Next up on the NFL calendar is the 2025 NFL Combine, where draft prospects will be evaluated on a large scale. It's also basically an NFL convention, as pretty much anyone who is anyone (head coaches, general managers, agents) will be in Indianapolis at some point during the week.
Lions general manager Brad Holmes will talk to reporters in Indianapolis on Tuesday afternoon, as will head coach Dan Campbell. From Holmes in particular, any kind of insight into the team's offseason or draft plan will be surprising, as it should be in any public forum.
Using Pro Football Network's mock draft simulator, here's a three-round pre-Combine mock draft for the Lions.
Detroit Lions 3-round pre-NFL Combine mock draft
First Round, Pick No, 28: Shemar Stewart, EDGE, Texas A&M
Stewart's production does not jump off the page for last season (31 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, six tackles for loss) or his career at Texas A&M (4.5 sacks, 12 tackles for loss over three seasons).
But a defensive lineman's impact is not always fully told through sheer statistics, and Stewart has the measurables to be intriguing (6-foot-5, 281 pounds, 83 and 1/2-inch wingspan, 34 and 1/4-inch arms at the Senior Bowl). An NFL personnel evaluator told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler that Stewart "stamped himself" as the best player at the Senior Bowl in Mobile.
Stewart fits the physical profile the Lions seek in edge rushers, and he had the fourth-best PFF run defense grade among this year's draft-eligible edge defenders last season (88.2). It's a deep edge rusher class, so the Lions could wait or trade out of the first round if things go a certain way here. But here they stand pat, and bet on some upside to give new defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers a young pupil to mold.
Second Round, Pick No. 60: Dylan Fairchild, OG, Georgia
Fairchild was "only" a two-year starter at left guard Georgia, but that relative lack of experience is offset some by going against SEC competition. Evaluations consistently mention an aggressive mentality, to the point of compromised technique at times, but aggression is something a coach would say he'd rather have to reel in and coach up that try to push a player to be.
Fairchild does not line up to be an immediate starter as a rookie. Bleacher Report's Brandon Thorn noted landing spot as being important to how he develops, but the "physical tools are there to take over a job at guard eventually". Sounds like a good fit for the Lions, and with how the board fell he became the pick here.
Third Round, Pick No. 101 overall: Savion Williams, WR, TCU
Note: This is the compensatory pick the Lions will get for losing Aaron Glenn to the New York Jets' head coaching job, and projected to the final pick of the third round until it's made official. They traded their own 2025 third-round pick to move up and get offensive lineman Giovanni Manu in the fourth round of the 2024 draft.
If The Lions are looking for a proverbial "X" receiver", which Jameson Williams' isn't, Savion Williams fits the bill physically (6-foot-5, 225 pounds). He is very raw in the finer aspects of playing wide receiver and drops were a thing, but TCU featured him as an all-purpose weapon just to get the ball in his hands (51 carries for 322 yards and six rushing touchdowns last season).
The comp to Cordarrelle Patterson from Lance Zierlein of NFL.com seems to fit, for better or worse.
Among wide receiver prospects below the top ones, it will be interesting to see how Williams looks in athletic testing and on-field drills at the Combine. The Lions could be intrigued enough by what he has going for him to add him to their wide receiver mix.