Following the conclusion of this past weekend’s Super Bowl, the 2024 season is officially over and the entire NFL is in the offseason. For the NFL Draft community, this marks a big week to flood the market with mock drafts, and we’ve gathered projections from 35 different draft analysts for this week’s roundup.
Let’s take a look.
Offensive skill players
Tre Harris, WR, Mississippi
Source: Ian Valentino (33rd Team)
“The loss of Ben Johnson could be the most defining offseason move of the entire league if the Detroit Lions don’t properly adjust. Getting more talent along the offense might not be the team’s top priority, but their struggles landing a true partner for Aidan Hutchinson won’t be easier when they pick this late in the round.
“Instead, getting a more consistent No. 2 receiver that offers Jared Goff another excellent option who creates after the catch can raise the unit’s floor and hedges against Jameson Williams disappearing.” — Valentino
Erik’s Thoughts:
While I certainly believe Harris is a bit of a sleeper in this class—mainly because he has some Nico Collins-like traits to his game—I’m not quite sure I’m sold on him being a first-rounder, and I also believe the team is not ready to give up on Jameson Williams as their WR2.
Offensive line
Armand Membou, OL, Missouri
Source: JP Acosta (SB Nation)
“The Lions have a sneaky need up front, with their offensive line beginning to age. Membou’s movement skills and ability to mirror in pass protection could make him a nice guard, with the plan to move him out to tackle once Taylor Decker is no longer on the team.” – Acosta
Tyler Booker, OG, Alabama
Source: Thor Nystrom (Fantasy Life)
“The Lions need help at offensive guard. If Kevin Zeitler doesn’t return, a non-enviable combo of Graham Glasgow and Christian Mahogany is the projected starting duo.
Booker would provide an instant upgrade. He is an exciting guard prospect with a high ceiling. Booker, who declared following his true junior season, has a made-in-a-lab frame. He plays with great leverage.” — Nystrom
Grey Zabel, OL, North Dakota State
Source: Field Yates (ESPN), Mike Renner (CBS Sports)
“Zabel had a great week at the Senior Bowl that had me thinking about cornerback Quinyon Mitchell in 2024. Like Mitchell did before the 2024 draft, Zabel dominated at a lower college level and then looked every bit the part against top competition at the all-star event. Zabel projects as an interior player in the NFL, which is the only part of the Lions’ offense that looks at all vulnerable on paper going into 2025. He is powerful, marries his quick feet with active hands in pass protection and is ridiculously tough — he plays like a Lion.” — Yates
Donovan Jackson, OL, Ohio State
Source: Kyle Crabbs (33rd Team), Josh Edwards (CBS Sports)
“Detroit’s reputation as an offensive line beacon is well deserved. But Kevin Zeitler is back on the free agency market, and Graham Glasgow did not play to the standard he’d previously set in Detroit the previous season. Few players did more to help their stock in the College Football Playoff than Donovan Jackson, who thrived down the stretch at tackle to prove he had some positional versatility. For Detroit, he’d be a plug-in at guard to help the Lions keep their strength a strength.”
Jonah Savaiinaea, OL, Arizona
Source: Chad Reuter (NFL.com)
“The strength of the Lions’ offensive line has been a major factor in the team’s recent success, so adding Savaiinaea to take over for free agent Kevin Zeitler at right guard makes a lot of sense.” — Reuter
Erik’s Thoughts:
After zero offensive linemen being projected to the Lions in roundup 3.0, this week we see five different offensive linemen—projected from seven different analysts—connected to Detroit.
Membou has starting guard and tackle range and should be one of the first offensive linemen drafted. Booker and Zabel will be fighting it out to be the top interior lineman in this class, while Savaiinaea entered the season in that role but has seen his stock slide over his senior season. Meanwhile, it’s quite the opposite for Jackson, who started the season at left guard and then shifted to left tackle and improved at every turn along the way.
While the Lions have multiple areas on defense that could be upgraded, the offensive line is the engine of the offense and if they want to keep operating at a high level, they need to make sure they have it operating at peak levels.
Defensive tackle
Derrick Harmon, DT, Oregon
Source: Hayden Winks (Underdog Network), Mike Randle (FTN Fantasy), Eddie Brown (San Diego Union-Tribune)
“The Lions made things work in a pinch, but the volume of injuries on the interior was staggering last year and Levi Onwuzurike is headed for free agency. With so few holes on the roster, I’ll be keeping close tabs on which free agents they let walk next month.” — Winks
Walter Nolen, DT, Mississippi
Source: Russell Brown (Fantasy Pros), Brentley Weissman (Pro Football Network)
“Despite having a ton of depth on their defensive line, injuries prevented the group from taking off last season. As the Lions head into the offseason, they could look to revamp their defensive line.
“Adding a player such as Walter Nolen would certainly help with that. He’s an explosive athlete that provides the Lions with plenty of versatility. He’ll need to become more consistent with his hands but he should provide Detroit with a spark in multiple spots up front.” — Brown
Tyleik Williams, DT, Ohio State
Source: Miranda Wilhelm (Draft Countdown)
Erik’s Thoughts:
With a whopping 41 (!) defensive tackles invited to the Combine, we’ll likely see multiple defensive tackles mocked to the Lions all offseason. In previous roundups, we’ve seen a nose tackle or two paired to the Lions, but the majority of the time, like this week, we’ve seen Detroit get partnered with attacking 1-gappers.
Edge rusher
Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia
Source: Matt Holder (Bleacher Report)
“With Za’Darius Smith still on the roster for one more year, the Lions have some flexibility. The situation allows the front office to look at a talent like Georgia’s Mykel Williams, who’s far from a finished product, and make him a realistic choice based purely on upside.
“Injuries stunted Williams’ growth this year, but he is a good traits prospect with his combination size (6’5”, 265 lbs) and athleticism. Going to Detroit would be a good destination for the Georgia product since he could sit and develop behind Smith and then take over opposite Hutchinson.
“Williams could become exactly what the organization was hoping it was getting when it signed Marcus Davenport this past offseason.” — Holder
Mike Green, EDGE, Marshall
Source: Ryan Fowler (The Draft Network), Nate Tice and Charles McDonald (Yahoo Sports), Kyle Dvorchak (NBC Sports), Joel Klatt (FOX Sports)
“If there’s anyone in the edge class that screams “Dan Campbell type of defender,” Mike Green is right up at the top. As good as he is as a pass rusher (59 pressures and 17 sacks in ‘24) with an advanced repertoire, his ability as a run defender is what moves the needle and is a really underrated part of his game.” — Fowler
Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE, Boston College
Source: Nick Baumgardner (The Athletic)
“Ezeiruaku (6-2, 248) pairs outstanding burst with near-35-inch arms. He’s another tenacious edge rusher who had a phenomenal 2024 (60 pressures, 16 1/2 sacks and 20 1/2 tackles for loss). The Lions need someone who can win one-on-ones opposite Aidan Hutchinson, and this would qualify.” — Baumgardner
Jack Sawyer, EDGE, Ohio State
Source: Ryan McCrystal (Sharp Football Analysis), Rob Rang (FOX Sports), Owain Jones (Pro Football Network), Matthew Jones (Fantasy Pros), Hal Habib (Palm Beach Post), Tim Bielik (Cleveland.com), Bob McManaman (AZCentral)
“The injury to Aidan Hutchinson exposed the Lions’ lack of depth. With Marcus Davenport hitting free agency, adding a cheaper rookie contract to the mix is probably a necessity. Ohio State’s Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau both seem like the type of physical players Dan Campbell would appreciate.” — McCrystal
Nic Scourton, EDGE, Texas A&M
Source: Luke Easterling (Anthon Sports)
“Even with a healthy Aidan Hutchinson back next season, the Lions need another well-rounded edge defender who can stay on the field for all three downs and make an impact against both the run and pass. Scourton wasn’t as productive as you’d expect from someone with his physical profile, but all of the tools are there for him to be a high-quality pro, and an ideal fit for what Detroit needs.” Easterling
JT Tuimoloau, EDGE, Ohio State
Source: Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz (USA Today), Ian Cummings (Pro Football Network)
“Lots of changes coming for a Detroit team that lost a good chunk of its coaching staff, including defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. The Lions can start shaking things up in a beneficial way, however, by boosting their depth and punch along a defensive line that will require far more than just a healthy Aidan Hutchinson upon the defensive end’s return from a season-ending leg injury.” — Middlehurst-Schwartz
Erik’s Thoughts:
EDGE continues to be the most popular position to pair with the Lions and for good reason. There are two new names to the roundup this week: Mykel Williams and Donovan Ezeiruaku.
Williams is one of my favorite edge rushers for the Lions in this year’s class, as his skill set resembles Marcus Davenport’s, which is an ideal pairing opposite Aidan Hutchinson. I believe Williams is a top half of the first-round prospect, which should put the Lions out of reach—of course, I thought the same thing about Terrion Arnold last year.
Ezeiruaku isn’t getting a lot of attention amongst mock drafters right now (though that community is growing) but when Nick Baumgardner (who knows the Lions’ scheme/needs at an elite level) suggests he’d be a fit, Lions fans should be listening.
Linebacker
Jalon Walker, EDGE, Georgia
Source: Trevor Sikkema (PFF)
“Walker is a bit of a tweener prospect who isn’t as big as an edge rusher yet doesn’t have the natural instincts of an off-ball linebacker. But that could all change with time. He is a young prospect who is very athletically gifted with the explosiveness to hunt mobile quarterbacks and attack the pocket. The Lions could be in on him at the back end of the first round if he is still on the board.” — Sikkema
Jihaad Campbell, MIKE/SAM, Alabama
Source: Dan Parr (NFL.com)
“Brad Holmes has selected at least one Crimson Tide player in each of the last three drafts. He extends the streak to four with Campbell, who can generate heat off the edge right away and play off-ball linebacker if needed down the road.” — Parr
Erik’s Thoughts:
Walker is still listed amongst the linebackers group because that’s the group he’ll work with at the Combine, but he’ll be grouped with the edge players on several teams’ draft boards —including The Athletic’s Dane Brugler’s. His ability to fill both a James Houston role and a Derrick Barnes role should be very appealing for Detroit. While the thought of adding him is exciting, I see him coming off the board very early in this draft.
If the Lions are looking for a stand-up edge rusher who could play the SAM role, Jihaad Campbell could very well be their next-best option. Campbell looks capable of playing at SAM and WILL in the Lions scheme and would be a nice complement for Jack Campbell and Alex Anzalone.
Defensive backs
Azareye’h Thomas, CB, Florida State
Source: Ayrton Ostly (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
“Thomas offers an ideal mix of traits at 6-foot-1 and 191 pounds at a position of need for the Lions. Detroit could lose four of the seven cornerbacks on its active roster to free agency. Thomas will need time to develop but a hopefully healthy Lions front and stars Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch should provide the right environment for him to be a contributor early on.” — Ostly
Erik’s Thoughts:
While I’m not sure Thomas is a surefire first-rounder, a 6-foot-1 1⁄2 press-man cover corner is going to have people’s attention, especially if the Lions are looking for another defensive back who can contribute immediately.
Trade proposals
Lions trade with Browns for Myles Garrett
Source: Chris Trapasso (CBS Sports)
Lions send pick No. 28 to the New York Giants
Source: Mike Fanelli (Fantasy Pros)
- With pick No. 28, Giants select Jaxson Dart, QB, Mississippi
- Lions receive: Picks 34, 65, and 2026 third-rounder
- With pick No. 34, Lions select JT Tulmoloau, EDGE, Ohio State
- With pick No. 60 (original pick), Lions select Darius Alexander, DT, Toledo
Erik’s Thoughts:
Depending on which trade chart you prefer, and where you value the 2026 third-round pick, you can get a wide range of results. As a personal preference, I like comparing the Rich Hill trade chart via Pats Pulpit and the Fitzgerald-Spielberger trade value chart via OverTheCap. In both charts, the Lions come out value winners, with Detroit acquiring the equivalent of the No. 16 pick on the Hill chart, and the value of the No. 2 pick on the Fitzgerald-Spielberger. While both are ideal scenarios, the more realistic outcome is that the Lions will get less than what was proposed here.
