Lions Giving Giovanni Manu One Last Shot at a Different Position
The Detroit Lions are experimenting with Giovanni Manu at guard this offseason, giving the former trade-up pick a potential lifeline as roster spots tighten up. After being drafted in 2024, this might be his last chance to prove he belongs in Allen Park.
Let’s be honest about what this is. The Lions don’t make a lot of draft mistakes these days. They’ve drafted more All-Pro players since 2021 than anyone else, and most of their picks stick around in meaningful roles.
Then there’s Manu.
The Lions traded up to get him in the 2024 NFL Draft, and at the time, the hype was real. Almost every team brought him in for visits, and there was genuine belief that if Detroit didn’t move up, they weren’t getting their guy. Fair enough. Sometimes you swing for the fences.
After two seasons? He still feels two seasons away from contributing anything meaningful, and this summer feels like his last real shot.
Campbell Explains the Guard Experiment
Dan Campbell laid out the thinking behind the position switch during recent comments to media. “That’s some of what this is, let’s experiment a little bit. We’ve had a couple of injuries, or the bugs that maybe a guy that normally would play guard we don’t have, so let’s put him in there, it’s actually kind of worked out good and just see what he looks like at guard.”
Campbell continued: “So he’s still getting tackle reps, we’re seeing we’re trying to give him the best opportunity to showcase what he has and who knows? Maybe he is better at guard, we still think tackle but if he can prove something then that’s good so we’ll see, he’s been here, he’s been working and we won’t know until camp.”
Interestingly, this isn’t some desperate pivot. Before the Lions drafted Manu, he told media that the team had mentioned they were thinking of him at guard. So this tracks with their original evaluation process.
If Manu can nail down the guard spot, he’d make for one hell of a road grader. The size and strength are there.
The Competition is Brutal
Here’s the problem. The competition at guard is absolutely stacked right now. Christian Mahogany, Juice Scruggs, Miles Frazier, Ben Bartch, and Michael Niese are all fighting for spots, and they all have one major advantage over Manu: they’ve actually played guard before. In the NFL.
That’s not nothing when you’re trying to make a roster.
Still, camp will tell the story. Maybe this position change unlocks something that tackle couldn’t. Maybe Manu finds his groove in a different role and finally justifies that trade-up investment.
Or maybe this is just delaying the inevitable for a few more months.
Either way, Brad Holmes doesn’t give up on guys easily, and Dan Campbell loves players who keep grinding when things get tough. Manu is getting every opportunity to prove he belongs here.
Is this Manu’s last chance to stick or are we just watching Holmes work another miracle with a project player? Tell us what you think in the comments.
