The Detroit Lions are coming up on the 2025 NFL Draft, and they’ll have some big decisions to make. They only have one first round pick, and it’s No. 28, followed by one round two pick, one round three pick, one round four, one round five and two round seven picks. So, even though they don’t have a very high pick in the draft, they’ll still be bringing on plenty of rookie talent.
Could the Lions make a big quarterback move in the draft? It’s certainly possible.
Detroit Lions Could Draft Notre Dame Star
It’s fair to say that the Lions will go heavy on the edge rusher picks in the 2025 draft to pair with Aidan Hutchinson. But, they could also decide to look for their next quarterback to back Jared Goff, in case of injury. Goff was one of the few quarterbacks in the league last season who didn’t deal with any major injuries, but one can never be too careful.
In an April 12 feature for SideLion Report, NFL writer and expert Brad Berreman discusses a handful of quarterbacks that the Lions could pick up during the draft to replace backup quarterback Hendon Hooker. In the piece, he notes that the Lions have really been “telling us where they are with Hendon Hooker” all season, from expressing interest in Daniel Jones when he left the Giants to bringing on Teddy Bridgewater during the playoffs. The Lions also brought on Kyle Allen for quarterback support, further showing that they could be moving on from Hooker.
Berreman’s No. 1 pick for Detroit is Riley Leonard of Notre Dame. He notes that although Leonard wasn’t asked “to throw the ball a lot last season at Notre Dame,” he did complete “at least 63 percent of his passes in each of the two aforementioned seasons.”
He’s not the only one hot on Leonard. Mike Payton of A to Z Sports also pitched Leonard as a good pick for the Lions. “If the Lions are going to go with a quarterback at a later point in the draft, we have a suggestion and that’s Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard. With Leonard, you get a 22-year-old quarterback with a lot more upside and a lot more mobility,” he states in an April 9 feature.
Lions Favorite Struggles With Shot Selection
ESPN’s Ben Solak also gives his assessment of Leonard in an April 9 feature about the 2025 quarterback class, stating that “his biggest issue is shot selection. He’s solid before the snap and can open throwing lanes with his eyes, but he doesn’t like to hang in the pocket looking for downfield throws; he’d rather tuck and run.”
Solak adds that in a class with stronger quarterbacks, “it’s actually Leonard’s 10.6% scramble rate that leads the pack,” but that “there’s nothing too bad about that” and that “he’s great on the hoof.” However, “he can rob his offense of deep shots in the process.”
“Only 11% of Leonard’s pass attempts this season went 20-plus air yards, which ranked 125th among 158 qualifying passers,” Solak adds. “When pressured, he’s quick to his checkdown, but not in a good way; he’s simply too cautious and unwilling to test downfield coverage unless the window is clearly open.”
