As one of the league's top contenders, the Detroit Lions have very few glaring holes on either side of the football. Even though that is the case, one bigger need has stood out for quite some time.
Adding another young pass rusher early in the draft is a must for the Lions after the franchise didn't make a huge addition outside the family during free agency. While there have been other needs referenced and debated, there is a consensus that more pressure on the quarterback is vital for success.
Leave it to a former quarterback to drive that point home. Chris Simms of NBC Sports joined a segment on "Pro Football Talk" breaking down what the Lions should do in the impending draft. As he explained, while the franchise could look at another position like guard, pass rusher should be the top target due to the need for an Aidan Hutchinson running mate.
"Pass rusher, pass rusher, pass rusher. That's the big thing. Secondary, they got two what I would call All-Pro caliber players in Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch. They drafted (cornerback) Terrion Arnold in the first-round last year. Amik Robertson, they got him from the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency (2024). That was a great signing.
"They got big defensive tackles. To me, it's the pass rusher. It's somebody across from Aidan Hutchinson, and I would think if there's somebody there at 28 that fits that bill, that's the guy they go with. (That's) the position they go with."
As Simms correctly states, the Lions have enough pieces defensively to survive if not thrive. Helping Hutchinson out must be the top goal of the franchise, especially since he is coming off a broken leg from last season. While Hutchinson looks good in his recovery, the Lions need more depth to provide punch up front, something which sorely lacked in 2024.
Brad Holmes will focus on getting the Lions talented players rather than drafting for perceived need
In terms of what the Lions will do when the draft comes up, it's still a mystery to anyone other than Holmes. No matter what position he fills first, there's going to be a singular focus on making sure the best players are targeted at every level of the draft.
That's true no matter what position may be deemed a bigger need by those on the outside. When speaking with the media before the draft, Holmes was uncompromising on that point:
"What I won't do is what I've been saying I won't do. Looking at our depth charts like names (in) black and white and seeing a position and saying 'Man, I got to get that position.' A player has to play that position. That's why I've always said we want to get good players.
"You can draft a pass rusher every round. It's easy. It's like if a coach told me 'We want a guy that's 6 foot 4, 250 pounds.' Getting a guy 6 foot 4, 250 pounds, that's easy. I don't know if he's a good football player, but he'll be 6 foot 4, 250 pounds. You can draft a defensive end. If the player playing defensive end is not what we feel is going to be the right guy to really contribute to our team, (we won't draft him). So we're not going to reach on players just to fill a position. That's what we won't do."
If the Lions do draft a defensive lineman early as Simms thinks they should, count on that player checking all the boxes for the Lions and being the best athlete available on Detroit's board. No matter where a lineman is added. the Lions could use such a player to better their defense.