As the 2025 NFL draft approaches, the Detroit Lions find themselves with very few roster gaps. Seeing as they hold a pick in all of the first four rounds, general manager Brad Holmes is primed to take advantage of this deep draft class. Detroit hopes to make a deep run this upcoming season, as it sets its sights on a Super Bowl.
Ever since Holmes became the Lions’ GM in 2021, he has maintained a consistent drafting style. He and his team heavily lean towards taking the best players available and finding ways to fit them into their system. In recent years, as the roster itself has gotten better, this strategy has seen great success.
Take the last draft, for example, when Holmes drafted running back Jahmyr Gibbs with the 12th overall pick. Even though Detroit already had David Montgomery as their RB1. Gibbs went on to rush for 945 yards in his rookie season and 1412 in his sophomore year. Expect Holmes and co. to draft with a similar style this year.
It’s no joke that Holmes likes to draft the best player on the board. Despite Pearce’s character concerns, it would make a lot of sense for the Lions to take a chance on him. Assuming he falls this far due to concerns about his behavior, Detroit would be getting one of the best defensive edges in this draft class.
He dominated his junior year at Tennessee, recording 7.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and 23 tackles for loss. His pure athleticism would make him a great running mate, the opposite of Aiden Hutchinson, and in a couple of years, he could very well be the best edge duo in the league.
With lots of teams likely opting to take defensive tackles in either the first round or later rounds, it leaves a pocket of great players at that position available in round 2. Alfred Collins can have an immediate impact on the Lions as a rookie.
His high football IQ, paired with naturally gifted measurements, gives him the capability to be a starter for a long time in the NFL. His run defense is already extremely polished, and give him a couple of seasons to work on his pass rush, and he’ll be the Lions’ next best defensive lineman.
Zy Alexander is a very well-rounded prospect heading into the draft in April. He exhibits great ball-tracking and processing skills, and has looked great in zone-specific defenses. Detroit is already fairly deep at the corner position, but grabbing more depth guy with high upside never hurts. Standing at 6’2″ and very lengthy, Alexander may be able to take on a specific role on this team.
He would be the tallest Lions player in the secondary and could be tasked with covering the taller deep threats on the opposing team’s offenses. Alexander’s intangibles and high ceiling could make for a great addition to this Lions defense.
Brad Holmes and the Lions would stick to their draft philosophy with this pick. That said, Tez Johnson would make for a very interesting addition to the offense. A short and light guy who can take short, quick passes to the house.
His weight and 40-yard dash time shouldn’t be taken too heavily, as it’s likely that a season with an NFL team’s strength coach could fix those issues. Johnson would be a great compliment to both Jameson Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown, giving Jared Goff a speedy check-down option.
The Lions were able to keep many of their key players from last season’s success. This draft should hopefully allow them to add depth and injury insurance, as well as take a swing on some guys. Holmes’ best player philosophy will likely do the team well this draft cycle, given the class being so deep. While I don’t have the Lions taking a guard in the first four rounds, I find it highly likely that they take one at some point during the draft. It’s not an immediate need, but having a young guy there would be beneficial for their future.
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