The Detroit Lions entered the 2025 NFL offseason with plenty of work to do. Detroit was one of the most injured teams in all of football during the 2024 season. So much so that they crumbled during the Divisional Round playoffs against the Commanders. One of the biggest priorities for the Lions heading into the offseason was to add a few new starters, and plenty of depth, on the defensive side of the ball.
The Lions look to be in a pretty good position after just one week of NFL free agency.
Detroit’s biggest free agency acquisition was former Jets CB DJ Reed. The Lions gave Reed a three-year contract worth $48 million. Essentially, Detroit was able to replace Carlton Davis III and save $12 million compared to what he landed from the Patriots.
The Lions also added defensive tackle Roy Lopez from the Cardinals and backup quarterback Kyle Allen.
Aside from these external additions, the Lions invested a ton of resources in re-signing their own players. Detroit retained Tim Patrick, Levi Onwuzurike, Dan Skipper, Derrick Barnes, Marcus Davenport, and others mostly on one-year contracts.
As usual, Lions GM Brad Holmes positioned his team well to not enter the draft completely desperate to add a player at one specific position.
But that begs the question: if the Lions have their pick of the litter, who will they target during the 2025 NFL Draft?
Below we will explore who the Lions may select in the 2025 NFL Draft according to the PFN mock draft simulator.
Lions add potential starters in both trenches in latest PFN mock draft simulation
Here a list of Detroit’s complete draft haul before we dive into the pick-by-pick analysis.
- G Grey Zabel – North Dakota State – 28th overall
- EDGE Princely Umanmielen – Ole Miss – 60th overall
- CB Dorian Strong – Virginia Tech – 102nd overall
- S Jaylen Reed – Penn State – 130th overall
The Lions clearly came into this mock draft simulation determined to upgrade in the trenches. If the Lions take a similar approach in real life, most Lions fans will be pleased.
Detroit started with somewhat of a surprise pick, adding Grey Zabel towards the end of the first round.
Zabel checks a lot of boxes that the Lions tend to look for from their draft picks. We’ll start with intangibles, where Zabel passes with flying colors. He is a gritty and determined offensive lineman who helped his draft stock with a strong performance at the Senior Bowl.
Zabel played left tackle in college, but he has experience at most positions along the offensive line.
The best part? He projects as an interior offensive lineman at the NFL-level, which aligns with one of Detroit’s biggest needs.
If the Lions pick Zabel, he will compete with Graham Glasgow and Christian Mahogany for one of Detroit’s starting guard spots in 2025.
Next the Lions finally added an edge rusher who could start opposite of Aidan Hutchinson in Princely Umanmielen.
Umanmielen is an interesting prospect to consider for the Lions.
On one hand, he gives Detroit exactly what they desire most. Umanmielen is a twitched-up athlete who projects as a pass rusher who can translate pressures into sacks. He may not be a dominant pass rusher like Aidan Hutchinson or Myles Garrett, but the Lions don’t need that. As long as he delivers on his scouting report, the Lions’ d-line becomes more dangerous with Umanmielen on obvious passing downs.
However, scouts note that he does struggle in run defense. This may not be enough to keep the Lions from drafting Umanmielen, but it would be an immediate are that coaches would harp on.
The Lions like to “earn the right to rush the passer” by stopping the run. If Umanmielen cannot set an edge in run defense, it will limit his role in Detroit early in this career.
The Lions then used their next few picks to upgrade the defensive secondary.
In the third round, Detroit adds Dorian Strong out of Virginia Tech.
Strong fits the style of cornerback that Detroit prefers. He is a long and instinctive cornerback who excels in press coverage. Strong is an eager run defender, though NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein cautions that he takes steep angles and tends to lose contain.
As long as the Lions feel comfortable coaching bad traits out of him, they could get a steal in the third round.
Finally, Detroit goes with safety Jaylen Reed from Penn State in the fourth round.
Reed is a Detroit native who played high school ball at Martin Luther King Jr. High School. He is a versatile safety who can play in the box, in the slot, or deep in coverage.
Reed is a different player than Ifeatu Melifonwu. However, the way he would be used by the Lions may be similar. He would compete for a third safety role behind Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph.
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