The Detroit Lions are the betting favorites to win the Super Bowl for the first time ever, not that they care or think it means anything right now. In any case, if things play out as expected, even shy of a Super Bowl win, they will have a late first-round pick in the 2025 draft.
There is one way it should be easy for the Lions to go with their first-round pick when late-April comes. But general manager Brad Holmes is never solely focused on need(s) in the draft, and the proof is the pudding when it comes to how well that's working. Which isn't to say Holmes isn't aware of needs, or does not fill them. Cornerback was a significant need this year, and the Lions' first two picks in the draft were cornerbacks.
If we were to tab the top strength the Lions' have, it would be the offensive line. Widely ranked and regarded as the best in the league, keeping it a strength down the road is surely somewhere on the radar. Three current starters are at least 30 years old, and another has dealt with a long list of injuries that may end up shaving a couple years off the end of his career.
The Lions do have some eye on the future of their offensive line, but the time to use a premium draft pick on someone may come sooner rather than later.
Lions try to keep their top strength their top strength in 2025 mock draft
ESPN's Matt Miller is out with a new 2025 mock draft, predicting the first round based on current standings. The Lions are at pick No. 31, and Miller has them taking Arizona guard Jonah Savaiinaea.
"The Lions have been dominant this season, but they have clear needs to address in the offseason. The interior offensive line is one, as Detroit lost Jonah Jackson in free agency and it's unclear how much longer center Frank Ragnow will play after this season. Savaiinaea has played both tackle spots this season but is projected as an NFL guard by scouts. He's a mauler in the run game and has shown improved footwork and poise in pass blocking, not giving up a sack this season and committing only two penalties. At 336 pounds, Savaiinaea has the power and first-step quickness to reposition defensive linemen."
Miller forgot, or didn't have space to mention, how strong a season Kevin Zeitler is having as the essential replacement for Jackson on the Lions' interior line. But Zeitler is on a one-year deal and he'll turn 35 in March, so the broader idea the Lions may need a guard in the draft holds up.
As Miller noted, Savaiinaea has played both tackle spots for Arizona this season. He mostly played right tackle last season (one start and 138 total snaps at right guard, according to Pro Football Focus). In 2022, he played all out one snap at right guard and Miller added presumed intel that NFL scouts see him as a guard.
Is Savaiinaea declares for the 2025 draft (he's a junior), the big picture idea of him and Penei Sewell mowing down defenders on the right side of the Lions offensive line in the future is definitely interesting.