The Detroit Lions had one of their best seasons in franchise history in 2024. Detroit finished the regular season 15-2 and won the NFC North division title for the second time ever. They also earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs, another first in franchise history.
Unfortunately, it did not have the ending they hoped for. Detroit lost in their Divisional Round matchup against Washington in a game where they simply could not stop the Commanders on offense. It certainly didn't help that the Lions had a mash unit of a defense at that point in the season.
Now the Lions must transition into offseason mode and try to address what went wrong this year. That will probably involve a ton of investment on the defensive side of the ball.
Detroit has plenty of options for addressing their defensive needs. The Lions enter the offseason with $46.5 million in cap space and several draft picks to work with. There are a few young players who are due for contract extensions, but Detroit should be able to extend them while also adding some new players.
Below we will explore who the Lions might select in the 2025 NFL Draft according to the PFF mock draft simulator.
Please note that Detroit will receive a third-round compensatory pick after the hiring of Aaron Glenn in New York. This pick is currently not reflected in the PFF mock draft simulator, so we will focus the discussion on the first two rounds.
Lions spend first-round pick on BC edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku
The fact that Detroit picks an edge rusher in the first round should not be a surprise to Lions fans.
Detroit's most obvious need on the entire roster is edge rusher. The Lions addressed that need at the trade deadline by acquiring Za'Darius Smith from the Browns. However, there's no guarantee he even makes the roster in 2025. That's where Donovan Ezeiruaku comes in.
Ezeiruaku is a productive pass rusher out of Boston College. He has an interesting build at 6-foot-2 and 247 pounds. This is a little bit short for an edge rusher, but Ezeiruaku makes up for it with 34-and-a-half-inch arms and a full suite of pass-rush moves.
The Lions don't seem to care too much about prospect measurable during the Brad Holmes era. Instead, Detroit seems to prioritize culture fit and college production when evaluating prospects. At least the ones they have drafted over the past few offseasons.
Ezeiruaku was certainly productive in college. He was one of the best pass rushers in the country in 2024, logging 16.5 sacks. He has already showed off his skills at the Reese's Senior Bowl and seemed to impressive NFL scouts.
Much like Aidan Hutchinson, Ezeiruaku excels at using his extensive list of pass-rush moves to set up tackles, leaving them vulnerable to his counter moves. This is one reason why the Lions may covet him. Hutchinson is routinely double teamed by opponents, so gaining a player opposite of him who can thrive in one-on-one situations is a big priority for Detroit.
Ezeiruaku is not the best run defender, in part because of his size. Therefore, the Lions may use him as a third-down weapon at first and eventually ease him into the starting lineup on early downs.
At this point in the pre-draft process, this looks like a steal for the Lions. In Chad Reuter's mock draft 1.0, he has Ezeiruaku landing with the Falcons at 15th overall.
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If Ezeiruaku is the pick in April, Lions fans will certainly be excited.
Detroit double dips on edge rusher with the selection of South Carolina's Kyle Kennard
There's only one thing that could be better than one edge rusher. Two edge rushers!
In this mock draft, the Lions use their second-round pick on South Carolina edge rusher Kyle Kennard.
Kennard is a fifth-year senior who transferred to South Carolina for his final collegiate season after four years at Georgia Tech. He immediately had his best season of his career, logging 28 total tackles, 11.5 sacks and three forced fumbles in 2024.
Kennard's scouting report reads a bit like Aidan Hutchinson's in a few respects. Words like “explosive”, “physicality”, and “high motor” are littered throughout his scouting reports. That is music to the ears of both Lions brass and fans alike.
Similar to Ezeiruaku, Kennard is not known as the best run defender around. Fortunately, the Lions already have more than enough players who can play on early downs while Kennard and Ezeiruaku develop in that area.
Kennard also boasts some nice position versatility, allowing him to align almost anywhere on the defensive line in obvious passing situations. This could keep him on the field with Hutchinson and Ezeiruaku on third downs.
It would be interesting to see Detroit invest their top two picks in edge rushers. The Lions did the same thing last year, but with cornerbacks.
I'm sure Lions fans wouldn't complain about another double dip in the 2025 NFL Draft.
