The Detroit Lions boast one of the most gifted young rosters in the NFL and could look to acquire draft capital by trading back in the first round on Thursday night.
However, there’s another path where general manager Brad Holmes surprises the hometown fans in attendance with one of the biggest sleepers in this NFL Draft class.
Much of the Lions’ young core has been built through smart drafting and wisely locking up emerging stars to long-term contracts, such as wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, offensive tackle Penei Sewell, running back Jahmyr Gibbs and game-wrecking edge-rusher Aidan Hutchinson, to name just a few.
But on Thursday night, there’s a real possibility that in the latter stages of the first round, Holmes and the Lions emerge with a dominant edge-rusher to pair opposite Hutchinson in the Lions’ ferocious front seven.
“If you want a round 1 sleeper to watch,” an AFC scouting director told me. “Darius Robinson, the defensive lineman from Missouri is a very versatile player that can line up at multiple spots, play all three downs, and has emerging rush skills.”
Hutchinson and the suburban Michigan native Robinson could be racing to quarterbacks like the Camaros and Corvettes built in Motown beginning this fall.
Darius Robinson to the Detroit Lions?
Hutchinson has already built up a reputation as one of the NFL’s most dominant edge-rushers, and the Lions have yet to add that second complementary piece on the opposite edge, but that might be about to change.
ESPN’s Matt Miller projects the Lions select Robinson with the No. 29 pick in his final mock draft.
“With the draft in the Lions’ city,” Miller writes. “The team could use this pick to select a hometown prospect in Robinson, who is from the Detroit suburbs. The 285-pound defensive lineman can play inside or outside along the four-man front and has the power to rock back offensive tackles and the quickness to shoot gaps. He’s an ascending player whom the Lions could develop opposite (or next to) Aidan Hutchinson.”
Robinson might be an ideal fit for the Lions defense in far more ways than a Detroit homecoming.
Last season, Robinson exploded for a career-high 8.5 sacks with 14 tackles for loss, one forced fumble and 43 total tackles.
“He’s still learning to play and kind of reminds me of Keion White (Patriots second-round pick in 2023),” an NFL scouting director told NFL.com. “With his traits and what he could become.”
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