Detroit Lions Have Pre-Draft Visit With Tennessee Defensive Lineman

With the NFL Combine wrapped up, the path to the draft continues with Pro Days and pre-draft visits.

During this time, teams take time to have prospects answer questions and get an in-depth look at players. For some of them, it is from them not receiving an invite to the NFL Combine or wanting to get another glance after they stood out in their All-Star games.

For the Detroit Lions, it is a mix of both factors mentioned. The Lions have set their first official visit during the pre-draft process, that being with Tennessee defensive lineman Tyre West.

West will be visiting the Lions on Wednesday, as confirmed to Lions On SI by West’s agent, Nicole Kotler of Grady Sports Agency. This was initially reported by On SI’s Arye Pulli.

More on Tyre West

West is a 6-foot-3, 290-pound defensive end who played all four of his seasons at Tennessee. He started two games for the Volunteers last season while playing 12 total, recording 23 tackles, 7.5 of them for loss, and four sacks.

In his career, West recorded 54 total pressures in 423 pass-rush snaps, with 10 sacks. Against the run, he recorded 39 stops, via PFF, in 343 run-defense snaps. He also forced two fumbles in his career, including one last season that was returned for a score by a teammate.

After the season wrapped up, he was invited to the American Bowl, where the defensive lineman impressed. He made three stops in the game, all run stops, along with batting a pass down. That effort earned him a late invite to the Senior Bowl, where he recorded a run stuff on the opening play of the game, along with another tackle.

Tyre West making his presence known early to start things off at the @seniorbowl pic.twitter.com/utxC56nUOy
— Grady Sports Agency (@gradysports) January 31, 2026

That ability was enough to garner some NFL interest, but it did not earn him an invitation to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. That said, Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell liked what they saw enough to bring West up to Motown and have their first announced pre-draft visit.

West does have some questions and concerns, as the Georgia native failed to nail down a starting role with the Volunteers, along with having a missed tackle rate (17.4% for his senior season, 23.4% for his career) higher than what is desired for a defensive lineman.

At his size, he could be asked to bump inside to defensive tackle. However, his PFF numbers indicate that he played under 20 snaps at defensive tackle during his last season in college, so there could be a learning curve attached.

As it stands, West is projected to be a sixth-round-or-later selection, with PFF not even having the Volunteer on its big board. In a draft class that is rich with defensive linemen, West is now an under-the-radar prospect to monitor, with Detroit hosting him to learn more about his game and film.