameson Williams is your field stretcher. The deep ball guy. The one who’s supposed to make defenses pay over the top. He’ll get to 1,000 yards again but probably not much more than that because this offense has too many mouths to feed. What the Lions really want from him is that explosive downfield connection they’ve been chasing for years. They think Petzing and Mike Kafka can unlock it.
Williams has been putting in work on tracking deep balls. In the past you’d see him looking up, scanning left and right, sometimes losing the ball in the air. Sometimes he’d catch it anyway because he’s that talented. Other times it bit him. Those issues needed fixing and to his credit, he went out and fixed them.
Isaac TeSlaa is going to have a bigger role but let’s pump the brakes on the expectations. If you’re thinking 1,000 yards, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. Think Josh Reynolds when he was here. In 2023, Reynolds caught 40 passes and 38 of them went for first downs. A lot of 10 and 15 yard routes over the middle. That’s what TeSlaa does well.
He’s also going to be a red zone problem. Four or five touchdowns feels right because he can high-point the ball and win contested catches. We saw flashes of that already. Expect more in 2026.
Greg Dortch is the wild card in this group. He’s the Kalif Raymond replacement on special teams and in the gadget play package. A return man who can get out in space and make things happen. Petzing loved using him in Arizona so there’s a real question about how much he gets featured here. With Jahmyr Gibbs, Sam LaPorta, and everyone else soaking up targets, Dortch probably isn’t going off for a huge season. But he’ll have a role. You can count on that.
The Bubble
Tom Kennedy is basically a Lions tradition at this point. Every year he lands on the practice squad and every year people love him for it. But this time he might actually make the 53-man roster because at the end of 2025, he was returning kicks and doing a solid job at it. If he wins that return role at training camp, he might stick around for real.
Dominic Lovett was a seventh-round pick from the 2025 NFL Draft who was supposed to be the Kalif Raymond replacement but barely saw the field. With Kendrick Law out for the season after tearing his ACL, Lovett gets a second chance. If he can prove he’s a gunner and return man, he’s got a shot. If not, he’s gone.
Jackson Meeks is listed as a receiver right now but expect him to be a full-on tight end by the time training camp wraps up. He’s put on some weight to help with blocking and has some potential as a red zone threat. He could be another receiving weapon who surprises people. We’ll see.
The Long Shots
Malik Cunningham is a quarterback-receiver hybrid whose ceiling is probably the practice squad. That’s about it.
Cedric Wilson looked decent at OTAs but it’s hard to see him as anything more than a camp body. He’s a warm body in Allen Park and that’s probably where it ends.
Tarik Black is a former Michigan Wolverine signed from the UFL. He’s got size and some playmaking ability but he needs to prove he can contribute on special teams. That’s the only path forward for him.
Lucky Jackson is a reliable catcher who doesn’t create much separation. The comp is Donovan Peoples-Jones, who did not work out here. That tells you everything you need to know about his odds.
Tay Martin is another UFL signing. He can high-point the ball and win contested catches. I’m curious to see what he does at camp because he’s got some special teams ability worth watching. But the road is steep.
Lawrence Keys III is the fourth UFL receiver Detroit signed. He’s a pretty sure-handed receiver but he’s got a long road ahead of him if he hopes to make the 53-man roster. Longer than the others, honestly.
The Bottom Line
You’ve got four locks. You’ve got a few guys fighting for one or two spots. And you’ve got a bunch of camp bodies who’ll be gone by September. Brad Holmes has built a deep receiver room but depth doesn’t mean chaos. The top of this group is clear. The middle is competitive. The bottom is already decided even if they don’t know it yet.
So who do you think actually makes the cut after St. Brown, Williams, TeSlaa, and Dortch? Is Tom Kennedy finally getting his shot or are we all just fooling ourselves again? Drop your take below.
