With the team at 12-1 and eyeing a run to the Super Bowl, the 2025 draft isn't prominent on the minds of most Detroit Lions' fans right now. But mock drafts are starting to become more prevalent with the college football regular season done, and with an eye on the future the Lions have a narrow list of needs.
If we were listing the Lions' needs looking to the offseason, defensive line (particularly another edge rusher) would stand above any other with depth in other areas sure to be on the radar. Looking deeper, three current starters on the best offensive line in the league are over 30 years old and another will turn 29 before next season starts.
Keeping the offensive line a strength in the future is a sure-fire priority.
ESPN mock draft has Lions eyeing succession plan along offensive line
Heading into Week 15 ESPN's Field Yates has projected the first round of the 2025 draft, with the Lions building a succession plan at guard by taking Ohio State's Donovan Jackson.
"The Lions seek out tough and selfless players. Jackson fits that bill. He is one of the better guards in college football, but he kicked to left tackle to replace Simmons for Ohio State this season, playing more than 50% of his snaps out of position. The willingness to play a new position speaks volumes for his draft stock, and he would help Detroit as it eyes the future on the interior offensive line. The Lions' starting guards are currently 32 (Graham Glasgow) and 34 (Kevin Zeitler) years old."
As Yates noted, Jackson has bumped out to left tackle late this season after fellow potential first round prospect Josh Simmons suffered a torn ACL. Being willing to play out of position like that will be noticed by NFL people. He started two full years at left guard in 2022 and 2023, with Pro Football Focus grading him as a top-30 guard in the country in the first of those campaigns. He played right guard as a freshman in 2021.
Bleacher Report's Brandon Thorn has a mixed overall evaluation of Jackson.
"Overall, Jackson hasn't quite lived up to the hype as the nation's best guard coming out of high school largely due to a robotic playing style with some erratic footwork, but has the necessary build, raw strength and enough movement skills to compete for a job as a rookie and potentially start within his first contract if he can continue to tighten up his game from the ground up."
The Lions have 2024 draft picks Christian Mahogany and Giovanni Manu in place as potential future offensive line starters, with Mahogany a guard by trade and Manu a possibility at guard or tackle. But Manu is being "redshirted" this year, and an illness in training camp was a big setback for Mahogany's rookies season development. So both are simply unknown quantities.
Zeitler seems likely to be re-signed by the Lions, but it's possible he can cash in with one last big contract (at 35 years old by the time free agency starts), pricing himself out of a return as he finishes an excellent season. In a broad sense, regardless of Zeitler's return status, Jackson (6-foot-4, 320 pounds) could be on the radar as a future starter to help keep the Lions' offensive line at its current level down the road.