Mekhi Wingo garnered early praise shortly after arriving in Detroit as sixth-round pick by the Lions last April for his maturity and leadership qualities. And as the year went on, he became an important rotational player along Detroit's defensive line until a torn meniscus in his knee ended his season prematurely after 11 games.
"He was playing so dang good for us," Lions head coach Dan Campbell said after getting the news Wingo's knee injury would require surgery and he'd be out the remainder of the season. "He's been a staple for us, defensively, especially with the injuries and even before that he was playing for us. Not like he wasn't. He was really a spot starter anyway and then took over that role with the injuries, special teams guy for us."
Wingo is just one of Detroit's rookies this season the team is counting on to take a big step forward in Year 2.
He said right after the season ended the recovery time from surgery was expected to take five to six months and is looking to be back to football activities by June and ready to go come the start of training camp at the end of July.
"It's definitely frustrating," Wingo said of the injury cutting his first season short. "It was definitely tough not being out there. Definitely wanted to be out there. This team you've seen all the injuries we had. What do I look like complaining with all the injuries we had? It's just part of the game and you have to attack the rehab process."
The Lions return a number of core players upfront along their defensive line next season with starters Aidan Hutchinson, Za’Darius Smith, Alim McNeill and DJ Reader all being under contract. However, it's yet to be determined if McNeill will be ready to go to start the 2025 season after suffering a torn ACL in December.
Wingo, Josh Paschal, Chris Smith and Brodric Martin hope to provide quality depth alongside whatever potential additions Lions general manager Brad Holmes decides to make upfront via free agency and the NFL Draft.
"It's definitely exciting to get all those guys back," Wingo said of Detroit's decimated defensive front this season losing Hutchinson, McNeill, Marcus Davenport, John Cominsky, Kyle Peko and others to season-ending injuries.
"Blessed to get to share the field with those guys again. Great leaders and I just can't wait to get out there and work."
Wingo said his first season was a great learning experience coming in as an undersized (6-0, 288) interior defender and learning how to tailor his game at the highest level to be a contributor.
"Once you do it, you know what it is," he said. "It was just like my freshman year of college. You know, I was alright, but I know the speed now. It's no shocker. I know what it is and now it's just time for me to work on my abilities so I can put the best product on the field next year."
He said the next steps will include being a better film watcher, being better in the run game, getting stronger and finding a way to be more disruptive in the pass game. In his first season, Wingo earned the trust of his teammates and coaches to play a role on defense, getting 177 snaps in 11 games. Next year, he hopes to turn that into an even bigger role and much more playmaking.
