Podcast: Why Lions Fans Are Obsessed With Defensive End Position

Recapping Detroit Lions 2025 Draft with Locked on Lions host Matt Dery.

Detroit Lions defensive end Marcus Davenport (92) pressures Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Detroit Lions are counting on veteran defensive end Marcus Davenport to come back healthy and contribute during the duration of the upcoming 2025 season.

General manager Brad Holmes, after being peppered with questions all offseason about the defensive end position, has started to explain his reasoning why the team did not target an edge rusher soon in the draft.

He also noted the team is not as preoccupied with that position as the fans and the media are.

Locked on Lions host Matt Dery joined the podcast this week as a guest to recap the draft and to discuss his thoughts on the fixation regarding who is playing opposite of Aidan Hutchinson.

"I mentioned this on my show yesterday. I think Brad was trying to move up," Dery noted. "Maybe the Lions were trying to move up ahead of Cincinnati to get Shemar Stewart. Holmes himself said, 'I was making calls, I was trying,' So, maybe it was Stewart, maybe it was (James) Pearce they were going after. I think him going the fans and the media don't know what I was doing behind the scenes to try to get one. And then then I get called out.

"Then I go on the Ticket with Costa and Jansen and they're asking me about it. I'm sick of it. But at least he was real and transparent," Dery continued. "But that's number one, that he was trying. Number two, I do think when they looked at their board after some of those first groups of of edge guys, I think that they were feeling like we can wait. That a lot of the guys maybe in those middle rounds in the fourth and fifth and six rounds are all kind of equal. And they wanted the guy in (Ahmed) Hassanein that really sort of fit their profile."

The latest 'Lone Wolves' podcast evaluated which prospects could have immediate impact, reaction to the overhaul of the coaching staff and which NFC North team has a chance to compete with the Lions for a division title.

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