The Detroit Lions have the best offensive line in the NFL in 2024, but they might have a hole to fill upfront in 2025.

The Lions have four of their five starters locked up for multiple years in left tackle Taylor Decker, left guard Graham Glasgow, center Frank Ragnow and right tackle Penei Sewell.

The one starter who isn’t signed beyond this year is right guard Kevin Zeitler, who inked a one-year deal in free agency this past offseason to replace guard Jonah Jackson, who signed with the Los Angeles Rams.

With that in mind, CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso has the Lions taking Georgia guard Tate Ratledge with the No. 28 overall pick in his 2025 NFL mock draft.

“Ratledge is a mauling guard with the measurables to be selected this high at around 6-foot-6 and 320 pounds,” Trapasso wrote about the pick.

Back in February, Pro Football Focus’ Max Chadwick ranked Ratledge as the top returning guard in the nation. Here’s what he wrote on the Georgia offensive lineman.

Ratledge is the top guard on this list for his dominant pass blocking. His 87.4 pass-blocking grade in 2023 ranked third among Power Five guards, as did his 1.3% pressure rate allowed. The right guard also placed third among Power Five guards in pass-blocking grade on true pass sets (83.8).

Ratledge’s excellence in pass protection extends back to 2022, his first year as a starter. He ranked fourth in pass-blocking grade (87.1), third in pressure rate allowed (1.4%) and second in pass-blocking grade on true pass sets (85.6) among Power Five guards that season. The senior is easily the top returning pass-protecting interior offensive lineman in college football.

The Lions did draft a guard in 2024 in Christian Mahogany, but he was a sixth-round pick and is hardly a guarantee to be starting material down the line.

Even if Zeitler comes back next year, the Lions could still draft a guard for the future, as the veteran will be 35 next March.