Lions seem ready to bank on recovering 2025 draft pick for major defensive role

The Detroit Lions have checked off several needs in free agency this past week, but more work needs to be done as the franchise continues to look for solutions to some of their bigger problems.

One spot the Lions haven't done much work at thus far is defensive end. Detroit let Al-Quadin Muhammad walk to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and haven't made a huge addition to the position this offseason. That's in spite of several solid veterans still being available on the market.

On the roster, the Lions currently have four total defensive ends. One of them is Ahmed Hassanein, last year's sixth-round pick out of Boise State. Hassanien was hurt during training camp with a partial pectoral tear and was thus a non-factor last season. But he is working hard to be ready for 2026.

Recently, Hassanein shared an update as to where he's at, and it seems he is all systems go in terms of preparing for next season. As he wrote on Instagram, he's been focused on working because work always speaks the loudest.

It's good to see Hassanein stepping up and working hard within his recovery, and there is good news for him this offseason in what the Lions haven't done. Detroit has been slow to add meaningful defensive line help, which means they are likely to be relying on a young player like Hassanein to do some big things at defensive end in 2026.

Lions need to add a few more free agents at edge before NFL draft

It's fair to assume that the Lions are set to be major players in the NFL draft in terms of adding a rookie edge. Even though that needs to be the case, it's also true that the team needs to add veterans to the position as well. While adding DJ Wonnum was a decent start, he can't be the only player that joins the roster.

Detroit's ability to improve defensively will come down to whether or not they can pressure the quarterback. Their secondary has been suspect given injuries and other issues. The Lions have struggled getting takeaways and slowing the pass, so an elite defensive line can help them turn this dynamic around with more pocket pressure.

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Adding another top defensive end in free agency, such as Jadeveon Clowney, Joey Bosa or AJ Espensa would help the Lions set a better tone up front, and would make it so they didn't have to exclusively rely on a rookie edge to play a huge role. It could also take pressure off Hassanein having to take major leaps in his development very early in his career.

The Lions don't seem to have a clear plan at edge rusher, and that's bad news as it relates to their defensive hopes overall. It might be good news for a player on the roster like Hassanein who could be expected to take leaps in his development if he is healthy and ready to make an impact in the league.