Detroit Lions post-Super Bowl 7-round 2025 mock draft

The 2024 NFL season is over now, and it's right into pre-draft season. The Scouting Combine is coming, with the full list of invited players out out this week. For the Detroit Lions and general manager Brad Holmes, the draft has provided many core players who have driven the team's success over the last couple seasons.

While it's interesting to consider the Lions making a big move to surrender draft capital for someone like Myles Garrett, and the they should at least get involved in that conversation, it would mean a big shift from a core strategy Holmes does not seem at all inclined to shift from.

Future mock drafts may have some trades, in reflection of Holmes' general tendency to be willing to move around the board, but this time around we made it simple and stood pat.

Using Pro Football Network's mock draft simulator, here's a fresh post-Super Bowl mock draft for the Lions.

Detroit Lions 7-round post -Super Bowl mock draft

First Round, Pick No. 28: Mike Green, EDGE, Marshall

Green had a great week down at the Senior Bowl, so it's becoming very possible he's long gone by the time the Lions are on the lock at No. 28. But he was here for the taking in our post-Senior Bowl mock, and he was here again as a no-brainer pick.

That showing in Mobile dismissed concerns about Green's level of competition at Marshall, and he added a little weight, coming in at 251 pounds. There's no denying his production. Last season, he led the FBS with 17 sacks along with 23 tackles and 84 total tackles. In his two toughest games (Ohio State and Virginia Tech) he totaled three sacks and nine pressures.

Edge rusher is undeniably the Lions' biggest need, and Holmes doesn't ignore needs that are so obvious.

Second Round, Pick No. 60: Deone Walker, DT, Kentucky

Interior defensive line depth behind Alim McNeill, who's status for Week 1 next season is naturally in doubt as he works his way back from a torn ACL, and DJ Reader is a concern for the Lions. If Levi Onwuzurike leaves in free agency, it will be even more of a need.

Walker, a graduate of Cass Tech High School in Detroit, is simply a massive man (6-foot-7, 340 pounds). But he showed athleticism during drills at the Senior Bowl, so at the upcoming Combine it will be interesting to see how he comes out in athletic testing.

An injury cost Walker a couple games in 2024, but in 2023 he had 7.5 sacks and had the most quarterback pressures among defensive tackles that season. Evaluations of him have consistent points; lots of upside, great length and athleticism, struggles with pad level at his height, etc., but Walker's sheer potential seems to exceed lots of his peers in a deep defensive tackle class.

Third Round, Pick No. 101: Dorian Strong, CB, Virginia Tech

Note: This is the compensatory pick the Lions will get this year for losing Aaron Glenn to the New York Jets, and the exact spot it will be is not yet locked in.

The level of need the Lions will have at cornerback will be determined by what happens in free agency (does Carlton Davis leave? If so, who is signed to replace him?).

Strong (6-foot-1, 179 pounds) played 53 games over five seasons at Virginia Tech, with 112 total tackles, seven interceptions and 28 pass breakups. He is seen as most effective in zone coverage, but Pro Football Network's evaluation deviated from that in a notable way when considering how he'd be a fit for the Lions.

"Dorian Strong is a skilled and instinctive cornerback who excels in man coverage but is also more than competent in zone coverage schemes. He possesses fluid hips, quick feet, and strong closing speed, allowing him to stick with receivers and disrupt passing lanes. Strong's ball skills stand out, as he consistently tracks the ball and makes plays on it in contested situations. He plays with physicality at the line of scrimmage, using his length effectively to disrupt routes. Strong’s football IQ and anticipation enable him to read quarterbacks and jump routes but can also make him vulnerable if he mistimes the play or double moves. Additionally, adding strength will allow him to handle bigger receivers and further enhance his game as a lockdown defender."

Assuming new Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard maintains Glenn's man-heavy tendencies, Strong looks like a sneaky fit and Holmes has adopted the general idea "you can never have too many corners." With that in mind, Strong begs for the front office and coaching staff to take a deeper dive on.

Fourth Round, Pick No. 133: Pat Bryant, WR, Illinois

The Lions may re-sign Tim Patrick, but beyond next season they'd still have a need for a No. 3 wide receiver. Looking toward that, Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report tabbed the Lions as a team who would be a nice fit for Bryant within his evaluation of some wide receiver prospects.

"The 6'3", 200-pounder brings legitimate X-receiver size and physicality to the position, which isn't as common among Day 2 targets. He has enough burst to stack cornerbacks, with the body control to win down the field."

Bryant (6-foot-2, 6-foot-3, 200-plus pounds) followed a breakthrough final season at Illinois (984 yards, 18.2 yards per catch and a tied for single-season school record 10 touchdowns) with a good showing at the Senior Bowl. Athletic testing at the Combine stands to have some impact on where he goes in the draft, particularly his 40-yard dash time (and more particularly his 10-yard splits).

The Lions wasted a lot of time finding a suitable replacement for Josh Reynolds before fortune smiled on them with Patrick becoming available at roster cuts. They won't make that mistake again, and independent of a veteran addition that may only be a one-year stopgap Bryant makes a lot of sense with an eye on the future.

Sixth Round, Pick No. 198: Willie Lampkin, OG/C, North Carolina

Lampkin spent his first three seasons at Coastal Carolina before transferring to North Carolina for his final two. Playing right guard for Mack Brown's Tar Heels last season, with a couple missed games, he posted the best PFF grades of his career overall as well as both a run and pass blocker.

Lampkin is uniquely short for an offensive lineman (5-foot-10 and 3/8 at the Senior Bowl), and he's also way lighter than is ideal (270 pounds). The negatives on him are very obvious (all-around undersized, lack of length), but he has the other skills an interior offensive lineman has to have (natural leverage, good athletic ability, good footwork and use of hands, finishes well, good puch and grip strength).

NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah has what he'll call "eye of the beholder" prospects. Lampkin is a poster boy for that in this year's draft class. Some teams will see an undersized lineman they want little or nothing to do with. Others will see what he is on tape, with experience across all three interior line spots in college (26 starts at left guard, 21starts at right guard, 14 starts at center) and what's sure to be an underdog mentality as people write him off due to his size.

The Lions seems sure to be in the latter group, and Lampkin was a surprisingly easy pick here with how the Day 3 board fell.

Seventh Round, Pock No. 230: Tim Smith, DT, Alabama

Holmes covets Alabama players, though we'll see if that changes as those who were recruited by and played for Nick Saban progress out of the program. Smith was a five-year player for the Crimson Tide, and while he doesn't have the splashy star power and stats of some others he played with he was a durable staple with 63 games.

Smith (6-foot-4. 314 pounds) is regarded as a developmental prospect but also scheme-versatile, having played defensive end in high school and lining up in multiple spots across Alabama's defensive line. A double-dip at defensive tackle wound up making sense in this mock spin.

Seventh Round, Pick No. 246: Tyler Shough, QB, Louisville

Shough had a college journey that reflects the times we're in, suiting up for three teams (Oregon, Texas Tech and Louisville) over seven seasons. Many of those seasons were shortened, by redshirting, being a backup or being benched (Oregon) and injuries (all three of his seasons at Texas Tech), but he was finally healthy and showed what he could do last season at Louisville (3,195 yards, 23 touchdowns, six interceptions).

The Lions are currently down the road with an older draft prospect quarterback, and we see how that has gone with Hendon Hooker as they seem ready to move on this offseason. But Shough has NFL size (6-foot-5, 225 pounds), at least one draft analyst is very high on him.