I got to be honest, this wasn't my idea. I actually got this idea from my friend Jeff Risdon over at LionsWire. He put together his list of the best edge rushers in each round for the Lions and Jeff and I agreed that I would do mine and we would compare and contrast. Be sure to read his as well.
Here's my top edge rushers for each round of the 2025 NFL Draft:
First round: Nic Scourton, Texas A&M
We both have the same guy here. This one just makes a lot of sense for the Lions. The big thing that I like is that Scourton is still just 20 years old. To me, that says here's a guy that you can have on the roster for the long haul and continue to grow.
I also like that he recently dropped from 280 pounds to 257 pounds to help him be more athletic and faster. The Lions have been fans of the guys who slim down and get more athletic. You saw that with Alim McNeill and Brodric Martin as of late.
Then there's the on-field product. Scourton put up 37 pressures and four sacks last season. That was down from the 42 pressures and eight sacks he had the year before, but he was slimmer in 2023. So getting back in top shape should help him.
Second round: Landon Jackson, Arkansas
Jackson has been moving up the board in recent weeks, but that shouldn't move him into the first round anytime soon. Right now, we have a second-round grade on him, and the highest we've seen him mocked was at 48.
Jackson has shown a lot of strong tape as of late. He had a solid Senior Bowl and a solid NFL Combine. It's what he showed at Arkansas that looks good, too. He had 35 pressures and seven sacks for the Razorbacks last year.
Third round: Sai'Vion Jones, LSU
Speaking of good Seinor Bowls, this guy was a menace in Mobile, Alabama, in February. Maybe the most impressive player there that week and during the game.
The perfect comp here is James Houston in the sense that he has one or two really good moves, but needs to grow the rest of his tool belt. He can bull rush and he can swim, but he needs some work moving on the inside. If he can figure it all out, he has big-time steal written all over him. Had 43 pressures and five sacks last year.
Fourth round: Ahmed Hassanien, Boise State
This guy right here has something we aren't paying enough attention to it. This is a guy who had a really strong season at Boise State last year. We talked about 66 pressures from Abdul Carter, well Hasanein wasn't too far behind with 62 pressures. He also had 10 sacks.
The big notable thing here is that Hassanein is doing all this while also being relatively new to football. He moved to America from Egypt and started playing football at 18. For him to be at this point at 18, that is a pretty big deal.
Fifth round: Fadil Diggs, Syracuse
Diggs transferred from Texas A&M to Syracuse for his final year, and he went off once he got the chance to hit the field more. He put up 42 pressures and eight sacks in 2024.
He's someone who is going to need some developmental time. The athleticism and size are there, but he's a little choppy and needs to learn how to flow a little bit better.
Sixth round: Tyler Batty, BYU
If you're looking for a player who can put on pressure and move a quarterback off his spot, Batty is a pretty good prospect. He had 42 pressures last year and 29 hirries, and 15 quarterback hits to go along with it. He's just a step too slow and hasn't really been able to get all the way home. He's also going to be 25 when the season starts.
Seventh round: Steve Linton, Baylor
There's a connection to the Lions for Linton. The Lions just hired his position coach, Caleb Collins, who spent the last year with him and helped get the most out of him. Linton tried his hand at Syracuse and Texas Tech and neither really worked for him. It was at Baylor where he had his best season with 25 pressures and five sacks.
