Brian Branch

Branch was one of the few key players on the Lions' defense to avoid major injury in 2024, and he entrenched himself as both a key chess piece for Detroit as well as one of the best safeties around the league. As was the case in his rookie year, he played all over the secondary in 2024, though his decreased usage in the slot and increased snap count as a strong safety helped him increase his tackle total relative to his rookie year. That should remain the case for two reasons in 2025. First, Ennis Rakestraw - a second-round pick in 2024 - should be healthy to begin the campaign and is the favorite to claim the slot corner role. Second, Branch has quickly proven to be elite as both a run defender (his 8.4 run stuff percentage was the most among safeties that played more than 15 snaps, per PFF) and pass rusher, meaning the Lions should want to use him a healthy amount of time in the box. That will allow him to contribute across the stat sheet and remain an elite safety option in IDP leagues.