Mekhi Wingo

Career StatsD

Year	Team	GP	Sacks	Tkl	TFL
Career		13	—	12	—
2025		2	0.0	3	0
2024		11	0.0	9	0

Updated Jun 6, 2026

Current Contract

Contract Value Index (CVI)

The C- Contract Value Index on Mekhi Wingo's deal stems from how the cap hit lines up against on-field output. At $1.05M AAV on a four-year rookie scale contract, the dollar figure itself is negligible — that's replacement-level money for a depth defensive tackle — but the production attached to it is the problem. Through two seasons, Wingo has logged just 3 tackles across 2 games in 2025, zero sacks, and zero forced fumbles, which amounts to minimal impact production at the professional level and raises legitimate questions about whether he's developed into an NFL-caliber contributor at all. As a 23-year-old second-year player drafted in the sixth round (189th overall in 2024), he remains on the organizational periphery; the Lions' recent additions of multiple defensive bodies and the absence of any contract extension or increased responsibility suggests Detroit views him as a depth piece in a crowded rotation rather than a future cornerstone. The silent treatment from beat coverage and the broader media aligns with that view — when a young player on modest salary generates no positive narrative momentum heading into a crucial prove-it camp stretch, it typically means the organization is prepared to move on if he doesn't establish himself immediately. Without demonstrable progress this season, Wingo's CVI will remain depressed, because there's no pathway to value on a rookie deal when the tape and the counting stats both say "replacement-level backup."

Contracts in the Same Value Band

Other same-position deals the Contract Value Index also places in the C band — a quick read on where Mekhi's contract sits relative to comparable money.

Performance Analysis

Production at defensive tackle earns Mekhi Wingo a D performance grade in the current sample. The 23-year-old second-year player remains firmly in below-average territory among his positional peers, with minimal impact statistics and a shrinking runway to establish himself as a viable NFL contributor. Through the 2025 season, Wingo logged 3 tackles across just 2 games—a severely limited snap share and counting output that underscores his peripheral role within Detroit's defensive rotation. More damning is what's absent from his profile: zero sacks and zero forced fumbles across his entire two-year career represent a complete failure to generate the disruptive plays that define productive interior linemen at the professional level, and his inability to translate late-round draft capital into on-field reliability is now impossible to ignore. The Lions' recent offseason spending—including the addition of defensive end Derrick Moore and the broader rotation overhauls across the roster—signals the organization is not waiting for Wingo to develop; they are actively building depth chart competition around him. Without demonstrated progress in camp and preseason, a second-year player already stuck on the margins faces a realistic possibility of being overtaken entirely, turning his 2026 proving-ground season into a last real chance at professional viability.

How Mekhi Compares at the Position

Mekhi Wingo ranks 174th of 216 graded defensive tackles by performance. That slots Mekhi between Benito Jones (D) just ahead and Joshua Farmer (D) just behind.

Current Sentiment

Mekhi Wingo enters the 2026 season as one of the quieter names in Detroit's defensive room, and that silence is its own verdict — his public perception sits at a D, reflecting a second-year player who has yet to generate any meaningful buzz, positive or negative. The near-total absence of beat coverage surrounding the 23-year-old defensive tackle is telling; when a player on a $1.1M AAV rookie scale contract isn't drawing attention in either direction, it typically signals organizational ambivalence rather than quiet confidence in a developing piece. That perception aligns directly with his on-field output — a D- performance grade — and his 2025 season numbers of 3 tackles across just 2 games confirm he has not carved out a reliable role in Detroit's defensive rotation, while his career-long absence of sacks or forced fumbles underscores the lack of impact production at the NFL level. The Lions' offseason activity adds further pressure to Wingo's standing: Detroit has added bodies along multiple positions this spring, including the signing of defensive tackle Jay Tufele in late April, which only deepens the competition for roster spots and narrows the margin for players who haven't yet proved they belong. With 125 days until the regular season kicks off and a crowded depth chart taking shape around him, the narrative on Wingo is cautiously grim — he is firmly in prove-it territory, and without a legitimate breakout in camp, the conversation around him may never materialize at all.