He hasn’t played enough to earn the hype yet—but Lions fans already talk about him like a long-term lock. Is Christian Mahogany getting ahead of himself in the expectations game?
Now, I love the Lions more than the next fan and fully believe every player on the roster is a superstar. However, when I take a step back and try to be unbiased, there is one player who I believe is a bit overrated.
That player is Christian Mahogany.
Mahogany has not been on the Lions roster for very long, and many fans already view him as a long-term starter on the offensive line. He very well could become exactly that. In fact, I think there is a good chance he develops into a quality starter for years to come. But if I had to choose the most overrated player on Detroit’s roster right now, it would be Mahogany.
Why is Mahogany overrated?
First and foremost, Mahogany has not started a full NFL season. The hype surrounding him comes from flashes of potential rather than a large body of work.
During his rookie season, Mahogany earned impressive PFF grades, posting an 81.6 overall grade, an 80.8 run-blocking grade and an 82.6 pass-blocking grade. The problem is those numbers came from a very small sample size. Mahogany started just one game, appeared in seven and logged only 75 offensive snaps.
Last season, Mahogany won the starting left guard job and started 11 games. Unfortunately, the production did not match the expectations many fans had for him. He earned a 59.1 overall PFF grade, ranking 46th among 81 qualified guards.
Mahogany played 699 offensive snaps and struggled particularly in pass protection. His 40.7 pass-blocking grade ranked 77th among 81 qualified guards, while his 67.2 run-blocking grade ranked 27th. He allowed 27 total pressures, including six sacks and five quarterback hits. To his credit, he committed only two penalties all season.
To give Mahogany some benefit of the doubt, injuries certainly played a role. He suffered a fractured left fibula that forced him to miss six games. Still, many Lions fans talk about Mahogany as if he is already a proven starter. The reality is that he has started only 12 games in his NFL career and is coming off a below-average season.
Another factor worth mentioning is the environment he stepped into. During his rookie season, Mahogany had the luxury of playing alongside Frank Ragnow. Having an elite center next to you can make life significantly easier, especially for a young guard.
In comes Cade Mays, a quality center and certainly upgrade from Graham Glasgow, but Mahogany will have to prove he can maintain and improve his level of play without one of the NFL’s best offensive linemen beside him.
Again, this is not to say Mahogany is a bad player. He is still young, talented and has plenty of room to grow. The issue is that many fans already view him as a guaranteed long-term solution despite the fact that he has yet to put together a full season of quality play.
Until Mahogany proves he can stay healthy and consistently perform at a high level over an entire season, I think the hype surrounding him exceeds what he has accomplished on the field. That is why, in my opinion, Christian Mahogany is currently the most overrated player on the Detroit Lions roster.
