Detroit Lions Mailbag: How likely is it that Brad Holmes doesn't draft help for Hutchinson?
We're two weeks away from the 2025 NFL Draft, and Detroit Lions fans have questions, and we're going to answer them all right now. While Holmes has said that the Lions are not a needs-based drafting team, it would be a Bruce Willis was dead the whole time level shock if the Lions did not […]
We're two weeks away from the 2025 NFL Draft, and Detroit Lions fans have questions, and we're going to answer them all right now.
While Holmes has said that the Lions are not a needs-based drafting team, it would be a Bruce Willis was dead the whole time level shock if the Lions did not draft a single edge rusher.
There is just no way this team walks out of this draft chock-full of good edges without at least one guy. Now, with that said, that doesn't guarantee that the Lions get one in the first round. They might go offensive line there, or they might even go with a receiver depending on how the board shakes out. Maybe they shock everyone with a quarterback if one they love falls.
If that happens, there are some good players in the second round.
What a segue am I right? There are some good edge rushers in the second round for sure. Here are some guys to watch for.
Princely Umanmielan, Ole Miss
Any other year he might be a first-round pick. Heck, even this year he could sneak up there. Umanmielan is pretty good and is coming off a season in which he had 55 pressures and 11 sacks.
Jack Sawyer, Ohio State
He's been seemingly falling down the board as of late with draft experts, but when it comes to the actual draft, I don't think he'll truly fall to day three as some have suspected. He had 37 pressures and eight sacks last year.
Landon Jackson, Arkansas
Another guy who could find himself in the first round when it's all said and done. Jackson has had a really good draft process. Right now he's a second-round guy. He had 33 pressures and seven sacks last year.
Josaiah Stewart, Michigan
The Lions have been paying a lot of attention to this kid. They had a top 30 visit, a virtual and local pro day invite with him. He had a strong season with 29 pressures and six sacks last year.
Other names to watch: LSU's Sai'Vion Jones, South Carolina's Kyle Kenard, LSU's Brayden Swinson, Oregon's Jordan Burch, and Ohio State's J.T. Tuimoloau.
While he wasn't Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson, there was definitely more mobility out of Goff in 2024. He wasn't afraid to leave the pocket and go on a little run.
I wouldn't expect much more than that again in 2025. Having the option to get out if you need to is helpful, but he just doesn't have the speed to really make scrambling a big part of his game, and it's hard to add something like that late in your career.
They're useful if you have some sort of understanding about the team you're doing a mock draft one. Otherwise, you're a national guy who is mocking an offensive lineman to the Lions for like the third year in a row, and it still hasn't dawned on you that the Lions just don't draft the way you think they do.
The big thing people have to realize, and I think a lot do, is that the draft is a living organism. It's constantly changing as the year goes by. The mock draft I made at the end of the season probably doesn't look anything like the mock draft I made this week or the final mock draft I'll do the week of the draft. Something new is being learned all the time, and that changes the way the draft is looked at and how we think the Lions will operate.
They're fun at the end of the day, but they're driven by what's going on, and there's an opportunity to learn there.
That makes the most sense right now. With D.J. Reed coming in, that allows Amik Robertson to move back to the slot and then Branch can go back to safety.
Absolutely, if he's able to learn the position and grasp the nuances of being a guard, then he could be very good. His athleticism, size, and strength give him the opportunity to be good just about anywhere.
But it is a big ask to have a player who is still green switch positions in his second season when he has yet to really see the field in NFL action. This could take a little time. But it will pay off big if he gets it.
Holmes has (correctly) not always drafted for need, but drafted the best player/character available. Who are some high character guys that you could see them drafting that aren’t getting talked about now?
— Jacob Reed (@jacobreed.bsky.social) April 7, 2025 at 9:44 AM
I'm about to talk about Illinois receiver Pat Bryant again. This guy has the character that the Lions are looking for. He was a team captain at Illinois. It's the blocking, though, that really seals it. He lives by the "no block, no rock" mantra that the Lions live by. He might want to hit guys more than he wants to catch the ball. Campbell would love him.
I also like North Carolina guard Willie Lampkin. He's a relentless effort guy who doesn't let his small size affect his game. Boise State edge Ahmed Hassanien is another guy worth watching for character. He was an academic All-American last year.
The nuclear option: Why Sam Laporta is the Lions ace for a major trade up in the 2025 NFL Draft
The 2025 NFL Draft is just a couple of weeks away, and with every passing day, it seems like a trade-up is the way the Detroit Lions will go. You just look at the roster they have right now, and you can see where the Lions could go all in on draft day and find […]
