Being a Lions fan during the offseason is a nerve-racking experience.
After two or three years of stability and, you know, winning, things have changed slightly in recent months. The home divisional loss to Washington was a rough start to the offseason, and losing Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson just a few weeks later didn’t help.
The term “Super Bowl window” is rather misleading, as title contention in the NFL is more of a snapshot than a window, but it’s difficult to shake the suspicion that the Lions may have missed theirs.
Now that the defense needs to retool after losing Glenn and roughly half of their 2024 starters, all eyes are on what Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell do with the first pick in next month’s draft.
Mel Kiper does not appear to enjoy suspense, which may explain why he got into the business of projecting draft picks. And I’m glad he did, since his newest mock draft was released on Tuesday afternoon, and it gives the Lions a reprieve from an otherwise grim summer. Kiper anticipates a first round edge rusher for Detroit, and it couldn’t have come at a better moment. Aidan Hutchinson is emailing it to all his buddies with a side-eye emoji.
The Lions selected James Pearce Jr., an OLB from Tennessee, as their first-round pick in the 2025 NFL mock Draft to establish an excellent edge-rushing club.
“Pearce may be the solution opposing Aidan Hutchinson. Last season, the Lions’ biggest worry, apart from how to stay healthy, was who would play second edge rusher. They traded for Za’Darius Smith at midseason, and he finished with four sacks in eight games. However, in order to get over the postseason hump, they will need a more consistent presence rushing the passer on the other side of Hutchinson. Pearce only had 7.5 sacks in 2024, but his 19% pressure rate ranked second in the FBS. He confuses offensive tackles with his burst and strength.”
I’m *all* about edge rush depth, especially after the Lions’ backups were put to the test last season with injuries. If the Eagles’ Super Bowl victory taught us anything, it’s that you only have a chance – against the Chiefs, at least – if you can consistently get home without sending extra players, so it’s definitely a good idea to load up in that position. Step 1: Adjust the edge-rushing depth. Step 2: Select a handful of the greatest players available. Step 3: Pray that you won’t have to play the Commanders again this year.
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