4 under-the-radar edge rushers the Lions could wait and take outside of the first round in the 2026 NFL Draft, and win big with
The Lions are likely going to be looking for more than one edge rusher in this year’s draft. Here’s a look at some of the guys they can get outside the first two rounds
In just over two weeks, the Detroit Lions will be on the clock in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, and every Lions fan will tell you that this team needs an edge rusher and they need one badly.
The thing is, and we’ve gone over this not long ago, the Lions do not draft for need, and all of the mock drafts have them do that, really just ignore everything they’ve told us about their draft strategy in the last five years.
So you can assume the Lions might draft an edge rusher in the first round. Maybe they take one in the second, too. But they’ll definitely have their eyes out for one later. Here are four under-the-radar edge rushers that the Lions could steal:
Mikail Kamara, Edge, Indiana
Kamara didn’t have his best season in 2025 when it comes to getting home. He only put up two sacks despite notching 59 pressures. He had a much better 2024 with 68 pressures and 10 sacks. That’s because in 2025, he played hurt all year. Had he balled out, we might be talking about a player who could go early on Day 2. But now he’s an early on Day 3 guy.
He’ll be in range at that 157th pick area, and the Lions could look to kick his tires to see if 2025 was just an anomaly. If it wasn’t, you’re out a fifth-round pick instead of a first-round pick. If it was, you scored an edge without having to take him high.
Nadame Tucker, Edge, Western Michigan
Tucker lit up the MAC last year with 61 pressures and 14 sacks. He was one of the highest graded pass rushers in the country with a 93.0 grade from Pro Football Focus, and he showed that he can be a solid run stuffer, too.
The thing that has teams a little wary is that, before that season, he did next to nothing in three years with Houston. He never started, and in most cases, he didn’t even play. So was 2025 a fluke? For a sixth-round pick, you can find out.
Joshua Josephs, Edge, Tennessee
A really good run-stopping edge rusher. Josephs also has graded out really well when getting after the quarterback, but the Volunteers didn’t really send him or anyone that much in 2025.
Josephs has a chance to come in and be a really solid Sam linebacker for the Lions. I know that’s not totally the same as an edge rusher, but Jospehs is someone who can handle all of the things the Lions would want him to handle and can still get after it in pass rush. Would the Lions take him in the third round if they traded up?
Caden Curry, Edge, Ohio State
Curry stepped into the starting role for the Buckeyes in 2025 and racked up 46 pressures and 12 sacks. he also put up an 86.7 run defense grade. There is a lot to like about Curry. He can play inside and outside. He’s like a better version of Pat O’Connor.
The problem is that, like Tucker, he mostly just played special teams before 2025, and at times when you watch the tape, you don’t always see it matching the production. Curry is more of a rotational guy. That’s worth it for the sixth round.
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