Lions 2025 Draft: What Position Groups Are Deepest?

Examining the three deepest position groups for the 2025 draft.

Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty (2) runs past Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Kobe King (41) during their Vrbo Fiesta Bowl matchup at State Farm Stadium on Dec. 31, 2024. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On a yearly basis, the 2025 NFL scouting combine offers NFL franchises, like the Lions, with a tremendous opportunity to scout the crop of draft prospects at each position.

This draft season is an especially strong year for defensive linemen, a significant position of need for Detroit. Thus, it could be a position that the organization targets with its first-round pick at No. 28 overall. 

Without further ado, let's take a look at the three strongest position groups for this year's draft.

Defensive linemen 

The Lions direly need help along the defensive line, and luckily for them, it appears to be a deep defensive linemen draft class. 

It's highly likely that the Lions go with an interior defensive linemen or EDGE defender with their first-round selection (No. 28 overall). And there is far from a shortage of options for Detroit with the pick.

If you follow the mock drafts closely, the Lions could end up taking any one of the following interior defensive linemen at No. 28: Michigan's Kenneth Grant, Oregon's Derrick Harmon, Ole Miss’ Walter Nolen, Kentucky's Deone Walker and Ohio State's Tyleik Williams. Plus, the organization could end up with a variety of different EDGEs with its first-round pick: Boston College's Donovan Ezeiruaku, Marshall's Mike Green, Arkansas’ Landon Jackson, Tennessee's James Pearce Jr., Ohio State's Jack Sawyer, Texas A&M's Nic Scourton, Texas A&M's Shemar Stewart, Ohio State's JT Tuimoloau, Ole Miss’ Princely Umanmielen and Georgia's Mykel Williams.

And to a varying degree, each of the above prospects would upgrade Detroit's defensive linemen group. 

And this is the case without even mentioning the top three defensive linemen in this class: Penn State EDGE Abdul Carter, Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham and Georgia EDGE Jalon Walker. I failed to mention them until now only because it's very likely that each of the three defenders are off the board by the time the No. 28 pick rolls around.

It's a highly intriguing group of prospects and one that is definitely worth looking at for the Lions with their first-round selection.

Running backs

According to various draft pundits, this year's running backs class is another strong group of prospects.

It's clearly led by Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, who finished second in the Heisman voting this past season. He did so after amassing a staggering, FBS-best 2,497 yards on the ground, as well as 29 rushing touchdowns. Additionally, he led the nation in all-purpose yards (2,613), total touchdowns (30), points (180) and first downs (121). Along with all that, he earned a Pro Football Focus rushing grade of 97.5, the highest single-season PFF rushing mark recorded during the College Football Playoff era (since 2014).

Jeanty is followed at the position by the likes of North Carolina's Omarion Hampton, Iowa's Kaleb Johnson, Tennessee's Dylan Sampson and Arizona State's Cameron Skattebo.

Per ESPN's Matt Miller, “Boise State's Ashton Jeanty leads the way and has a first-round grade, but teams will find starters in Round 2 in Ohio State's Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson, Iowa's Kaleb Johnson, North Carolina's Omarion Hampton and Tennessee's Dylan Sampson. There's a good chance this year's draft will feature the most running backs picked since the draft was reduced to seven rounds in 1994 (30 were drafted in 1998 and 2017).” 

Tight ends 

The tight ends also look like a relatively deep position group, headlined by Penn State's Tyler Warren and Michigan's Colston Loveland.

Warren recorded 104 catches, 1,230 yards and eight touchdowns for the Nittany Lions during the 2024 season, and earned an overall mark of 91.3 from PFF. Meanwhile, Loveland produced 56 catches, 582 yards and five scores in 2024, while amassing a PFF overall grade of 85.9.

The position group also features several players that could be taken on Day 2 of the draft: Bowling Green's Harold Fannin Jr., Texas’ Gunnar Helm, Miami (Fla.)’s Elijah Arroyo and LSU's Mason Taylor.

This has all the makings of a position group that will be productive at the next level.