Following an interview in which general manager Brad Holmes expounded on the Detroit Lions' free agency spending so far this season, it became clear that the team would be prioritizing landing a pass rusher in this year's draft.
The lack of spending on that front by Holmes and the Lions says as much, as well as the lack of investment in great starting tackle talent in the offseason. Larry Borom is a decent plug-in tackle to replace Taylor Decker, but ideally, you'd like Detroit to take a bigger swing than that.
That's exactly what goes down in Matt Miller's latest mock draft for ESPN, where Miller has Detroit landing two impressive prospects to round out those positional groups of need through two rounds. In this mock, he has the Lions netting tackle Monroe Freeling at 17th overall and EDGE Malachi Lawrence at 50th overall.
On Freeling, Miller wrote:
"Taylor Decker's release leaves an opening at left tackle barring a move from Penei Sewell from the right side. Either way, the Lions need tackle help. Freeling was a one-year starter at Georgia but has elite traits in terms of movement, size (6-foot-7, 315 pounds) and 4.93 speed. Freeling is one of the few proven left tackles with a Round 1 grade and has the upside of a higher-end starter thanks to his upper-level athletic skills plus his development over the course of the 2025 season."
And, on Lawrence:
"We've been begging for the Lions to pick an edge rusher to play opposite Aidan Hutchinson. Lawrence is a speedy, upside rusher with 4.52 speed and a 253-pound frame. He can easily slot in for departed free agent Al-Quadin Muhammad and be a Week 1 starter."
Lions get last laugh on free agency critics in latest mock draft
Detroit could see a completely revamped front line in addition to a much more athletic defense with these first two selections. It could completely reframe the conversation related to their very, very boring free agency this offseason, which saw Cade Mays acting as their most exciting signing by far.
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In addition to Freeling and Lawrence, Miller also has Detroit rounding out their draft with the following picks:
4th round: LB Jimmy Rolder
4th round (via HOU): DT DeMonte Capehart
5th round: RB J'Mari Taylor
5th round: WR Reggie Virgil
6th round (via JAX): QB Sawyer Robertson
6th round (from SEA via JAX): G Beau Stephens
7th round: CB Ephesians Prysock
This would be a solid class, and it doesn't account for the potential chaos that would abound if Holmes decides to trade back up into the 3rd round for a more highly-rated defensive back or linebacker prospect. Given their needs in their secondary, especially, it feels possible that Holmes looks to snag a safety on Day 2.
Of course, much is going to be made of what the Lions do with their Day 1 pick and their first pick of Day 2. These picks have the great possibility of turning the free agency discourse on its head.