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Few teams had a stranger trio of days at the 2025 NFL Draft than the Detroit Lions did. After a series of trades, the Lions left with seven new players on their roster but still a host of questions that need to be answered in free agency.
After taking offensive tackle Tyleik Williams in the first round, Detroit traded up three times to make its ensuing three picks. General manager Brad Holmes’ aggressive moves led to the selections of guard Tate Ratledge, receiver Isaac TeSlaa and guard Miles Frazier in rounds two, three and five, respectively. The Lions closed out the draft by taking edge rusher Ahmed Hassanein, safety Dan Jackson and receiver Dominic Lovett with their final three picks.
By the end of the third night, Holmes’ decisions excited some but confused many others. The batch of incoming rookies was not the issue, but rather the price to move up three times. Detroit’s most costly trade, moving up in the third round for TeSlaa, cost it two third-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. Covering that much ground for a player who never even came close to sniffing a 1,000-yard season at Arkansas was certainly called into question.
Regardless, the Lions’ offseason has been full of changes across the board. After falling short in the 2025 playoffs, Detroit lost Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn to vacant head coaching positions. The team kept the core of its roster together, but also lost key veterans Kevin Zeitler, Carlton Davis III, Ifeatu Melifonwu and Kindle Vildor in free agency.
With the 2025 NFL Draft fully in the past, organized team activities, OTAs, and minicamps are on deck. Holmes still has a few more moves to make before then to round out the Lions’ roster.
From the moment he stepped foot on an NFL field, Aidan Hutchinson quickly became one of the top edge rushers in the league. But while no man could stop his progression, a gruesome broken leg might have significantly derailed his career trajectory. Hutchinson had 7.5 sacks in just five games in 2024 but is now attempting to return from one of the worst injuries in sports.
With Hutchinson, the Lions’ pass-rushing unit was elite. However, without him, they struggled to get into the backfield. By the year’s end, Hutchinson’s 7.5 sacks still led the team, despite his absence for 12 games. Za’Darius Smith, who Holmes opted not to re-sign, was second with four. The team’s current supporting cast — Al-Quadin Muhammad, Josh Paschal and Marcus Davenport — combined for just 5.5 sacks in 2024.
The Lions did draft one edge rusher, but waited until the sixth round to take Boise State’s Ahmed Hassanein. With 22 sacks in the last two seasons, Hassanein is better than his draft position suggests, but he will need time to develop into an every-down impact player. The Lions need to give a recovering Hutchinson support immediately.
Smith is still a free agent and an option to potentially...
