Important Clues Learned From Lions' Pre-Draft Visits

The Detroit Lions have a thorough process when it comes to evaluating prospects in the NFL Draft.

General manager Brad Holmes has emphasized players who fit the team's culture and meet the talent standard regardless of positional need. As a result, the team has been sometimes unpredictable when it comes to who they select in the draft.

The 2025 draft is no exception. Holmes and his staff have met with many prospects during the pre-draft process, including combine formal and informal meetings, virtual meetings, their local pro day and local and top-30 visits.

Per NFL rules, teams are permitted to invite up to 30 prospects to visit their facility during the months leading up to the draft. Additionally, teams can bring local prospects whose hometown or college are in their metropolitan area in. These visits do not count against the team's top-30 if the team does not provide transportation.

Holmes explained at his pre-draft media session there is value in bringing in prospects for these visits. It allows them to get a further look at a player's character, football IQ and personality beyond the allotted limits of Combine meetings and can help the team truly gauge whether or not the player fits.

While not all of the team's top-30 visits may have been reported, several of the meetings have surfaced. Detroit has reportedly cast a wide net across the draft landscape, bringing in intriguing names at several different positions.

Defensive line is point of emphasis

Most notably, the Lions hosted three EDGE prospects in Michigan's Josaiah Stewart, Alabama's Que Robinson and Texas A&M's Shemar Stewart. Of the three, Stewart is the highest-rated prospect and viewed as a potential top-10 pick.

Finding a running mate for Aidan Hutchinson is viewed among the Lions' biggest offseason needs, and all three have cases to fit that bill.

The Lions also brought in several intriguing defensive tackles, including Derrick Harmon, Tyleik Williams and Darius Alexander. With Alim McNeill unlikely to be ready for the start of the regular season, depth on the interior will be needed.

Depth positions to watch

Though the Lions have many returning starters, the middle rounds could allow them to add depth at numerous key positions.

In particular, the list of local and top-30 visits were littered with players at positions where the Lions have returning starters such as linebacker, wide receiver and safety.

At the linebacker position, the Lions hosted players such as Georgia's Chaz Chambliss, Auburn's Dorian Mausi, Maryland's Ruben Hyppolite and Penn State's Kobe King. Detroit also brought in Virginia's Jonas Sanker for a top-30 visit and a trio of safeties including Michigan's Makari Paige for its local pro day.

Additionally, the Lions' decision to bring in Texas WR Matthew Golden sparked debates about the future of Jameson Williams. Golden wasn't the only wideout to take a visit, as Hudsonville native Isaac TeSlaa and West Bloomfield's Tyrone Broden also reportedly took trips to Allen Park.

Local prospects add intrigue

Other intriguing names who could be first-round targets for Detroit include Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon and Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston.

Both players have local ties, with Harmon playing at Loyola High School in Detroit and Hairston at West Bloomfield. Each had success in college and have worked their way into the first-round conversation. Throughout the pre-draft process, both have been mocked to Detroit.

TeSlaa is an intriguing talent given that he dominated at the Division II level and found his way into the SEC, while Michigan's Josaiah Stewart could be a mid-round target for the EDGE position. Toledo's Darius Alexander is also among the top prospects at the defensive tackle position.

Holmes still values Power Four schools

Throughout his tenure, Holmes has shown an affinity for adding plenty of talent from Power Four schools, most notably from the SEC. He has taken an Alabama player in the first round of each of the last three drafts, doing so with Jameson Williams, Jahmyr Gibbs and Terrion Arnold.

In totality, the cast that the Lions brought in have wide-ranging projections for where they'll land in the draft. This seems to be a product of the team doing a thorough search to have options for each of the draft's seven rounds.

Eight of the team's reported top-30 visits were with players from the SEC, including Alabama EDGE Que Robinson. While Robinson is not projected to be a first-round pick, his pedigree suggests that the Lions may have interest.

Additionally, Hairston and Oklahoma's Spencer Brown are among the SEC players with local ties.The Big 10 is also well-represented, with Michigan, Michigan State, Maryland, Penn State and Ohio State all represented.

Ultimately, the big-time schools still draw the big-time talents, and these schools could all be well-represented over the course of the draft's seven rounds.

The Lions have some intriguing options who have visited the organization, and as a result there will be plenty of intrigue surrounding who the team ultimately emerges from the draft with at its conclusion.

Lions' reported pre-draft top-30 visits:

UC Davis RB Lan Larison
Texas WR Matthew Golden
Arkansas WR Isaac TeSlaa
Bowling Green TE Harold Fannin
Georgia TE Ben Yurosek
Georgia OL Dylan Fairchild
N.C. State OL Anthony Belton
North Dakota State OL Grey Zabel
Ohio State DT Tyleik Williams
Alabama EDGE Que Robinson
Texas A&M EDGE Shemar Stewart
Georgia LB Chaz Chambliss
Maryland LB Ruben Hyppolite
Virginia S Jonas Sanker

Lions' Reported local visits

Eastern Michigan QB Cole Snyder
UCF RB Peny Boone
Davenport RB Myren Harris
Toledo RB Jacquez Stuart
Arkansas WR Tyrone Broden
Eastern Michigan TE Blake Daniels
Houston TE Maliq Carr
Northern Illinois TE Christion Carter
Northwestern TE Chris Carter
Toledo TE Anthony Torres
Bowling Green OL Ali Saad
Michigan OL Josh Priebe
Michigan State OL Luke Newman
Oklahoma OL Spencer Brown
Eastern Michigan DL Peyton Price
Michigan State DT Maverick Hansen
Oregon DT Derrick Harmon
Toledo DT Darius Alexander
Northwestern Oklahoma State DT Muftah Angeli
Michigan EDGE Josaiah Stewart
Auburn LB Dorian Mausi
Michigan State LB Jordan Turner
Penn State LB Kobe King
University of Windsor LB Devin Veresuk
Central Michigan CB Daraun McKinney
Kentucky CB Maxwell Hairston
Michigan CB Aamir Hall
Michigan S Makari Paige
Notre Dame S Rod Heard
Penn State S Jaylen Reed
Wayne State K Griffin Milovanski
Michigan LS William Wagner