Pride of Detroit
There are questions about the Detroit Lions defensive line, but one prominent site still believes they’re among the best in the NFL.
All offseason, conversation has surrounded the Detroit Lions’ defensive line. Fans and analysts are looking for answers after an injury-depleted defense ultimately cost the Lions a championship run, and Detroit responded with only minor moves along the defensive line, particularly at defensive end.
But one outlet still believes the Lions’ defensive line will be among the best in the NFL in 2025. PFF recently put out their defensive line rankings, and the Lions were all the way up at No. 6 overall.
“The Detroit Lions’ defensive line may deserve a higher ranking based on on-paper talent, but there are quite a few question marks surrounding the health of its top players,” PFF’s Zoltán Buday wrote. “While Aidan Hutchinson was on track to have a Defensive Player of the Year-caliber season in 2024 and led all edge defenders with a 94.9 PFF overall grade, it remains to be seen how quickly he can get back to his top form.”
That’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to questions about the unit—and, quite honestly, one of the smaller issues. Hutchinson appears fully healed from the injury already and should hit the ground running at training camp.
However, the Lions are expected to be without Alim McNeill for at least a month into the season. Marcus Davenport, a projected starter, has only managed to stay healthy enough to play six games over the past two years. As for depth at defensive end, Detroit may end up relying upon tweeners like Josh Paschal, Levi Onwuzurike, and Pat O’Connor should things go south.
That said, the Lions are deeper on the defensive line than it may appear. Not only is DJ Reader enjoying his healthiest offseason in a long time, but he’s bolstered by free agent addition Roy Lopez and first-round draft pick Tyleik Williams. Additionally, the Lions were able to retain Onwuzurike despite many believing he could have fetched a better deal elsewhere in free agency. And while sixth-round pick Ahmed Hassanein has some development to undertake, his sparkplug attitude could help him find the field sooner rather than later.
Overall, there are certainly a lot of questions about this unit, but assuming Hutchinson doesn’t miss a step and McNeill eventually comes back for a playoff run, this unit does have a nice match of top-end talent and decent depth.
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