Detroit Lions riskiest moves in 2025 NFL offseason

The Lions certainly ruffled some feathers when they selected Arkansas WR Isaac TeSlaa in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Holmes was not shy about admitting that TeSlaa was his favorite receiver in the entire draft.

“I do love all of them… I’ll give you this, though: The pick that was probably the most questioned, I would say, was Isaac TeSlaa. I can say that he was my favorite wide receiver in this draft,” Holmes said after the 2025 NFL Draft. “I’m not saying he was the best wide receiver in the draft. But favorite wide receiver in the draft? Yes.”

Detroit had limited depth behind Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, so why was this move hated so much? And what makes it so risky?

The answer is the price it cost to acquire TeSlaa.

The Lions traded two future third-round picks to the Jaguars in order to move up 32 spots in the third round. Detroit did get a pair of sixth-round picks in return, but it is still a huge price tag even factoring in those picks.

The high cost of trading up, plus TeSlaa being a relatively unheralded player, makes this move look incredibly risky.

TeSlaa will face huge expectations because of Holmes’ aggressive move to trade up for him.

Ultimately, Lions fans will be okay with this move if TeSlaa becomes a consistent starter in the future. But that is a huge if.

Will the Lions regret neglecting the edge rusher position?

The Lions were connected with edge rushers throughout the offseason.

Many NFL analysts expected the Lions to aggressively fix their edge rusher position after the 2024 season. Aidan Hutchinson is a superstar in his own right, and many fans wanted Detroit to add another top edge rusher to pair with him.

It is safe to say that the Lions surprised fans and pundits with their approach. Detroit re-signed a few of their players, including Marcus Davenport (who we will talk about soon). They also passed on edge rusher until the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, adding Ahmed Hassanein.

It is worth noting that the Lions also cut Za’Darius Smith earlier this offseason. Detroit acquired him via trade during the 2024 season to help replace Hutchinson’s production.

Neglect is a strong word, but I feel that it is appropriate in this case.

There is a strong argument that Detroit should have attacked the edge rusher position like they did cornerback during the 2024 offseason. It was the biggest position of need on the team, both now and in the future.

It will be interesting to see if the Lions regret passing on an edge rusher in the first round later this season.

Relying on Marcus Davenport to stay healthy is a big risk

The best ability in the NFL is availability. Unfortunately, Marcus Davenport has not been very available during the past few years of his career.

Before coming to Detroit, Davenport signed with the Vikings before the 2023 season. He only played in four games before he suffered a significant ankle injury that forced him to miss the rest of the season.

The Lions signed Davenport to a one-year contract ahead of the 2024 season. His injury luck did not improve in Detroit.

Davenport played in only two games in 2024. He missed Week 2 after a minor groin injury in Week 1. Then he suffered a significant elbow injury in Week 3 that ended his season. It was the first of many defensive injuries to the Lions in 2024.

Detroit decided to bring Davenport back on another one-year contract worth $4.75 million.

Davenport is projected to start for the Lions opposite of Aidan Hutchinson. If he suffers another major injury, Detroit’s depth will be tested once again.