CBS predicts Detroit Lions' best current Hall of Fame candidate

[ASFN Admin]

The Detroit Lions have more than 20 former players and coaches in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but none were part of this weekend's inductees.

The most recent Lions star to get into the Hall was 2021 inductee Calvin Johnson, who finished his nine-year playing career with 731 receptions for 11,619 yards and 83 touchdowns.

CBS Sports NFL writer Bryan DeArdo published a list Thursday of his predictions for the most likely future Hall of Famers on each NFL team. DeArdo named a couple potential candidates for the Lions, but ultimately decided on superstar defensive end Aidan Hutchinson.

Hutchinson got the nod over Amon-Ra St. Brown and Penei Sewell, who are also enjoying strong starts to their careers. Less than a year after breaking his leg, Hutchinson recorded a career-high 14.5 sacks in 2025. Barring injury, there's a very good chance that Hutchinson will join the short list of players who have reached 100 career sacks before turning 30. - Bryan DeArdo, CBS Sports

DeArdo also noted that while Hutchinson is his top candidate, he's by no means a lock for the Hall of Fame just yet. A strong 2026 campaign would go a long way toward establishing Hutchinson as a premier pass rusher for his generation, and thus build momentum toward more all-time accolades.

Also of note on this list is DeArdo's pick for the Los Angeles Rams: quarterback and former Detroit Lion Matthew Stafford.

With almost 65,000 passing yards, and 423 touchdowns, Stafford is among the best quarterbacks of all time statistically. Tack on last year's MVP and the Super Bowl win from a couple of years ago and he's got as strong a case as anyone.

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This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: CBS predicts Detroit Lions' best current Hall of Fame candidate

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