2025 NFL mock draft: Way-too-early projections for Detroit Lions

There are not too many things in life more useless than a year-too-early NFL mock draft, and that’s why I’m not writing one myself.

However, I will gleefully round up other 2025 NFL mock drafts, because I think it’s a ridiculous exercise, and I enjoy proving how ridiculous it is every year. For example, let’s go back and look at the way-too-early 2024 NFL mocks from last year.

In those, the Lions were paired with the following players:

• Ohio State DT Michael Hall Jr.
• Illinois DT Jer’Zhan Newton
• LSU DT Maason Smith
• Washington EDGE Bralen Trice
• Clemson S Andrew Mukuba
• Alabama CB Kool-Aid McKinstry

Of these six players, exactly zero of them ended up being a first-round pick, and one (Mukuba) didn’t even end up declaring for the NFL Draft. Although to be fair, everyone else was a Day 2 pick.

So let’s continue the tradition this year. Not because it provides any type of actual insight, but because it’s fun to point and laugh at these a year from now.

Here’s a look at some 2025 NFL mock drafts, and their selections for the Detroit Lions.

Fox Sports (Rob Rang)

Pick 28. Penn State EDGE Abdul Carter

“Ever since James Franklin took over at Penn State, the Nittany Lions have churned out edge rushers and all indications are that Carter is next. Even while splitting duties with 2023 top-100 draft picks Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac, the 6-foot-3, 250-pound Carter earned first-team All-Big Ten honors with 5.5 tackles for loss, including 4.5 sacks.”

PFF (Max Chadwick, Dalton Wasserman)

Pick 29. Ohio State EDGE JT Tuimoloau

“The Lions didn’t select an edge defender in the 2024 NFL Draft even though they can upgrade at the spot opposite of Aidan Hutchinson. Tuimoloau has been frustratingly inconsistent (74.5 grade in 2023) but has first-round tools and flashes dominance (see: 2022 tape against Olu Fashanu and Penn State).”

The Athletic (Dane Brugler)

Pick 29. Oklahoma WR Deion Burks

“Another Purdue transfer (the poor Boilermakers), Burks is a playmaking athlete with the ball in his hands. The Belleville, Mich., native returns to his home state in this scenario.”

USA TODAY (Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz)

Pick 27. Ohio State G Donovan Jackson

“The 6-4, 320-pound Jackson is experienced and savvy. Kevin Zeitler just turned 34 and probably isn’t much more than a stopgap solution for Detroit on the interior.”

NBC Sports (Eric Froton)

Pick 27. Texas A&M EDGE Nic Scourton

“Scourton (6’4/260) recorded 42 pressures, 32 stops and a laudable 21.3% third-down pressure rate to go with his 10.0 sacks. This season he will be taking his 91st% PFF pass rush grade to Texas A&M where he faces off against the best tackles the SEC has to offer. He would give Detroit another monster Edge opposite Aiden Hutchinson.”

Associated Press (Ralph D. Russo)

Pick 26. Texas A&M EDGE Nic Scourton

“Purdue transfer has a chance to be a force in the SEC.”

33rd Team (Marcus Mosher)

Pick 29. Louisville EDGE Ashton Gillotte

“The Detroit Lions are still searching for a long-term bookend to pair with Aidan Hutchinson, and they could get one here with Ashton Gillotte from Louisville. Leading the ACC in sacks with 11, Gillotte was a force during the 2023 season. During the past two seasons, he’s recorded 22.5 tackles for a loss and 18 sacks. Another strong season should firmly plant him in the first round.”

Recap

Unsurprisingly, the majority of these mocks target a perceived need for the Lions that went unaddressed in the 2024 NFL Draft, whether it be wide receiver or edge defender. The majority of the picks went to the EDGE position, although there’s a pretty wide variety of players there: Abdul Carter, JT Tuimoloau, Nic Scourton, and Ashton Gillotte.

The most curious of picks is Ohio State guard Donovan Jackson. While guard could certainly be a future need with Zeitler quite possibly only in Detroit for a one-year stint, the Lions do have developmental options at that position with both Colby Sorsdal and now Giovanni Manu.

Regardless, I can’t wait to see how wrong these are next year!