Open thread: Which Lions player are people sleeping on?

Who do you think could surprise some people in 2021?

Let’s be honest for a second. The 2021 Detroit Lions are a team that most have low expectations for. Sure, there will likely be an analyst or two that will call them a dark-horse team, and locally, there remains a small but significant portion of the fandom that believes this team could compete right away. But, overall, this team is being slept on, and they probably should be slept on.

But that doesn’t mean every individual should be slept on. This is a roster full of chip-on-your-shoulder type of players with something to prove, because there aren’t many that believe they can still have successful NFL careers. That mentality, however, will only get you so far. For many of the doubted, they likely won’t every prove their haters wrong.

Today, however, let’s talk about players we believe may buck those odds. Players who you think may use that underdog mentality and turn it into a season in which no one saw coming.

Today’s Question of the Day is:

Which Lions player do you believe people are sleeping on?

My answer: The first player that comes to mind is Halapoulivaati Vaitai, but I already went on about him earlier in the week. To recap quickly, after a season filled with injury and positional changes, I believe Vaitai could surprise people this year. He’s healthy, he’s been able to focus on the right guard position, and he’s got a pretty good player on each side of him to elevate his play.

Another player that I believe some may be sleeping on is wide receiver Tyrell Williams. Admittedly, he’s going to have a tough draw in 2021. Not only is it the first year in a new system with a new quarterback, but he’s likely going to draw the defense’s toughest member of the secondary. That’s not something he has a ton of success with, but it wasn’t all too long ago that Williams was a 24-year-old player who eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving.

Coming off an injury is always a crap shoot, but I just have a feeling that being reunited with Anthony Lynn will do wonders for Williams, and I think he could get close to that 1,000 yard mark again this year.

Your turn.

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