Mock draft season will end as soon as the NFL draft begins on April 24 — but until then, we can speculate on who the Detroit Lions are going to select with their first-round pick.
And if NFL experts have any insight, the Lions are probably selecting an edge rusher.
That’s the main idea among the most recent crop of mock drafts: an edge rusher or defensive end to pair with returning defensive stalwart Aidan Hutchinson. The only question among these experts is which defender the Lions will choose.
Though NFL analysts suspect the Lions will focus on fortifying their defense with their first-round selection, it’s not the consensus opinion. One recent mock draft has the Lions selecting an offensive lineman with the 28th overall pick, while adding that the team’s biggest focus is still probably at the edge position.
Last week, ISA TODAY’s Nate Davis had the Lions trading their first-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders — but Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz sees it different this week, saying the Lions will select Harmon.
The Detroit-born defensive tackle began his career at Michigan State before transferring to Oregon for the 2024 season. And though Harmon doesn’t profile as an edge rusher, Middlehurst-Schwartz believes Harmon can help shore up a defensive unit that suffered many injuries in 2024:
“Comfortable attacking from almost anywhere, Harmon would surely be a welcome addition to a defense that looks desperate to set the tone up front.”
Mel Kiper Jr.’s most recent mock draft has the Lions once again focusing on defensive help, but this time on a linebacker who put up big numbers in college:
“Ezeiruaku jumped to No. 21 in my recent Big Board update, meaning he’d not only take care of that pass rush need but also do so at value. His 65 pressures led the FBS last season, and he turned them into 16.5 sacks,” Kiper wrote this week
That could be a huge boost to Detroit’s pass rush, as the only Lions edge rusher other than Hutchinson (who missed the final 12 games of the regular season) to get more than three sacks in 2024 was Za’Darius Smith, who was recently released.
Todd McShay’s most recent podcast with The Ringer goes through a mock draft, and in it he linked the Lions to Pearce with the 28th overall pick. A three-year player with Tennessee, Pearce led the SEC with 10 sacks in 2023 and added another 7½ sacks in 2024.
“The Lions need another edge,” McShay said. “We saw what happened to them last year. James Pearce would be a steal there.”
He also called Pearce the second-best pash rusher in this year’s class, behind Penn State’s Abdul Carter, who many experts see as a top-three pick.
Rhett Lewis sees the Lions taking the Thundering Herd’s Green with their first-round pick, pairing him with Hutchinson on the defensive side.
Green led FBS defenders with 17 sacks and finished second with 22½ tackles for loss. The 6-foot-3 junior was also named a second-team All-American and the Sun Belt Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year.
Nick Baumgardner acknowledges the Lions will also be looking towards an edge rusher or a wide receiver with their first-round pick, but ultimately settled on Banks to help fill a need at offensive guard.
And while that’s not exactly the position Banks excelled at in college, it’s a position Baumgardner believes Banks will slide into just fine:
“Banks, a college tackle, should translate well to a guard spot in the NFL and could potentially be a long-term answer opposite (Penei) Sewell.”
