The Lions grab one more edge rusher with Tennessee’s Tyre West – Breaking down the rewards, risks, and scouting report
The Lions grab a rotational edge rusher with versatility to go inside and play defensive tackle
The Detroit Lions are grabbing one more edge rusher on their way out of the 2026 NFL Draft. With the 22nd pick in the draft, the Lions took Tennessee’s Tyre West.
The rewards for the Lions with Tyre West
West is an intriguing player. He has a lot of Marcus Davenport-like assets. This is not an injury thing. He’s a big edge who specializes in stopping the run and has some pass-rush ability. In 2025, he put up 16 pressures and four sacks as part of the Vols rotation.
He can also work inside and play defensive tackle. That’s why you see some draft experts call him an edge and some call him a defensive tackle. He played edge rusher for the Volanteers.
The risk for the Lions with Tyre West
West’s ceiling isn’t super high. He’s expected to at least crack the rotation, but you might not ever see him start beyond that. And that is fine for a seventh-round pick. As long as he can come in and help stop the run and notch a sack here and there, that goes a long way.
AtoZ Sports Tyre West Scouting Report
“Tyre West is a former four-star recruit who was a productive player for the Vols during his four seasons in Knoxville. West, however, never seemed to take the next step from being a rotational player (part of the reason is due to the Vols’ philosophy of heavily rotating their defensive linemen). The Georgia native played 281 snaps in 2025 (by comparison, true freshman CB Ty Redmond led UT in defensive snaps at 783).”
“West started the 2025 season on a strong note, totaling 15 tackles and four sacks in the first four games of the season, but he didn’t record more than two tackles in a game over the rest of the season (nor did he record another sack after Week 4). West is a true defensive end who can slide inside if needed, though he’ll need to add some weight to play inside at the next level. He’ll likely serve as defensive end depth if he makes a 53-man roster.”
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