After a wildly successful season that saw the Detroit Lions win 15 games and reach the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs, they’ve earned the 28th overall pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Now, the Lions have suffered several losses via the offseason coaching hiring cycle, but the NFL Draft gives them a chance to supply their new coaches with fresh talent too.
Yet, since the Lions pick so late in the first round, projecting which prospect they may target becomes tougher to do. However, one NFL insider believes they have an early pulse on which position the Lions could be aiming for.
Related: 2025 NFL mock draft: Who should the Lions draft in the first round?
Detroit Lions expected to use top pick on pass-rusher
One area that the Detroit Lions have strongly been linked to this offseason is finding another top-tier pass-rusher to pair with Aidan Hutchinson. Yet, the Lions have largely ignored the position, choosing to move forward with Marcus Davenport instead.
Perhaps their plan has always been to wait for the NFL Draft to arrive.
According to Sports Illustrated’s NFL insider Albert Breer, the Lions seem certain to select a pass-rusher early on during the draft.
“I’d say there’s a good chance that we see Detroit dip into the deep supply of edge rushers in this year’s class to find a bookend for Aidan Hutchinson long-term, and give the team a little insurance as Hutchinson works back from last year’s injury.
SI’s Albert Breer on Lions’ draft plans
Who could be there? A bunch (Abdul Carter, Jalon Walker, Shemar Stewart, Mykel Williams, et al.) will be long gone before the Detroit Lions get on the clock at 28. I’ll be interested to see whether they’d roll the dice on someone such as Tennessee’s James Pearce Jr. or Marshall’s Mike Green, who have character flags, rather than maybe going with a safer play such as Boston College’s Donovan Ezeiruaku. Detroit’s been disciplined with this stuff over the past four years. As a result, they have the infrastructure in place that may allow for a gamble.”
It’s true that the Lions have set themselves up well with a roster that can already compete for a playoff spot, making finding another pass rusher more of a luxury as opposed to an urgent need. Still, imagine how good this defense could be with another high-level pass-rusher capable of creating pressure while Hutchinson continues to wreak havoc?
