The Lions’ interest in Michigan State edge rusher helps confirm the Lions’ intentions at another position
Right now it looks like we’ve been looking at the linebacker postion all wrong for the Lions ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft
We’re getting closer and closer to the 2026 NFL Draft, and reports about the Lions showing interest in prospects are going to become a little more prevalent.
But that doesn’t always mean that the Lions are just looking at players they plan to draft within the confines of the seven rounds of the draft. It means the Lions are also taking deep looks at the guys they can get in that undrafted free agent market.
That’s where Michigan State edge rusher Quindarius Dunnigan falls. He’s not likely to get drafted at this time, but he had a pretty strong season for the Spartans in 2025. He put up 21 pressures and five sacks. But he also had a 70.7 run defense grade from Pro Football Focus to wrap up his college career, where he graded out in the 70’s against the run in the last four seasons.
That’s the important part. That and this.
The Lions working Dunningan at linebacker at his pro day shows the Lions really want to fill that Sam linebacker role
The Sam linebacker role is the role that Derrick Barnes has been playing for the Lions in the last few years, but there’s been some thinking that maybe Detroit would be looking to move Barnes to Alex Anzalone’s former role at Will linebacker and look to fill that Sam linebacker role in the draft.
The Lions have already started talking to draft prospects about playing Sam linebacker at the NFL Combine. They actually talked to Michigan edge rusher Jaishawn Barnham about playing the role.
The Sam linebacker lines up against the tight end and can go into coverage, set the edge against the run, and has the potential to be a pass rusher. It’s not a super easy job to fill. But when it works, man, it works.
With that in mind, maybe we’ve been looking at linebackers the wrong way in the draft for the Lions. The idea might be to look more at some of these edge rushers who have that Sam ability or look at the linebackers who have played a lot of Sam in college. This certainly confirms they’re on the lookout.
It could also be the Lions covering all bases. If the right Will falls to them, the Lions would likely go that route. Guys like Pittsburgh’s Kyle Louis, Texas A&M’s Taurean York, or Oregon’s Bryce Boettcher come to mind.
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