With Ifeatu Melifonwu departing in free agency, the Lions are bringing in two NFL Draft prospects as possible replacement options.
After losing defensive back Ifeatu Melifonwu in free agency, the Detroit Lions are likely on the lookout for a third safety option, and they’ve met with a few 2025 NFL Draft prospects that could fill the role—with two of them headed to Allen Park for a pre-draft visit.
According to a report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Lions will host Virginia safety Jonas Sanker on a “Top 30” visit in the near future. Sanker also reportedly met with the Lions at the Combine, making him a very intriguing option for Detroit fans to keep track of.
Sanker is, in a lot of ways, a perfect third safety for where the Lions are at this time. He played mainly strong safety at Virginia, but has shown the range to play free safety and even looks comfortable when asked to roam at single-high. Sanker also has a lot of experience playing in the slot and has spent around a third of his snaps there over the past three seasons as a starter. On defense, Sanker has range to roam, above-average downhill tackling skills, and instincts he can trust to put him in the right spots. Sanker is also a terrific special teams gunner and figures to be a Day 1 impact player in the third phase of the game.
Most experts are projecting Sanker to come off the board early in the fourth round of the draft, but for the Lions, I believe he has third-round value and would be well worth pick No. 102—especially if the Lions are unable to reach a contract extension with Kerby Joseph ahead of the draft.
In addition to Sanker, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported that Penn State Safety Jaylen Reed will also be meeting with Detroit. However, according to the Free Press’ Dave Birkett, this will be considered a local visit, likely due to the fact that Reed is from Detroit and attended Martin Luther King Jr. high school.
Reed is a physical safety with the range to play in a two-high shell, in the slot, as well as in the box. He plays with a strong motor and his physicality shows up as a run defender, but he’s not as rangy as Sanker, which could limit the packages the Lions could deploy him in. Reed also figures to be a solid special teams contributor based on his skill set.
Outside of Sanker and Reed, the Lions have reportedly met with Texas’ Andrew Mukuba at the Combine. We’re tracking all the Lions’ Top-30 visits (and more) in our latest tracker, so make sure to check back on that article as it updates with the latest news.
