One EDGE Lions May Have Been Targeting in Draft Trade

The Detroit Lions traded up three different times in the 2025 NFL draft, including a move that saw them go up 32 picks to select wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa.

Brad Holmes, the Lions' fifth-year general manager, admitted that the team made "about 30 attempts" to move up the board but were unable to find trade partners. During his press conference following the draft's second day, the Lions' GM admitted some of his efforts were to trade up for an EDGE defender.

That position is widely considered to be the Lions' biggest need, which is why many pundits were surprised that Detroit waited to draft one until the sixth-round when they drafted Boise State's Ahmed Hassanein.

However, according to a recent report from The Athletic, the Lions may have had interest in trading up for Louisville defensive end Ashton Gillotte.

The report states that the Lions were one of two teams, along with the Los Angeles Rams, who were showing interest in the Jacksonville Jaguars' third-round pick at No. 70 overall. With Gillotte on the board, the Jaguars believed in the picks leading up to their choice that both teams were interested in making the deal.

Gillotte recorded 26.5 sacks in four years at Louisville, along with 41 tackles for loss, and was one of the top EDGE defenders on the board following the first-round of the draft. A big, physical defender with plenty of athleticism, he profiled as a fit for Detroit's defense throughout the pre-draft process.

When Gillotte was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs with the 66th overall pick, the Jaguars received word that the Rams were out on the deal. When Jacksonville offered to accept the Lions trade, there was initially some hesitancy. As a result, the Lions were believed to be considering Gillotte within the Jaguars' war room.

Another element leading to the hesitation was the fact that the Jaguars had amended the trade. General manager James Gladstone had gone from offering the 70th overall pick, a 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2026 sixth in exchange for three total Lions third-round selections, the Jaguars swapped out the 2025 fifth for a 2025 sixth.

"Yet Detroit wasn’t ready to make the deal. The suspicion in the Jags’ draft room was that the Lions had been targeting Gillotte," wrote Michael Silver, who was in the Jaguars' war room. "Also, minutes earlier, Gladstone had instructed (Jaguars Director of Player Finance Trip) MacCracken to ask for a sweetener: Instead of including their fifth-round selection in 2025, the Jags proposed trading their sixth-round pick."

Ultimately, the Lions were able to get the deal done. Silver reported that the deal was made with less than 90 seconds remaining on the clock, and that Detroit was able to get the pick in for Arkansas wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa.

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