The Detroit Lions signed an edge rusher that the rest of the NFL forgot to draft in the 2026 NFL Draft

It’s undrafted free agent season, and the Detroit Lions have got to work on signing guys who they hope can either make the 53-man roster or at least make the practice squad. The Lions just signed one guy who probably should have been drafted. The rest of the NFL forgot to draft USC edge rusher […]

Mike Payton — Detroit Lions Beat Writer
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Sep 7, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans defensive end Anthony Lucas (6) attempts to sack Utah State Aggies quarterback Bryson Barnes (16) during the second quarter at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

It’s undrafted free agent season, and the Detroit Lions have got to work on signing guys who they hope can either make the 53-man roster or at least make the practice squad. The Lions just signed one guy who probably should have been drafted.

The rest of the NFL forgot to draft USC edge rusher Anthony Lucas, the Lions stole him

More often than not, the bulk of UDFA’s are guys who were either supposed to go in the seventh round and didn’t, or guys who were never expected to get drafted. Lucas was expected to go as high as the fifth round.

Lucas was our 153rd-ranked player on our big board. Pro Football Focus had him at 109, The Athletic had him at 185, and ESPN had him at 194. Look, he’s not some elite gem that the rest of the league forgot about. But he is a guy who can absolutely make the 53-man roster.

The pros for Anthony Lucas

Lucas can set the edge in the run game. That is the big draw here for him. He’s got long arms that help him present a wide front. It’s like a scared cat who turns sideways to make itself bigger. This helps him wrap up in the run game and stuff runs.

What’s even better, he does not miss tackles. He missed just six tackles in four years. If he gets his arms around a ball carrier, they’re going down.

In the pass rush game, he’s a bull rusher who helps bring pressure, even if he doesn’t get home a lot. He had 23 pressures last year. The run stuffing is the big draw here like we said.

The cons for Anthony Lucas

While he can bull rush, that’s really all he can do at this time. He needs to add more moves to his game if he hopes to really succeed at being a pass rusher in the NFL. You can’t expect all of that to happen in one summer, but this is something the Lions need to at least see a little bit of to get him on the roster.

Like Ahmed Hassanein, Lucas plays with his hair on fire. He needs to learn to be a little more intentional with what he does to get to the quarterback. It can’t just be flying there as fast as you can with no plan on the go. That’s how you overpursue and get juked or just flat out miss.

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