Christian Mahogany, a Detroit Lions offensive lineman, had expressed his desire to play for the team even before he was drafted. A week after participating in the Shrine Bowl college all-star game, Mahogany texted friends that Detroit was the team he most wanted to join, citing the Lions’ gritty, O-line-focused culture. Although his path to the team wasn’t exactly as he envisioned, as he slid to the sixth round due to medical concerns, Mahogany was selected by Detroit with the 210th overall pick in the 2024 draft.
Mahogany earned his first career start in a recent win over the Chicago Bears, filling in for an injured Graham Glasgow. He played left guard between veterans Taylor Decker and Frank Ragnow, earning praise for his strong blocking performance. Despite being new to game action, Mahogany demonstrated enough physicality and skill to suggest he could challenge for a starting role in the future.
His journey to this point has been unconventional. After impressing during spring workouts post-draft, Mahogany was sidelined with mononucleosis and missed all of training camp. He started the season on the non-football illness list but was activated to the 53-man roster in late October. Despite lacking game reps, Mahogany quickly moved up the depth chart, surpassing veteran Kayode Awosika to become the Lions’ No. 3 guard.
In his debut against the Bears, Mahogany had a few miscues, including allowing a quarterback hit and committing a false start penalty, but he also made several key blocks, contributing to the Lions’ successful running and passing plays. After the game, Mahogany expressed satisfaction with his performance while acknowledging the need for improvement after watching the film.
While Graham Glasgow is expected to return to the starting lineup soon, Mahogany’s strong performance has raised the possibility that he could push for more playing time, particularly with Glasgow’s inconsistent play and the looming free agency of veteran right guard Kevin Zeitler. Regardless of the future, Mahogany remains focused on improving and contributing to the Lions’ success in the present.
