It’s time for the big boys in the trenches as the annual “a Lions prospect for every round” moves to the defensive tackle spot. This is a good draft year to need a defensive tackle or two, and that’s a shoe that fits the Lions nicely.
The Lions aren’t going to draft a defensive tackle in each round, of course. The goal here is to show which types of talents are fits for the Lions in each round of the draft to help identify talents, and also the relative value that projects to be available for Detroit in those rounds. As an example, here’s one from 2022 identifying Malcolm Rodriguez as a sixth-round LB for the Lions.
Detroit doesn’t currently have a pick in the fifth round, but trades happen all the time, so it’s included here. Prospects for the first three rounds here are skewed toward where the Lions will currently select in each round: No. 28, 60 and 102 overall, respectively. The approximate draft round projections are as of April 8th.
State of the position
Detroit has a budding star in Alim McNeill, but he’s slated to miss at least the first part of the 2025 season as he recovers from a torn ACL. He was the primary interior pass rusher, and McNeill is signed long-term. Levi Onwuzurike is back for one more season and would project as the starting 3T right now while McNeill heals. Mekhi Wingo showed some promise in a brief rookie audition in 2024, but the sixth-rounder from LSU is also injured, leaving his availability uncertain. Vet Pat O’Connor is back for a one-year contract after playing well in injury-necessitated desperation last season.
Detroit has the nose tackle position set for this coming season with vets DJ Reader and free agent signee Roy Lopez. 2023 third-round pick Brodric Martin has done very little in two seasons, but he’s got a chance to prove himself. Myles Adams and Chris Smith offer limited potential as depth players.
There’s a very real chance that McNeill and Wingo are the only DTs currently on the roster who will be in that same status in a calendar year, and they’re both coming off late-season injuries. Through that prism, defensive line is a major long-term need with some necessity for a short-term impact player, too.
First round: Derrick Harmon, DT, Oregon
Harmon has been a frequent mock draft projection to the Lions from both myself and many others. It’s not by happenstance, either; Detroit has met with Harmon multiple times this offseason, and he fits what most expect the Lions defense to look like under new coordinator Kelvin Sheppard.
Positives
- Outstanding upper body strength and core strength
- Quick but heavy-hitting hands
- Good first step and explosive power off the snap
- Consistently wins the initial leverage battle
- Anchors well against the run and can flow laterally while engaged to keep the hole clogged
- Developed a very good rip move and strong-arm sets to stay off blocks and get into the backfield
- Balance in the gap and ability to get narrow to penetrate improved throughout his career
- Very quick to diagnose the play and can beat the blocker to the point of attack
Negatives
- Has a habit of grabbing and throwing the ball carrier instead of dropping his weight and making the sure tackle
- Doesn’t consistently have a Plan B as a pass rusher
- Motor was inconsistent at Michigan State, but was not an issue at Oregon
- Doesn’t finish a lot of run plays outside of his gap
- Shoulders and hands get too low at times when trying to penetrate, allowing him to get stalled by leverage
- Bull rush is more about pushing back the pocket than getting free and making plays off it
Second round: Tyleik Williams, Ohio State
Williams anchored the middle of the defense for the national champs and has some pass-rushing chops for a guy tipping the scales at almost 340 pounds. The 22-year-old played over 50 games of college football. As a national draft media member noted to me during the NFL Scouting Combine, Williams is basically what the Lions hoped Brodric Martin could someday become.
What I like:
- Added weight in 2024 and played better with it after being under 300 for part of his career
- Very powerful upper body with broad shoulders and strong hands
- Natural low center of gravity and good anchor strength
- Very quick feet for a guy his size, above-average balance
- Might be the best IDL at strafing laterally and staying unblocked against the run in this draft
- Well-developed nose for the ball
- Hand-swipe and rip moves work very well in the pass rush
- Good at disrupting passing lanes on short throws
- Plays with consistent passion and emotion through the whistle
- Was at his best in big games against Michigan, Oregon and Notre Dame
Negatives:
- Short arms that don’t always fire out to full extension off the snap
- Needs to develop a better sense of cut blocks and down blocks
- Short reach causes him to miss some tackling opportunities
- Inconsistent footwork and initial hand placement
- Takes an extra step or two to get restarted if he’s stopped initially
- Production in college wasn’t high, even considering his talented defensive cast around him; had 5 of his 11 career sacks as a freshman.
Third round: Darius Alexander, DT, Toledo
Alexander is much closer to being pick No. 60 than pick No. 102; there is a chance he’s gone before the Lions pick in the second round. However, Alexander still lingers in the 85-100 overall range in consensus draft rankings, so there’s potential he’s in range for the Lions to trade up from 102, perhaps adding in one of the two third-round picks from the 2026 NFL Draft…
What I like:
- Very athletic and twitchy for his size, and it looked even quicker after dropping around 10 pounds from his Toledo playing weight to the Senior Bowl
- Both weight-room strong and country strong in his lower body, core, and shoulders
- Good length and coordination
- Has proven success as a pass rusher in both the A and B gaps
- Very good eyes for the ball and quick-twitch reactions
- Can overpower blockers in the run game and steer the action into the hole
- Consistent gap and backside contain duties, and he can chase down and clean up away from the tackle box
- Played two of his best career games against Power 4 foes (Pittsburgh and Mississippi State)
Negatives:
- Doesn’t have a developed countermove as a pass rusher if the initial plan doesn’t work
- Arms get too high when tackling, especially inside
- Doesn’t protect his chest consistently; quicker punches can rock him upright
- Did not consistently dominate against lower-level competition as would be expected for his athletic profile
- Inconsistent anchor in short-yardage situations; would rather shoot the gap
Fourth round: C.J. West, Indiana
Michigan fans might recall West living in the Wolverines backfield in 2024, proving that the longtime Kent State standout was ready for higher-level play. The 317-pounder played primarily as a shaded and titled nose tackle in college.
What I like:
- Broad array of pass rush moves, including a great push-pull and a quick-spin that a guy his size shouldn’t be able to pull off
- Good initial penetrator into the A gap
- Can quickly destroy RBs in pass protection duty
- Decent at strafing along with stretch runs in backside contain
- Attacks the ball well during his tackles/sacks
- High-energy, passionate player
- Played his best against top-level opponents at both IU and Kent State
Negatives:
- Short arms and he doesn’t extend them consistently
- Falls off tackles; missed tackle rate of almost 20 percent for his college career
- Stops his feet to anchor against zone blocks and down blocks
- Lacks the upper-body strength and consistent pad level to anchor 1-on-1 against power
Fifth round: Aeneas Peebles, Virginia Tech
Like Darius Alexander, Peebles helped his draft profile with an impressive Senior Bowl week that catered well to his strengths on game tape–but also mitigated the downsides of his undersized, speed-based approach. The Duke transfer is the grandson of longtime NFL Pro Bowler Doug Wilkerson. Fans who really liked Calijah Kancey will find a lot of the same qualities, without quite the upside, in Peebles.
What I like:
- Lightning quick off the snap
- Very adept at clearing his shoulders through the A or B gap before the blocking can get two hands on him
- Fast, powerful hands for initial contact
- Relentless energy from the huddle through the whistle
- Quick eyes that don’t overreact to play-action or misdirection plays
- Has a polished barrage of pass-rush moves, notably a rip and a quick swim move that functions as a great leverage equalizer
Negatives:
- Very undersized at just under 6-foot-1 and 282 pounds
- Short arms and tight shoulders really limit his reach
- Lacks any functional anchor strength
- Offers no real power or bull rush, making him one-dimensional and likely sub-package only
- The speed off the snap doesn’t sustain through the play all the time
Sixth round: Howard Cross III, Notre Dame
Cross has connections to Lions head coach Dan Campbell; his father played tight end with Campbell for the New York Giants. The younger Cross is a squat 285-pound nose tackle for whom the cliche “better football player than athlete” definitely fits.
What I like:
- Great burst off the snap
- Refined hand usage and consistently good pad level in the initial contact
- Very adept at shedding initial blocks and punches from guards and centers, active hands and strong, violent swipes to get free
- Good tackler, doesn’t let go or give up his grip
- Smart play recognition and quick reactions for an interior lineman
- Can knife into A-gaps and quickly generate pressure, notably against zone blocking schemes
- Good at angling his chest and clearing his hips through the A-gap
Negatives:
- Very undersized to play the 0-1 techniques
- Frame appears maxed out
- Played over 95 percent of his college snaps in the A or B gaps (either shoulder of the guard)
- Subpar strength and anchor ability against the run
- Athleticism doesn’t last beyond the first 2-3 steps
- Minimal special teams experience for being a projected NFL reserve
Seventh round: Adin Huntington, Tulane
Huntington was one of the seventh-round projections in the latest mock draft, and the relative love for him stands. He’s very much in the mold of Mekhi Wingo and John Cominsky, 280-ish pound interior pass rushers who can also play more outside in packages.
What I like
- Supremely athletic; would have logged the fastest 40-time and second-best short shuttle at the combine (Huntington was not invited)
- Led all interior linemen in QB pressures in 2023 while at Louisiana Monroe after transferring from Kent State
- Very good lateral movement and balance
- Good repertoire of speed-to-power moves including a jolting rip
- Great closing burst and body control while at full speed
- High-motor player who never quit even on the wrong end of blowout losses at ULM
- Offers outstanding positional versatility, capable of playing anywhere from the 3T to 7T
- High-character player
Negatives:
- Odd size at 6-foot-1 and 282 pounds; played in the 270s
- Once he’s blocked, he’s staying blocked against better linemen
- Can get caught up in the 1-on-1 battle and lose sight of the broader play
- Doesn’t get his hands up into passing lanes
- Struggled at Tulane to finish in space in the run game
This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Lions 2025 draft: A defensive tackle prospect for every round