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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/detroit-lions/detroit-lions-2025-nfl-mock-draft');   ga('set', 'title', 'Detroit Lions 2025 NFL Mock Draft');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Detroit-Lions-2025-NFL-Mock-Draft.jpg"></figure><h1>Detroit Lions 2025 NFL Mock Draft</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-15T13:37:53-07:00">April 15th, 1:37pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-15T15:17:10-07:00">April 15th, 3:17pm</time><address><a>Ben Strauss</a>Ben Strauss is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a die-hard NFL fan who cheers for the Detroit Lions. He has previously written fantasy football content for IDPGuys and ImportantNonsense.com.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Detroit Lions</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Detroit Lions enter the 2025 NFL Draft with only a handful of needs. Everyone around the NFL <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/detroit-lions/3-reasons-mike-green-perfect-lions-fit-2025-nfl-draft">expects the Lions to draft either an edge rusher</a> or a guard during the first round. However, if Lions GM Brad Holmes has taught us anything, it’s that he will stick to his own draft board regardless of what the media thinks.</p><p>You can’t argue with the results either. Holmes has absolutely crushed the draft during his four offseasons as Detroit’s general manager. You can count Holmes’ “misses” on one hand because he has so few.</p><p>The Lions can be a difficult team to make a predictive mock draft for because of Holmes’ maverick tendencies. However, there are a few positions that I expect the Lions will attack aggressively during the draft.</p><p>Detroit has seven selections in the <a href="https://www.detroitlions.com/news/lions-2025-nfl-draft-order-set-all-rounds-all-picks">2025 NFL Draft, including the 28th overall pick</a>. But who will they ultimately select?</p><p>Below we will explore each pick of this complete 2025 NFL mock draft for the Detroit Lions.</p><h2><b>Grey Zabel – G – North Dakota State – 28th overall pick </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Grey-Zabel-at-the-Combine.jpg"><figcaption>Kirby Lee-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>This pick may surprise some Lions fans on Day 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft.</p><p>In this scenario, the Lions picked Grey Zabel over the top edge rusher on the board, Donovan Ezeiruaku. Personally, I would be thrilled with either Ezeiruaku or Zabel. My gut tells me the Lions would have a hard time passing up Zabel if he’s still available at 28.</p><p>Detroit <a href="https://x.com/AtoZ_Payton/status/1902405830965629103" rel="noopener">brought Zabel in for a top-30 visit</a> back in March per Mike Payton of A to Z Sports. The Lions do not exclusively draft players they’ve brought in for a visit, but it does show some interest on their part.</p><p>Zabel shot up draft board after a strong performance at the Reese’s Senior Bowl. Zabel is now viewed as a fringe first-round pick who boasts great positional flexibility. Detroit can draft him and figure out where to play him during training camp.</p><h2><b>Tate Ratledge – G – Georgia – 60th overall pick</b></h2><p>The Lions double up on guard, adding Tate Ratledge in the second round.</p><p>Ratledge feels like a perfect fit for the Lions. He is an impressive athlete who boasts plenty of intangibles that the Lions seem to favor during the Holmes era.</p><p>Ratledge <a href="https://www.si.com/college/georgia/football/tate-ratledge-discusses-his-favorite-things-about-playing-for-georgia-01jn94tyn723" rel="noopener">was a team captain</a> at Georgia and <a href="https://247sports.com/article/kirby-smart-applauds-leadership-of-captains-jalon-walker-tate-ratledge-after-sugar-bowl-243437296/" rel="noopener">received plenty of praise</a> from head coach Kirby Smart after the Sugar Bowl. Ratledge is also a relentless guard who is an absolute mauler on running plays.</p><p>He would compete with Zabel, Graham Glasgow, Christian Mahogany, and Kayode Awosika for one of Detroit’s two starting guard spots in training camp.</p><h2><b>Jonas Sanker – S – Virginia – 102nd overall pick</b></h2><p>The idea of Detroit adding Jonas Sanker continues to gain steam. Personally, I would be thrilled with this pick in the third round.</p><p>The Lions <a href="https://x.com/tompelissero/status/1909639220731199492?s=46&amp;t=9F-ZeA6tBPfozhArYvFWpg" rel="noopener">will host Jonas Sanker on a top-30 visit</a> on Wednesday according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.</p><p>Sanker has all of the necessary skills and traits to become Detroit’s new third safety. He would likely play a role similar to what Ifeatu Melifonwu has over the past few seasons.</p><p>Sanker primarily played strong safety at Virginia, but he also spent some time as a free safety and in the slot. That versatility could be very attractive to the Lions.</p><p>The Falcons, Commanders, Panthers, and Ravens will also have top-30 visits with Sanker. I am confident the Lions are interested in him, so we may see a trade up the board to snag him.</p><p>If Sanker does fall to the 102nd pick, Brad Holmes might sprint the card in like he did with Penei Sewell and Aidan Hutchinson.</p><h2><b>Jared Ivey – EDGE – Ole Miss – 149th overall pick</b></h2><p>TRADE!</p><p>Detroit moves down the board, allowing Dallas to move up nearly 20 spots to select Nebraska cornerback Tommi Hill.</p><p>Here are the complete trade terms.</p><p><b>Lions receive: </b></p><ul><li>2025 fifth-round pick (149th overall)</li><li>2025 fifth-round pick (174th overall)</li></ul><p><b>Cowboys receive:</b></p><ul><li>2025 fourth-round pick (130th overall)</li><li>2026 seventh-round pick (from Cleveland)</li></ul><p>The Lions <i>finally</i> address edge rusher by selecting Jared Ivey in the fifth round.</p><p>Detroit takes the James Houston approach by selecting Ivey. He is more experienced as an edge rusher than Houston was coming out of Jackson State. However, many scouts are uncertain whether he can become a three-down edge rusher in the NFL.</p><p>Ivey has a strong build and has proven that he can get after the quarterback after three seasons in the SEC. If the Lions drafted Ivey, they would likely use him as a rotational pass rusher on obvious passing downs.</p><h2><b>Shaun Dolac – LB – Buffalo – 174th overall pick</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Buffalo-linebacker-Shaun-Dolac-52-intercepts-the-ball-during-the-fourth-quarter-of-the-game.jpg"><figcaption>© Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK</figcaption></figure><p>There are rumblings that the Lions are interested in Buffalo linebacker Shaun Dolac. According to Colton Edwards, Detroit was one of three NFL teams (Las Vegas, Buffalo) <a href="https://x.com/coltonedwardsFB/status/1901321367020081299?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="noopener">that attended Dolac’s pro day</a>.</p><p>Dolac projects as a sideline-to-sideline linebacker who boasts impressive play recognition skills. He also has the necessary speed to fly across the field to make plays after diagnosing what is happening.</p><p>Dolac is no slouch in pass coverage either. In 2024, he hauled in five interceptions, one of which was a pick-six.</p><p>The Lions have already invested in several linebackers this offseason, but I think they view Dolac as something special. Don’t be shocked if the Lions draft Dolac well ahead of where he’s ranked on consensus draft boards.</p><h2><b>Ricky White III – WR – UNLV – 196th overall pick</b></h2><p>In a nutshell, Ricky White III is a discount version of Jameson Williams. Williams and White have almost the exact same build and are both speedsters. However, White is nowhere near the athlete that Jamo is.</p><p>White brings plenty to the table as a special-teams contributor. He is an excellent gunner, which could certainly translate over the NFL. He was had an eye-popping <i>four</i> blocked punts during the 2024 season.</p><p>If the Lions draft White, it will be with a special-teams role in mind. Getting to kick the tires on White as a receiver would simply be a bonus.</p><h2><b>Ty Hamilton – DT – Ohio State – 228th overall pick</b></h2><p>Hamilton is a stout run defender who could become a sneaky-good pass rusher in the NFL. Hamilton’s consistent run defense could make him an attractive player to Detroit, especially with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/detroit-lions/lions-news-dan-campbell-crushing-alim-mcneill-carlton-davis-injury-updates">Alim McNeill expected to miss some time early in the season after his ACL injury</a>.</p><p>He would compete with Mekhi Wingo, Roy Lopez, and Brodric Martin for a spot on the roster.</p><p>Fun fact: NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein gave Hamilton a <a href="https://www.nfl.com/prospects/ty-hamilton/32004841-4d36-0450-ee10-d4ae78ee2bb2" rel="noopener">pro comparison</a> to none other than Levi Onwuzurike. This could be the steal of the draft for Detroit in the seventh round.</p><h2><b>Isas Waxter – CB – Villanova – 244th overall pick</b></h2><p>Waxter’s scouting report screams Detroit Lion. He is a long and physical cornerback who brings plenty of intensity and passion to the football field.</p><p>Lance Zierlein rates Waxter as a <a href="https://www.nfl.com/prospects/isas-waxter/32005741-5841-5291-aa88-456b8803a21d" rel="noopener">priority free agent</a>. In this scenario, I have Detroit spending a seventh-round pick on Waxter to effectively “skip the line” and guarantee that they land him.</p><p>Zierlein noted that Waxter’s frame could allow him to play either cornerback or safety in the NFL.</p><p>Waxter’s best shot to make the final roster in Detroit would be as a special teamer. Thankfully, Waxter shines on special teams and could become a contributor right away.</p><p>I see the Lions grabbing Waxter to play a similar role to C.J. Moore back in 2022.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Detroit Lions 2025 NFL Mock Draft

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/detroit-lions/lions-news-jared-goff-slapped-with-warning-from-georgia-star-nfl-draft');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jared Goff slapped with warning from Georgia star in NFL Draft');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Detroit-Lions-quarterback-Jared-Goff-16-throws-a-pass-during-the-third-quarter-against-the-Washington-Commanders-in-a-2025-NFC-divisional-round-game.jpg"><figcaption>© Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Jared Goff slapped with warning from Georgia star in NFL Draft</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-15T07:53:05-07:00">April 15th, 7:53am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-15T07:53:05-07:00">April 15th, 7:53am</time><address><a>Ben Strauss</a>Ben Strauss is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a die-hard NFL fan who cheers for the Detroit Lions. He has previously written fantasy football content for IDPGuys and ImportantNonsense.com.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Detroit Lions</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Detroit Lions are thrilled to have Jared Goff as their starting quarterback. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/detroit-lions/lions-news-jared-goff-gets-real-entering-prime-ahead-vikings-clash">Goff has been instrumental in turning the Lions around</a> over the past few seasons. In fact, he played so well that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/detroit-lions/lions-news-jared-goff-signs-massive-212-million-extension-with-lions">Detroit gave him a huge extension last summer</a>. Now it seems the rest of the NFL is starting to recognize his talents as well.</p><p>Kay Adams asked Georgia safety Malaki Starks which NFL quarterback he is most looking forward to intercepting. Starks <a href="https://x.com/UpAndAdamsShow/status/1911831560396943502" rel="noopener">gave a somewhat surprising answer</a>.</p><p>“Jared Goff,” Starks said after thinking for a few seconds. “Just talking to some of my teammates that use to play here who are in the league now. He’s an elite of elite quarterback, so just being able to add that to my resume. Some of the guys, the way they talk about him, [I think] that would be cool.”</p><p>Adams clearly expected Starks to give a different answer. In fact, most rookies heading into the NFL would likely say Patrick Mahomes or Lamar Jackson as their answer.</p><p>It is fascinating to hear that Starks has been hearing about Goff from former teammates in the NFL. There aren’t any players on Detroit’s roster who stand out as the obvious source of this Goff hype. Therefore, Starks must be hearing about Goff’s greatness from players on other NFL teams.</p><p>Goff had a career season in 2024 while <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/detroit-lions/lions-put-on-super-bowl-worthy-performance-in-huge-win-over-vikings">leading the Lions to their best record in franchise history</a>. He threw for 4,629 yards with 37 touchdowns and 12 interceptions during the regular season. He posted career highs in completion percentage (72.4%), passer rating (111.8), and passing touchdowns (37).</p><h2><b>Lions poised to add defensive players ahead of 2025 NFL Draft</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/BRAD-HOLMES.jpg"><figcaption>Kirby Lee-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Jared Goff and the Lions seemingly have everything figured out on the offensive side of the ball.</p><p>As a result, Detroit is primed to add multiple players on defense during the 2025 NFL Draft.</p><p>The defense was Detroit’s biggest issue during the 2024 season. The Lions suffered so many injuries on defense that they could <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/detroit-lions/lions-news-can-build-an-entire-defense-off-injured-players">field an entire defense just with players on injured reserve</a>.</p><p>Now Detroit wants to prevent this from happening in 2025 while also upgrading its starting lineup.</p><p>Most NFL draft analysts believe the Lions <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/detroit-lions/3-reasons-mike-green-perfect-lions-fit-2025-nfl-draft">will add an edge rusher in the first round</a> to pair with Aidan Hutchinson. Thankfully, the 2025 NFL Draft has a deep edge rusher class so the Lions could always scoop up someone talented in the second round.</p><p>If the Lions don’t take an edge in the first round, they will likely select either a defensive tackle or an offensive lineman who can play guard.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jared Goff slapped with warning from Georgia star in NFL Draft

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/detroit-lions/lions-news-aidan-hutchinson-teases-end-rehab-masters');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lions’ Aidan Hutchinson teases end of rehab at Masters');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Lions-defensive-end-Aidan-Hutchinson.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Lions’ Aidan Hutchinson teases end of rehab at Masters</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-13T07:20:25-07:00">April 13th, 7:20am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-13T07:20:25-07:00">April 13th, 7:20am</time><address><a>Owen Crisafulli</a>Owen Crisafulli is a Senior Editor and NFL Lead at ClutchPoints. He recently received his Masters in Business Administration from Nichols College. Previously, he obtained his Bachelor's degree in Sport Management and for a while ran his own sports website. Sports are his passion, and he thoroughly enjoys writing about thoughts and opinions that are related to the game. He has been a lifelong fan of the major professional teams in Boston and loves discussing all topics surrounding those teams.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Detroit Lions</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Detroit Lions 2024 campaign came undone in the playoffs due in large part to the bevy of injuries they suffered throughout the year, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. One guy they had to play without for the majority of the season was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/lions-rumors-insider-reveals-potential-aidan-hutchinson-contract-trick">superstar defensive end Aidan Hutchinson</a>, but it appears as if he is close to being done with his rehab work.</p><p>Hutchinson’s season came to an end in Week 5 after he suffered a broken fibula and tibia in the Lions win over the Dallas Cowboys. Considering the severity of the injury, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/lions-news-aidan-hutchinson-fires-up-fans-injury-rehab-video">Hutchinson faced a lengthy rehab</a> process as he worked on getting himself ready for the 2025 campaign. According to the man himself, it sounds like he is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNx3g4v8nxI&amp;t=2618s" rel="noopener">close to being 100% healthy</a>, which is great news for Detroit.</p><p>“I’m there. I’d say I’m good,” Hutchinson said in an interview at the 2025 Masters with Marty Smith of ESPN. “I’ve got my last evaluation tests when I get back — I leave today and I go back tomorrow to the rehab — I’m gonna finish those evals and once I knock them out of the park, I’ll be on my way and done with rehab. It was a long process, I’ll tell you that.”</p><h2><b>Aidan Hutchinson, Lions looking to make some noise in 2025</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Detroit-Lions-edge-rusher-Aidan-Hutchinson.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Lions managed to make due without Hutchinson for the majority of the 2024 campaign, but they’d obviously rather have him on the field. Hutchinson appeared to be on course for a breakout campaign prior to his injury, as he racked up 7.5 sacks in just five games of action before his season was cut short.</p><p>Hutchinson expects to be good to go for the upcoming season, and he will play a key role in helping Detroit bounce back after their crushing loss in the playoffs at the hands of the Washington Commanders. If Hutchinson can return to the form he was showcasing prior to his injury in 2024, the Lions could end up finally making a run to the Super Bowl.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lions’ Aidan Hutchinson teases end of rehab at Masters

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/detroit-lions/detroit-lions-3-sleeper-prospects-to-target-in-2025-nfl-draft');   ga('set', 'title', 'Detroit Lions’ 3 sleeper prospects to target in 2025 NFL Draft');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Detroit-Lions-3-sleeper-prospects-to-target-in-2025-NFL-Draft.jpg"></figure><h1>Detroit Lions’ 3 sleeper prospects to target in 2025 NFL Draft</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-12T14:04:51-07:00">April 12th, 2:04pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-12T14:04:51-07:00">April 12th, 2:04pm</time><address><a>Lorenzo J Reyna</a>Lorenzo J Reyna has joined ClutchPoints as Associate Editor of NFL &amp; NCAA Football. He's equipped with past experience for both realms through his recent stops at Pro Football Network and Heavy while also writing for 247Sports. His Twitter/X handle is @LJ_Reyna and his Instagram is @lj_zo_rey.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Detroit Lions</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Detroit Lions are the new standard bearer in the NFC North. Head coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes have built a roster that now expects playoff runs. And the duo created this power through NFL Draft decisions.</p><p>Names like Aidan Hutchinson, Penei Sewell, Jahmyr Gibbs, Sam LaPorta and Amon-Ra St. Brown all arrived via the draft. Now Lions fans eagerly await who’ll join them during the week of April 24-26. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/detroit-lions/detroit-lions-perfect-2025-nfl-draft-trade">The Lions could even entertain trading up</a>. Detroit also looks perfect for speedy edge rusher and first round talent <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/detroit-lions/3-reasons-mike-green-perfect-lions-fit-2025-nfl-draft">Mike Green of Marshall.</a></p><p>But the focus isn’t on who lands at No. 28 in the first round. We’re looking more at three potential sleeper prospects for the back-to-back playoff contender. After all, St. Brown fell to the fourth round and has since become a Pro Bowl talent.</p><p>Who could join St. Brown as the next sleeper prospect? Here are three names to watch, starting with someone who could join St. Brown in the WR room.</p><h2><b>Lions add towering speedster in Iowa State star </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Jayden-Higgins-of-Iowa-State.jpg"><figcaption>Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Campbell himself isn’t shying from adding extra weaponry on the perimeter. <a href="https://www.detroitlions.com/news/2025-nfl-draft-preview-5-wide-receivers-detroit-lions-burden-higgins-egbuka" rel="noopener">He made it vocally clear</a> “We would love to bring in more competition, particularly some youth. That would help and let them mix it up.”</p><p>All the more reason why Jayden Higgins of Iowa State shouldn’t be ruled out. He’s a blend of towering size at 6-foot-4, 214-pounds and blazing speed (ran the 40-yard dash in 4.47).</p><p>Higgins becomes a longer framed wideout next to St. Brown. Which additionally means a new red zone target for quarterback Jared Goff. Higgins won’t have trouble with the jump ball either — not with his 39-inch vertical. Higgins brings third to fourth round value.</p><h2><b>Lions bolster speed and blue collar attitude with Linebacker </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Carson-Schwesinger-vs-Hawaii.jpg"><figcaption>Marco Garcia-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Detroit can’t ignore the defensive side for this upcoming class. Especially after watching Jayden Daniels shred this unit in the playoffs.</p><p>Carson Schwesinger of UCLA brings a mix of speed and blue collar attitude that’ll win over the Motor City.</p><p>Schwesinger improves the pass coverage by arriving here. He’s also equipped with the physical downhill element needed at linebacker. Furthermore, Schwesinger comes with a scrapper mindset — as he started his career as a walk on then didn’t start until his final year before blossoming. Detroit embraces underdog stories — making Schwesinger perfect in rounds two or three.</p><h2><b>Lions grab potential Dan Campbell favorite in Day 3  </b></h2><p>Now on to the final day options. There’s a Southeastern Conference star who looks like a Campbell favorite.</p><p>Dan Jackson of Georgia can set the tone at safety or on special teams. He’s one who wants to throw his shoulders into someone. Jackson brings a cerebral side, too, as he identifies a quarterback’s release.</p><p>Jackson is lacking in the athleticism department. Hence why he’s less heralded compared to his Bulldogs teammates. He also looks more like he wants to always deliver the big hit — but that leads to inconsistent tackling technique. Still, Campbell doesn’t shy from bringing in aggressors. Jackson looks perfect for his culture as a late round option.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Detroit Lions’ 3 sleeper prospects to target in 2025 NFL Draft

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/detroit-lions/detroit-lions-perfect-2025-nfl-draft-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'Detroit Lions’ perfect 2025 NFL Draft trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Detroit-Lions-perfect-2025-NFL-Draft-trade.jpg"></figure><h1>Detroit Lions’ perfect 2025 NFL Draft trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-10T12:55:27-07:00">April 10th, 12:55pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-10T12:55:27-07:00">April 10th, 12:55pm</time><address><a>Ben Strauss</a>Ben Strauss is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a die-hard NFL fan who cheers for the Detroit Lions. He has previously written fantasy football content for IDPGuys and ImportantNonsense.com.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Detroit Lions</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Detroit Lions have some fairly obvious needs heading into the 2025 NFL Draft. Everyone has heard about how <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/detroit-lions/lions-news-can-build-an-entire-defense-off-injured-players">Detroit’s defensive injuries cost them</a> in the playoffs. As a result, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/detroit-lions/lions-most-to-blame-for-divisional-round-disaster-vs-commanders">Lions lost against the Commanders at home during the Division Round</a>.</p><p>Lions GM Brad Holmes is determined to not let this happen to his team two years in a row.</p><p>Holmes cannot prevent injuries himself. But he can add significant depth to Detroit’s roster to ensure that they’re covered when something inevitably goes wrong again.</p><p>The Lions got a head start by making some smart moves during NFL free agency. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/detroit-lions/lions-news-dj-reed-lions-3-year-48-million-deal">Detroit replaced Carlton Davis III with former Jets CB DJ Reed</a>. They even got him for $12 million less than the Patriots paid Davis.</p><p>They also made a number of re-signings and additions to specifically add depth on defense. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/detroit-lions/lions-news-detroit-gives-25-5-million-contract-extension-to-starter-who-missed-most-of-2024">Lions extended linebacker Derrick Barnes</a> and brought back players like Levi Onwuzurike and Marcus Davenport. Detroit also <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/detroit-lions/lions-news-4-65-million-move-ex-cardinals-16-game-starter">added depth on the defensive line by bringing in Roy Lopez</a> from the Cardinals.</p><p>Now the Lions are positioned well to attack their biggest positions of need (edge rusher, guard) in the 2025 NFL Draft.</p><p>Detroit has seven selections in the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/nfl-stories/2025-nfl-draft-order-prospects-targets">2025 NFL Draft, including the 28th overall pick</a>.</p><p>However, Brad Holmes has proven that he is not afraid to move up and down the draft board. He has moved up twice in the first round. Once when selecting Jameson Williams in 2022 and last year to get Terrion Arnold.</p><p>Could Holmes do it again and make another shocking trade this year?</p><p>Below we will explore a few options for the perfect trade the Lions could make during the 2025 NFL Draft.</p><h2><b>Trade up: Lions swap first-round picks with Panthers in aggressive move</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Georgia-football-linebacker-Jalon-Walker-and-defensive-lineman-Mykel-Williams.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><b>Lions receive: </b></p><ul><li>2025 first-round pick (8th overall)</li></ul><p><b>Panthers receive: </b></p><ul><li>2025 first-round pick (28th overall)</li><li>2026 first-round pick</li><li>2025 third-round pick (102nd overall)</li></ul><p>You don’t have to look too hard at this proposal to see it is an aggressive move by the Lions.</p><p>In this scenario, the Lions give up their 2026 first-round pick, as well as a third-round pick in 2025, to move up 20 spots in the first round. This lands them at the bottom of the top 10 where plenty of talented players will still be available.</p><p>But who could Detroit want to move so far up the board for?</p><p>The Lions would have plenty of tantalizing options to choose from at eighth overall.</p><p>It is easy to imagine Cam Ward, Abdul Carter, Travis Hunter, and Ashton Jeanty will all be off the board by the eighth pick. Throw in a few offensive linemen, and maybe Shedeur Sanders, and the Lions could theoretically have their pick of the litter for edge rushers.</p><p>I believe the Lions could feel convicted enough in a few of this year’s edge rushers to make a big move up the board. The short list for me is Mykel Williams, Mike Green, and possibly Jalon Walker.</p><p>Williams looks like exactly what the Lions want from an edge rusher. He boasts an excellent frame and already has plenty of tricks in his bag that make him a dangerous pass rusher. He is also good enough to hold his own in run defense. Williams could be a great pick by the Lions.</p><p>Green is another talented edge rusher who has flew up the draft board over the past few months. Green also fits the bill as a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/detroit-lions/3-reasons-mike-green-perfect-lions-fit-2025-nfl-draft">prospect the Lions could fall in love with</a>. He does have some off-field issues, which is seemingly his only red flag.</p><p>Finally, Walker could be a solid pick as well. However, he plays a role currently filled by Derrick Barnes. While Barnes should not stop the Lions from going after a talented rookie, it would surprise me to see the Lions spent so many resources at the one position.</p><p>There’s also the possibility that Detroit has fallen in love with an offensive lineman or wide receiver, which might require them to trade up. That would be shocking among the fanbase, but I could see Holmes justifying the pick if he lands a good enough player.</p><p>Of course, the Lions could also be tempted to trade down instead of up.</p><h2><b>Trade down: Detroit could trade down with a QB-needy team </b></h2><p><b>Lions receive: </b></p><ul><li>2025 second-round pick (33rd overall)</li><li>2025 third-round pick (94th overall)</li></ul><p><b>Browns receive: </b></p><ul><li>2025 first-round pick (28th overall)</li></ul><p>I’ve used the Browns for this trade proposal, but there are several teams who might make a similar move.</p><p>The 2025 NFL Draft is fairly weak in terms of the quarterback position. That is an unfortunate reality for many of the QB-needy teams around the NFL.</p><p>Miami QB Cam Ward is viewed by many as the only player who is close to a “sure thing” in this year’s class. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tennessee-titans/titans-rumors-cam-ward-pro-day-means-no-1-pick-trade">He will be off the board with the first overall pick</a>.</p><p>That leaves several teams (Browns, Giants, Raiders, Saints, Steelers) who might be interested in drafting a quarterback. Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders will likely land with one of these teams in the first round. The rest will have to come up with some kind of plan.</p><p>Both Jaxson Dart and Tyler Shough have emerged as the next best QBs in this class. It is certainly within the realm of possibility that a team tries to trade up into the later parts of the first round to acquire one of them. Not only would that team beat the rush for QBs in the second round, but they would also gain the fifth-year option. That is especially important for a QB on a rookie contract.</p><p>But what would Detroit get out of this scenario?</p><p>The Lions essentially gain an extra third-round pick at the cost of moving down only <i>five spots</i>. That is excellent value.</p><p>This could set up Detroit to snag a value at edge rusher (perhaps Nic Scourton or Donovan Ezeiruaku slip into the second round?) or pick the best player available. Then they can return to their game plan with their original second-round pick.</p><p>Brad Holmes has proven that he can find studs on the second day of the draft, so filling his quiver with a few more arrows would certainly be a win.</p><p>It will be interesting to see if the Lions end up making a trade on draft day in a few weeks.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Detroit Lions’ perfect 2025 NFL Draft trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/detroit-lions/exclusive-barry-sanders-eye-opening-eagles-comparison-lions-playoff-dud');   ga('set', 'title', 'Exclusive: Barry Sanders makes eye-opening Eagles comp after Lions’ playoff dud');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Barry-Sanders.jpg"><figcaption>© Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Exclusive: Barry Sanders makes eye-opening Eagles comp after Lions’ playoff dud</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-10T06:17:27-07:00">April 10th, 6:17am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-11T10:33:38-07:00">April 11th, 10:33am</time><address><a>DJ Siddiqi</a>DJ Siddiqi is a features writer for ClutchPoints, with over 13 years of experience covering the NFL, NBA, and NCAA Football. Siddiqi has bylines at Forbes, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report, and Heavy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Detroit Lions</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Detroit Lions legend Barry Sanders has full confidence that his former team can bounce back next season.</p><p>The Lions are coming off of a heartbreaking loss in the playoffs, a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/commanders-news-terry-mclaurin-message-after-upsetting-lions">huge upset while facing the Washington Commanders</a> despite entering the postseason as the NFC’s No. 1 seed. Detroit allowed 45 points in their 45-31 loss against the Commanders and failed to win a playoff game despite finishing with the NFL’s best record at 15-2.</p><p>That’s in addition to the Lions blowing a 17-point lead in the NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers during the 2023 season.</p><p>However, the Philadelphia E<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/eagles-news-jalen-hurts-reveals-how-super-bowl-lvii-loss-influences-2025-return">agles recently won a Super Bowl</a> after losing in the Big Game a few years prior. That’s in addition to being blown out and losing their Wild Card playoff game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the conclusion of the 2023 season.</p><p>“Absolutely, it’s happened so many times in the history of this league,” says Sanders in a one-on-one interview. “Look at Philadelphia. They got to the Super Bowl a couple years ago. Last season, they went through the regular season pretty easily, and then they just kind of fell off the map.”</p><p>Sanders has a point. The Eagles bounced back in a major way this past season even though head coach Nick Sirianni entered the season on the hot seat after finishing the year losing six of the team’s final seven games during the 2023 season. It also helped that Philadelphia added a true difference maker in Saquon Barkley, who ran for over 2,000 yards and won the Offensive Player of the Year. Sanders referred to Barkley as a “generational type of talent.”</p><p>It also doesn’t hurt that the Lions return their entire main core, including head coach Dan Campbell, quarterback Jared Goff and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. Sanders refers to the Lions’ recent playoff losses as “lessons” that they can use moving forward as the franchise chases its first Super Bowl.</p><p>“It happens in this game,” says Sanders of the Lions’ recent playoff losses. “Those are some of the lessons from the last couple seasons. We still have a great nucleus. We still got a great coach and Coach Campbell.”</p><p>Outside of the departure of offensive coordinator Ben Johnson — he took the head coaching job with the Chicago Bears — the Lions return the same team that went 15-2 during the regular season. It’s worth noting that Detroit was also decimated by injuries, with 21 players on injured reserve at one point, including star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson.</p><p>“We still have a lot of the same people in the building, says Sanders of the Lions. “We lost some valuable coaching in our offensive coordinator and we understand that. That’s a part of this game. But we still have the main ingredient, which is the head coach and the players.”</p><p>Sanders makes sure to mention how big of a loss it was when Hutchinson went down due to a season-ending injury in Week 6. The 24-year-old had an NFL-leading 7.5 sacks at the time of his injury.</p><p>“The young players in their prime and guys like Aiden Hutchinson coming back, he was on track to be Defensive Player of the Year last year before he was injured,” says Sanders. “You don’t just replace guys like that. We’re excited to see where we’ll stack up with guys like him back in the lineup.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Exclusive: Barry Sanders makes eye-opening Eagles comp after Lions’ playoff dud

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/detroit-lions/3-reasons-mike-green-perfect-lions-fit-2025-nfl-draft');   ga('set', 'title', '3 reasons Mike Green is perfect Lions fit in 2025 NFL Draft');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Mike-Green-2.jpg"><figcaption>Peter Casey-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>3 reasons Mike Green is perfect Lions fit in 2025 NFL Draft</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-08T10:32:43-07:00">April 8th, 10:32am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-08T10:32:43-07:00">April 8th, 10:32am</time><address><a>Jaren Kawada</a>Jaren Kawada is a former full-time sports bettor and is now a NFL, College Football and Betting Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. Kawada was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, but now resides in Indianapolis, Indiana, after graduating from Butler University with a B.A. in sports media. Aside from football, Kawada is an avid combat sports and basketball bettor.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Detroit Lions</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Continuing one of their most eventful offseasons of the past decade, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/editorials/detroit-lions-3-best-players-to-target-with-2025-nfl-draft-first-round-pick">Detroit Lions enter the 2025 NFL Draft</a> with the No. 28 pick of the first round. After losing a significant portion of their coaching staff, the Lions will enter Green Bay with multiple roster holes to fill.</p><p>While most of Detroit’s offseason turnover occurred on the sidelines, it still lost a significant amount of production on the field. The Lions watched Carlton Davis III, Ifeatu Melifonwu, Kevin Zeitler and Kindle Vildor walk in free agency. The team also released veteran defensive end Za’Darius Smith, whom they traded for during the 2024 season following Aidan Hutchinson’s gruesome leg injury.</p><p>Without much cap space to work with, the Lions were unable to make a big splash in free agency. They managed to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/lions-news-dj-reed-lions-3-year-48-million-deal">sign veteran cornerback D.J. Reed</a> away from the New York Jets to replace Davis but are otherwise left with several question marks to address at the draft. Reed’s signing fills the vacancy at cornerback, making defensive end the team’s top priority. That is the position general manager Brad Holmes must address in the first round, ideally with Marshall’s Mike Green.</p><p>In a class loaded with edge-rushing talent, Green is seemingly flying under the radar. The 2024 Division I sacks leader is still projected to be a first-round pick, but not until the tail end of Day One. With Holmes holding the No. 28 pick of the draft, Green is a prospect he has to be targeting at the end of round one.</p><h2><b>Lions lacking DE depth after free agency</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Kelvin-Sheppard.jpg"><figcaption>Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK</figcaption></figure><p>By releasing Smith, the Lions made themselves fairly thin at defensive end. Smith is not the player he once was, but he still managed four sacks in his eight games with Detroit to end his 10th professional season. Aside from Hutchinson, Detroit is now left with a unit consisting of Al-Quadin Muhammad, Josh Pascal and Marcus Davenport on the outside. All three are serviceable edge-rushers, but none command enough attention opposite Hutchinson to free up their star pass-rusher.</p><p>Early in the offseason, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/lions-news-aidan-hutchinson-deadly-reaction-myles-garrett-trade-possibility">Hutchinson made a plea for the Lions</a> to pursue disgruntled Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett. It was a long shot, but there is a reason he made his case. While Hutchinson has emerged as an elite pass-rusher, he has yet to receive consistent help in that department. Detroit initially appeared to have a vigorous one-two punch with James Houston’s promising rookie campaign, but that production quickly proved to be a mirage.</p><p>Without another strong pass-rusher on the line, Hutchinson <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/aidan-hutchinson-double-teamed-more-115003446.html" rel="noopener">continues to be</a> one of the NFL’s most double-teamed defensive ends. With Hutchinson coming off a devastating injury, the Lions cannot thrust him back into that role off the bat. He needs help up front, and Mike Green is more than capable of being that guy.</p><h2><b>Aidan Hutchinson injury insurance</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Aidan-Hutchinson-injury.jpg"><figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Of the handful of star players coming off season-ending injuries in 2024, Hutchinson’s was arguably the worst. Broken bones are never easy to recover from, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/lions-news-detroit-announces-aidan-hutchinson-surgery-update-brutal-injury">Hutchinson’s nasty leg break</a> was truly one of the worst in NFL history. For a player who thrives off as much speed and athleticism as he does, there is no telling how Hutchinson will look when he comes back.</p><p>When he is healthy, Hutchinson is easily a top-five defensive end in the league. Before suffering the injury, Hutchinson had never previously missed a game in his professional career. Yet, even considering his durable reputation, an injury of that nature cannot be overlooked.</p><p>Even if he does not return to full form, three-fourths of Aidan Hutchinson is still better than 80 percent of players in his position. The Lions just cannot rely on him so heavily without providing any insurance. Hutchinson was leading the league with 7.5 sacks in his first five games before going down.</p><p>Once Hutchinson went down, it was clear how much his absence had an impact on the Lions’ defense. Aaron Glenn’s man-heavy schemes are heavily reliant on generating pressure against the pass, thus prompting the midseason trade for Smith. Campbell’s promotion of Sheppard to replace Glenn clearly set forth his intention to keep the same system.</p><h2><b>Mike Green is a Dan Campbell-type prospect</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Detroit-Lions-head-coach-Dan-Campbell-talks-to-defensive-end-John-Cominsky-during-warmups.jpg"><figcaption>Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK</figcaption></figure><p>If the Lions rightfully decide to address defensive end in the first round, few prospects of the 2025 NFL Draft are more Dan Campbell-esque than Mike Green. After his career got off to a rocky start at Virginia Tech, Green flourished after transferring to Marshall, where he racked up 21.5 sacks in two seasons.</p><p>A former three-star recruit, Green has the speed and power that give him the physical tools to become a future star. More importantly, he has the grit and tenacity Campbell demands from his players. If he flames out and ends up being a draft bust, it will not be due to a lack of effort.</p><p>Late in the first round, Detroit will likely have their choice of edge-rushers still available. Shemar Stewart, James Pearce Jr., Jordan Burch and Donovan Ezeiruaku all join Green as those expected to be taken near the end of the first round. All could go much higher in the process, but the Lions should hope that Green will be available to them in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

3 reasons Mike Green is perfect Lions fit in 2025 NFL Draft

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/detroit-lions/3-players-detroit-lions-must-avoid-in-2025-nfl-draft');   ga('set', 'title', '3 players Detroit Lions must avoid in 2025 NFL Draft');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/X-players-Detroit-Lions-must-avoid-in-2025-NFL-Draft.jpg"></figure><h1>3 players Detroit Lions must avoid in 2025 NFL Draft</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-04T08:28:17-07:00">April 4th, 8:28am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-04T08:28:17-07:00">April 4th, 8:28am</time><address><a>Ben Strauss</a>Ben Strauss is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a die-hard NFL fan who cheers for the Detroit Lions. He has previously written fantasy football content for IDPGuys and ImportantNonsense.com.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Detroit Lions</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Detroit Lions are doing everything they can to improve their roster during the 2025 NFL offseason. Detroit has enjoyed unprecedented levels of success over the past few seasons under head coach Dan Campbell and GM Brad Holmes. In fact, the Lions had their best season in franchise history in 2024. They won 15 games, earned the NFC North division title for the second straight season, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/detroit-lions/lions-put-on-super-bowl-worthy-performance-in-huge-win-over-vikings">earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs</a>. None of these feats had ever been accomplished before in Detroit.</p><p>Unfortunately, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/detroit-lions/lions-news-can-build-an-entire-defense-off-injured-players">defensive injuries got the best of Detroit in the playoffs</a>. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/detroit-lions/lions-most-to-blame-for-divisional-round-disaster-vs-commanders">Lions got blasted by the Commanders in the divisional round</a> and had to watch the rest of the playoffs from home.</p><p>Now the Lions are hard at work upgrading the roster, particularly on defense, in the hopes of making another deep playoff run in 2025.</p><p>Detroit has already made some nice moves. They <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/detroit-lions/lions-news-dj-reed-lions-3-year-48-million-deal">brought in DJ Reed to replace Carlton Davis III</a>, and signed him to a contract that is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/new-england-patriots/patriots-news-carlton-davis-60m-contract-new-england">$12 million cheaper than what Davis III landed in New England</a>.</p><p>The Lions also extended several players to maintain their existing defensive depth. Most notably the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/detroit-lions/lions-news-detroit-gives-25-5-million-contract-extension-to-starter-who-missed-most-of-2024">Lions extended linebacker Derrick Barnes on a three-year contract</a>.</p><p>Now their eyes are turned towards the 2025 NFL Draft. Detroit has six selections in the draft, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/nfl-stories/2025-nfl-draft-order-prospects-targets">including the 28th overall pick</a>.</p><p>The Lions never seem to have the same draft board as the media during the Brad Holmes era. Therefore, it may be more productive to determine which players Detroit <i>will not</i> draft instead of players they are interested in.</p><p>Below we will explore three players who the Lions should avoid during the 2025 NFL Draft.</p><h2><b>James Pearce Jr. – EDGE – Tennessee</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/James-Pearce-Jr-with-Tennessee.jpg"><figcaption>Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel /USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>James Pearce Jr. would not be a fit in Detroit.</p><p>Pearce Jr. <a href="https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/Player/James-PearceJr-DL-Tennessee" rel="noopener">played in the LEO position</a> in Tennessee’s defense, where he got lots of work as a pass rusher from both two- and three-point stances. As a result, he is an ideal fit in aggressive 3-4 defensive schemes that can allow Pearce Jr. to stand up and move around before the snap.</p><p>This is very different from what the Lions need from an edge rusher.</p><p>The Lions run a 4-3 defense and look for prototypical defensive ends who can do it all. Detroit places a large emphasis on defending the run, so containment and run defense are very important. As you might expect, this is where Pearce Jr. struggles as a prospect.</p><p>We should also mention that Pearce Jr. does <a href="https://www.sportskeeda.com/college-football/news-he-actually-crazy-james-pearce-jr-s-high-school-teammate-vouches-anger-issues-ahead-nfl-draft" rel="noopener">have some character concerns</a> on his scouting report. The Lions brass have noted before that they’re willing to take a chance on players with off-field questions as long as they are locked in on the football side of things.</p><p>That said, the Lions have passed over players with character questions and who fit a huge position of need. Jalen Carter is the obvious name that comes to mind.</p><p>Ultimately, there is an outside chance that Pearce Jr. could still be available when the Lions pick at 28th overall. But it would be a mistake for the Lions to take a chance on a questionable prospect who is not even a scheme fit.</p><p>Thankfully the 2025 draft class is deep at edge rusher, so the Lions should have their choice of several talented players at the end of the first round.</p><h2><b>Ollie Gordon II – RB – Oklahoma State</b></h2><p>This one is the easiest pick on this list.</p><p>Just to start things off, the Lions do not have any needs at the running back position. Detroit is set for the future with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery as their lead duo of running backs. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/detroit-lions/lions-news-david-montgomery-jahmyr-gibbs-demand-sonic-themed-nickname">Sonic and Knuckles</a> are one of the NFL’s best tandems of running backs and should only get better with more time together.</p><p>Gibbs is still on his rookie contract and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/detroit-lions/lions-news-david-montgomery-agrees-18-25-million-extension">Montgomery signed a two-year extension</a> during the 2024 season. It will keep him in Detroit through the 2027 season.</p><p>Detroit also has veteran Craig Reynolds and 2024 fourth-rounder Sione Vaki as depth behind Sonic and Knuckles.</p><p>This alone should take the running back position almost out of consideration for the Lions. However, if Detroit does consider drafting a running back in the later rounds, they should stay away from Ollie Gordon II.</p><p>Gordon looked primed to become a top running back in the NFL after the 2023 season. He had an impressive season, with 285 carries for 1,732 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns.</p><p>However, Gordon took significant steps back during the 2024 season. His production dropped to 190 carries for 880 yards and 13 touchdowns. This large drop in production understandably has some NFL scouts nervous about Gordon’s consistency.</p><p>There are also some character question marks on Gordon’s scouting report. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ncaa-football/oklahoma-state-football-news-ollie-gordon-ii-sparks-wild-reaction-dui-arrest">Gordon was arrested for DUI</a> during the summer of 2024, immediately before his less impressive 2024 campaign.</p><p>Those two datapoints paired together make Gordon a questionable prospect at best.</p><p>It would not surprise me if many teams take him off their draft boards entirely. The 2025 class is incredibly deep at the running back position, so there is less incentive to take a chance on someone like Gordon.</p><h2><b>Walter Nolen – DT – Ole Miss</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Mississippi-DT-Walter-Nolen.jpg"><figcaption>Petre Thomas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Lions don’t have a great need at defensive tackle, but they could add to the position.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/detroit-lions/lions-news-dan-campbell-crushing-alim-mcneill-carlton-davis-injury-updates">Alim McNeill tore his ACL during the 2024 season</a> and is expected to miss some time in 2025. However, the Lions have plenty of reinforcements with Brodric Martin, Roy Lopez, Mekhi Wingo, and Levi Onwuzurike as depth behind DJ Reader.</p><p>Just the position alone could take Nolen off Detroit’s board. Nolen is also talented enough that the Lions would most likely have to use their first-round pick on him. This makes it unlikely that he’ll end up in Detroit.</p><p>Nolen also <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/walter-nolen-s-character-benjamin-morrison-s-medicals-and-other-2025-nfl-draft-prospects-with-concerns-to-answer-at-scouting-combine/ar-AA1zAIZR?ocid=BingNewsSerp" rel="noopener">comes with some character concerns</a> according to Ryan Roberts at MSN.com. That is a theme for all three of these prospects.</p><p>If the Lions did spent a first-round pick on a defensive tackle, I would expect it to be Derrick Harmon.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

3 players Detroit Lions must avoid in 2025 NFL Draft

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/detroit-lions/lions-news-nfl-exec-parallels-ex-coordinator-super-bowl-winning-hc');   ga('set', 'title', 'NFL exec draws parallel between ex-Lions coordinator and Super Bowl-winning HC');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Ben-Johnson-Aaron-Glenn.jpg"><figcaption>© Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.</figcaption></figure><h1>NFL exec draws parallel between ex-Lions coordinator and Super Bowl-winning HC</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-03T15:34:28-07:00">April 3rd, 3:34pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-03T17:44:36-07:00">April 3rd, 5:44pm</time><address><a>Dakota Zientek</a>Dakota Zientek graduated from the University of Iowa in 2020 and has been writing about the NFL ever since. As a die-hard NFL fan, Dakota's fandom rides with the Chicago Bears through thick and thin -- regardless of how much pain it has caused his heart throughout the years. One day, he believes he will celebrate the Bears winning a Super Bowl. Maybe even... a few?</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Bears</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Once the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/detroit-lions/lions-news-lose-another-assistant-coach-former-coordinator">Detroit Lions lost Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn</a>, there was no doubt that Dan Campbell would need to find two top-notch coordinators to fill their shoes in 2025 and beyond. However, following the NFL’s annual owners meetings, multiple execs had comments spill out about other teams in the league. Specifically, one NFL exec <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6244284/2025/04/03/nfl-free-agency-2025-nfc-execs-best-worst/?source=user_shared_article" rel="noopener">had some strong words to say</a> to the Lions after letting ex-offensive coordinator Ben Johnson go, comparing him to Super Bowl champion head coach Sean McVay.</p><p>“Ben Johnson took total advantage of the four-down game-management approach because he’s a really, really good play caller, an evil genius, really,” another exec said via <i>The Athletic</i>. “Losing him would almost be like the Rams losing Sean McVay.”</p><p>Now, is it fair to compare either one? No. Sean McVay has been a head coach for eight seasons, while <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/chicago-bears/chicago-bears-bold-predictions-ben-johnson-first-season-as-head-coach">Ben Johnson is entering Year 1</a> as the Chicago Bears’ leader.</p><p>Could Johnson evolve into a McVay-like coach after leaving the Lions? Certainly, but that comparison might be a bit early to make.</p><p>One area that makes sense to compare them with is age. Johnson is 33 and entering his first head coaching gig after a handful of years with the Lions, while McVay was 31 when the Los Angeles Rams hired him. As two young, offensive-minded coaches, the comparison is there. But, not every young, offensive-minded head coach should get trotted out as the next big thing.</p><p>Not too long ago, the Denver Broncos hired up-and-coming offensive genius Josh McDaniels as a spry 33-year-old to become their head coach following Mike Shanahan. However, even after multiple seasons of success with the New England Patriots, McDaniel had an okay first year with the Broncos, following it up with an absolute stinker of a 12-game stretch in 2010, causing him to get fired after a Week 13 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.</p><p>So, although Johnson has set himself up well to succeed with the Bears after a handful of years perfecting his craft as <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/chicago-bears/bears-news-ben-johnson-gets-hell-of-a-coach-praise-lions-jared-goff">one of the top young offensive minds</a> in the NFL, that doesn’t mean it’s bound to happen.</p><p>And while <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/detroit-lions/lions-news-detroit-fans-in-shambles-after-ben-johnson-jets-for-bears">Lions fans weren’t too happy</a> about their former offensive coordinator taking a job within the NFC North, they’ll have two chances each regular season to take down their former coach.</p><p>However, if Ben Johnson turns into the next Sean McVay, it’d be understandable for Lions fans to be rather upset with him leaving for the Bears.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NFL exec draws parallel between ex-Lions coordinator and Super Bowl-winning HC

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/detroit-lions/grading-espns-lions-bengals-trey-hendrickson-trade-proposal');   ga('set', 'title', 'Grading ESPN’s Lions-Bengals Trey Hendrickson trade proposal');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Grading-ESPNs-Lions-Bengals-Trey-Hendrickson-trade-proposal.jpg"></figure><h1>Grading ESPN’s Lions-Bengals Trey Hendrickson trade proposal</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-02T13:50:24-07:00">April 2nd, 1:50pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-02T15:00:31-07:00">April 2nd, 3:00pm</time><address><a>Ben Strauss</a>Ben Strauss is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a die-hard NFL fan who cheers for the Detroit Lions. He has previously written fantasy football content for IDPGuys and ImportantNonsense.com.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cincinnati Bengals</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Detroit Lions are in their greatest moment in franchise history. Detroit is one of the most historically downtrodden teams in the NFL. However, they have taken on new life under <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/detroit-lions/lions-news-dan-campbell-goes-full-football-guy-true-alpha-bit">head coach Dan Campbell</a> and GM Brad Holmes. Now, they are one of the best teams in the NFC and legitimate Super Bowl contenders.</p><p>Detroit had one of their best seasons in franchise history in 2024. The Lions won 15 games, logged their second consecutive NFC North title, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/detroit-lions/lions-put-on-super-bowl-worthy-performance-in-huge-win-over-vikings">secured the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs</a>. All of these are franchise firsts for Detroit.</p><p>Now the Lions must reload their roster so they can make another deep playoff run during the 2025 season.</p><p>Defensive injuries were Detroit’s biggest issue in 2024. They could <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/detroit-lions/lions-news-can-build-an-entire-defense-off-injured-players">assemble a whole defensive unit</a> built from players who headed to injured reserve last season.</p><p>Losing Aidan Hutchinson for the season was the biggest blow of them all. Taking Hutch out of the lineup revealed how much the Lions depend on a star pass rusher.</p><p>Naturally, many Lions fans want to add another elite pass rusher to pair with Hutchinson in the future. There is one such player, Cincinnati’s <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/cincinnati-bengals/bengals-news-trey-hendrickson-permission-seek-trade">Trey Hendrickson, who has already been permitted to seek a trade</a>.</p><p>But could the Lions actually acquire him?</p><p>Below we will explore <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/draft2025/story/_/id/44427621/2025-nfl-mock-draft-all-trades-deals-32-round-1-picks-players-parsons-cousins" rel="noopener">ESPN’s trade proposal</a> that would send Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson to the Lions.</p><h2><b>Bill Barnwell suggests Lions give up first-round pick to acquire Trey Hendrickson</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Trey-Hendrickson-on-Jan.-4-2025.jpg"><figcaption>Sam Greene/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Before we dive into the analysis, here are the terms of Bill Barnwell’s trade proposal.</p><p><b>Lions receive: </b></p><ul><li>DE Trey Hendrickson</li><li>2025 second-round pick (49th overall)</li></ul><p><b>Bengals receive: </b></p><ul><li>2025 first-round pick (28th overall)</li><li>2025 fourth-round pick (130th overall)</li></ul><p>It should go without saying that there is one hidden cost to this trade.</p><p>In addition to the above terms, the Lions would be on the hook to sign Hendrickson to a massive contract extension. After all, the only reason why Hendrickson is on the trade block in the first place is because of his salary demands.</p><p>According to Spotrac, Hendrickson could command <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/player/market-value/_/id/21845/trey-hendrickson" rel="noopener">roughly $31.5 million per season</a> on the open market. The Lions may end up having to pay north of this to get a deal done. Barnwell suggests Hendrickson may be worth $35 million per season.</p><p>Even with that cost factored in, this could be an incredible move by Detroit.</p><p>Lions GM Brad Holmes has done an excellent job of building the team through the draft. That is what makes it so scary to think about giving up significant draft capital to acquire a player who demands a big contract.</p><p>However, Barnwell explains that Detroit is in a position to make this move. They have enough players on rookie contracts to offset Hendrickson’s contract demands.</p><p>“General manager Brad Holmes has generally done excellent work in the draft, but making an all-in move for Hendrickson is a reward for years of building things up the right way,” Barnwell noted. “If the Lions want to shift their defensive philosophy after losing coordinator Aaron Glenn to the Jets, Hendrickson would give them the ability to rush four more often without needing to rely on blitzes.”</p><p>The Lions also only lose out on one draft pick in this trade. They will still have two second-round picks to work with, as well as their late-round selections.</p><p>Meanwhile, the Bengals would gain another first-round pick to help rebuild their defense.</p><p>“Bengals fans won’t want to see Hendrickson leave, but he is reportedly willing to sit out games in 2025 without a new deal, and they won’t want to see a repeat of the Carson Palmer situation,” Barnwell wrote. “This would value Hendrickson as a second-round pick, albeit one of the very last selections (61st pick). De facto general manager Duke Tobin would have two first-round picks to add defensive help, with Cincinnati jumping ahead of the Commanders and Eagles for edge-rushing options.”</p><p>The 2025 draft class is full to the brim with talented edge rushers. Bengals fans may not like the idea of giving up Hendrickson after back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons. That said, he could easily be replaced in the aggregate. Adding multiple talented players may even be the smart move for an ailing Cincinnati defense.</p><p>Ultimately, I cannot help but give this trade an A for the Lions. Elite pass rushers are incredibly hard to come by in the NFL. Hendrickson may be on the older side, but he could give the Lions at least three seasons of elite play next to Aidan Hutchinson.</p><p>In my opinion, that is well worth the cost of a late first-round pick.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Grading ESPN’s Lions-Bengals Trey Hendrickson trade proposal

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/hbcu/detroit-lions-gm-brad-holmes-to-serve-as-commencement-speaker-at-his-alma-mater');   ga('set', 'title', 'Detroit Lions GM Brad Holmes to serve as commencement speaker at his alma mater');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/North_Carolina_AT_legend_Bill_Hayes_talks_coaching_Brad_Holmes.webp"></figure><h1>Detroit Lions GM Brad Holmes to serve as commencement speaker at his alma mater</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-02T12:04:03-07:00">April 2nd, 12:04pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-02T12:04:03-07:00">April 2nd, 12:04pm</time><address><a>Kiya Wimbush-Robinson</a>Kiya Wimbush-Robinson is a Virginia State University graduate from the DMV. Kiya is currently a graduate student at Norfolk State University working to obtain her Masters in Communications.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Detroit Lions</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes will serve <a href="https://hbcugameday.com/2025/03/31/nfl-executive-a-part-of-ncat-spring-commencement/" rel="noopener">as the keynote speaker</a> for the Spring 2025 Commencement ceremonies at his alma mater, North Carolina A&amp;T University. The ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 10, at 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. in First Horizon Coliseum at the Greensboro Complex.</p><p>“I’m honored to return to A&amp;T and speak to the next wave of graduates,” said Holmes. “My time at A&amp;T laid the foundation for everything I’ve achieved, and I’m excited to share my experiences with these talented young leaders as they embark on their own journeys.”</p><p>Holmes, a Florida native, graduated from North Carolina A&amp;T in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications. While at A&amp;T, he was a star on the football team as a defensive tackle. He was a four-year letterman and two-year starter for the team. His talents helped lead his team to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Championship and a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) National Championship in 2001 under coach Bill Hayes.</p><p>Hayes’ father is also another A&amp;T and football legend. His father, Melvin Holmes, graduated from A&amp;T in in1967 and played for the Pittsburgh Steelers as an offensive lineman from 1971 to 1973.</p><p>After 18 seasons <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/detroit-lions/hbcu-success-stories-brad-homes-north-carolina-at">with the Los Angeles Rams (2003-2020), Holmes joined the Detroit Lions</a> on January 14, 2021, as executive vice president and general manager. Before moving into scouting, he started out with the NFL as a public relations intern. He worked as a National Football Scouting scout, area scout, national combine scout, and scouting assistant over the years, gaining a wealth of knowledge in player evaluation and personnel administration.</p><p>Holmes flourished in his new role as the Rams’ director of college scouting after being promoted there in 2013. Holmes was instrumental in spotting and acquiring important players during his tenure, which saw the Rams record 64-58 (.524) and create 25 Pro Bowl players. His astute talent spotting contributed to the development of the Rams’ core, which in turn helped them win Super Bowl LVI. He was also named the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/detroit-lions/lions-gm-brad-holmes-wins-executive-of-the-year-from-pfwa">Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA) Executive of the Year</a> in 2023.</p><p>Since assuming leadership in Detroit, Holmes has led the Lions to a remarkable comeback. His skillful combination of planned free agent signings and draft knowledge enabled the Lions to reach historic triumph in 2023. The team tied the franchise record for most wins in a single season with a 12-5 record at the end of the regular season. The Lions won their first division title in thirty years under Holmes’ direction, and they made it to their second-ever NFC Championship Game, their first since 1991.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Detroit Lions GM Brad Holmes to serve as commencement speaker at his alma mater

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/detroit-lions/detroit-lions-7-round-2025-nfl-mock-draft-per-pff-simulator');   ga('set', 'title', 'Detroit Lions 7-round 2025 NFL mock draft, per PFF simulator');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Detroit-Lions-7-round-2025-NFL-mock-draft-per-PFF-simulator.jpg"></figure><h1>Detroit Lions 7-round 2025 NFL mock draft, per PFF simulator</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-01T13:29:47-07:00">April 1st, 1:29pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-01T13:29:47-07:00">April 1st, 1:29pm</time><address><a>Ben Strauss</a>Ben Strauss is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a die-hard NFL fan who cheers for the Detroit Lions. He has previously written fantasy football content for IDPGuys and ImportantNonsense.com.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Detroit Lions</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Detroit Lions are ready to make some noise during the 2025 NFL season. Detroit had one of their best seasons in franchise history in 2024. The Lions won 15 games, earned their second straight NFC North division title, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/detroit-lions/lions-put-on-super-bowl-worthy-performance-in-huge-win-over-vikings">secured the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs</a>. All of those feats are firsts for the Lions.</p><p>Unfortunately, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/detroit-lions/lions-news-can-build-an-entire-defense-off-injured-players">defensive injuries caught up to Detroit</a> in the playoffs. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/detroit-lions/lions-most-to-blame-for-divisional-round-disaster-vs-commanders">Lions got absolutely run over by the Commanders in the playoffs</a>, getting bounced in the Divisional Round.</p><p>Detroit has already made a number of smart moves this offseason to set themselves up for success in 2025. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/detroit-lions/lions-news-dj-reed-lions-3-year-48-million-deal">Lions brought in CB DJ Reed</a> as a cheaper, and possibly better, alternative to Carlton Davis III.</p><p>They also added several depth players on both sides of the ball, though primarily on defense. New additions like Roy Lopez showcase Detroit’s priority on creating depth and avoiding what happened in 2024 ever occurring again.</p><p>The final piece of the puzzle is the 2025 NFL Draft, where the Lions have six selections including the 28th overall pick.</p><p>Below we will explore who the Lions may select in the 2025 NFL Draft <a href="https://www.pff.com/draft/nfl-mock-draft-simulator?ref=6eeca126-3940-44ff-872c-a993da8d9208" rel="noopener">according to the PFF mock draft simulator</a>.</p><h2><b>EDGE Nic Scourton – Texas A&amp;M – 28th overall pick</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Nic-Scourton-of-Texas-AM-1.jpg"><figcaption>Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Lions fans would love this pick in real life.</p><p>Scourton is an imposing edge rusher who boasts an impressive frame. The Texas A&amp;M product is a capable run defender, but he really shines as a pass rusher. He is exactly the type of player the Lions would love to add.</p><p>Scourton has a diverse set of moves when rushing the passer, using both speed and power to create havoc in opposing backfields. Similar to Aidan Hutchinson, Scourton has plenty of counter moves that he can use to set up offensive linemen throughout the game to eventually win in big moments.</p><p>Detroit’s coaching staff prioritizes run defense, and Scourton provides enough for them to work with. As a result, Scourton has the upside to truly become a three-down player across from Aidan Hutchinson.</p><p>During his collegiate career, Scourton is used to being double-teamed and facing plenty of chips. However, in Detroit he would likely face more one-on-one situations playing on the same defensive line as Hutchinson. Detroit’s entire defensive unit would benefit from the pressures Scourton would create from winning in those one-on-one situations.</p><p>There is very little to nitpick about Scourton as a prospect.</p><p>NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein gave Scourton a <a href="https://www.nfl.com/prospects/nic-scourton/32005343-4f81-4747-b38e-43ebd9d2e99c" rel="noopener">pro comparison to Trey Hendrickson</a>. I don’t really want to call Scourton a “consolation prize”, but he would certainly make some fans feel better if the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/detroit-lions/perfect-trade-detroit-lions-must-complete-after-2025-nfl-free-agency-frenzy">Lions do not in fact acquire Hendrickson via trade</a>.</p><h2><b>EDGE Jack Sawyer – Ohio State – 60th overall pick</b></h2><p>Detroit double dips at a huge position of need for the second year in a row. This time, they swipe up Jack Sawyer at the end of the second round.</p><p>Sawyer brings a lot more power to the table than someone like Scourton. However, that comes at the cost of some speed.</p><p>Sawyer reminds me a lot of Josh Pascal in the sense that he can both play on the edge and slide inside. In fact, I imagine the Lions would likely use him in a Pascal-type role if they actually drafted him.</p><p>Sawyer, Scourton, and Hutchinson on the same defensive line could form the backbone of a downright scary unit for the Lions to build around over the next few years.</p><h2><b>T Charles Grant – William &amp; Mary – 102nd overall pick</b></h2><p>Grant is similar to several top offensive line prospects in this year’s draft class. He could play at tackle in the NFL, but many scouts are <a href="https://www.nfl.com/prospects/charles-grant/32004752-4139-6159-b4c5-6d62ea8e73e4" rel="noopener">intrigued about the idea of pushing him inside to guard</a>.</p><p>The Lions would almost certainly play Grant at guard, considering they already have Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell at tackle. They also have depth at tackle with Dan Skipper and 2024 third-rounder Giovanni Manu.</p><p>Grant boasts good technique, consistency, and an impressive wingspan — all important traits for an offensive lineman. He is a former high school wrestler, which gives him an edge over other players in terms of hand fighting and finding leverage.</p><p>If the Lions did pick Grant, he would be the second offensive lineman they have selected from William &amp; Mary during the Brad Holmes era. Detroit picked Colby Sorsdal, also from William &amp; Mary, in the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/detroit-lions/lions-2023-nfl-draft-grades-for-every-pick">fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft</a>.</p><p>It is hard to argue with Detroit’s approach of attacking the trenches in this 2025 NFL mock draft.</p><h2><b>WR Tory Horton – Colorado State – 130th overall pick</b></h2><p>This is where things get weird.</p><p>The Lions use all three of their final picks of this mock draft on wide receivers.</p><p>There is nothing wrong with taking a dart throw at any position in the later rounds of the draft. However, it is hard to imagine the Lions actually taking this approach in real life.</p><p>Detroit already has Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams holding down starting spots. They also <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/detroit-lions/lions-news-agree-reunion-with-receiver">brought back veteran Tim Patrick on a one-year deal</a> and <a href="https://www.prideofdetroit.com/2025/3/31/24397216/detroit-lions-kalif-raymond-pay-cut-restructure-eliminating-2026-cap-hit" rel="noopener">restructured Kalif Raymond’s contract</a>, practically guaranteeing him a roster spot in 2025.</p><p>That puts any rookie receivers in competition with Antoine Green and Tom Kennedy for a roster spot.</p><p>But let’s talk about Horton. He projects as an X receiver in the NFL, a position the Lions do need some depth at. Horton has nice size and is a natural route runner.</p><p>However, Horton’s 2024 season was cut short due to a knee surgery. If this pick happened in real life, I would expect Horton to spend the 2025 season on IR.</p><h2><b>WR Antwane Wells Jr. – Mississippi – 196th overall pick</b></h2><p>Wells Jr. brings some tackling breaking and yards after the catch to the table. However, he is pretty unremarkable beyond those traits.</p><p>If the Lions actually do draft Wells Jr., it would likely be with a special teams role in mind. Otherwise, he would face slim odds to make the final roster.</p><h2><b>WR Will Sheppard – Colorado – 228th overall pick</b></h2><p>Sheppard also projects as an X receiver in the NFL.</p><p>What Sheppard lacks in top-end speed, he makes up for with contested-catch ability and run blocking skills. Not every team prioritizes run blocking for wide receivers, but the Lions certainly do.</p><p>Sheppard may have the best chance of this trio of rookie receivers to earn a limited role in 2025.</p><p>That being said, all three of these receivers face long odds to become consistent contributors in Detroit.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Anthony
Pittman

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Anthony
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