The Detroit Lions could use their first pick of the 2025 NFL Draft to add a homegrown talent for their defensive line.
Derrick Harmon, who attended Loyola High School in Detroit and began his college career at Michigan State, recently finished up a banner year for Oregon after transferring to play for the Ducks prior to the year.
After a campaign in which he recorded 45 combined tackles, 11 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks, Harmon is viewed as a borderline first-round pick by many pundits. However, draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah sees Detroit's 28th overall selection as close to the lowest he could go at this time.
In his most-recent mock draft, Jeremiah has Harmon going off the board to the Baltimore Ravens, just one pick before the Lions would take the podium.
With the first-round set to commence less than a week from now, Jeremiah told reporters on a conference call Friday that if Harmon is available, he would be a solid addition for Detroit's defense.
Jeremiah believes the Lions' 28th overall selection and the Buffalo Bills at 30 essentially set the floor for where Harmon could land. As far as a potential fit, the former NFL scout believes that the defensive tackle's instincts match what the Lions have looked for in the past.
"I think he fits as someone who can get up the field and plays really, really hard. He's got good instincts," Jeremiah said. "That's one thing the Lions have knocked out of the park. You look at all the guys they've added, on both sides of the ball, they have majored in really instinctive, smart, aware players. That's how Harmon plays."
In addition to the instinctual plays he displays on tape, Harmon also matches Detroit's standards with his play strength and motor. As a result, Jeremiah believes that a potential return home for the Oregon product could come off seamlessly.
"So ultra competitive, can get up the field, plays smart. He flashes some bull-rush power, like to see a little more of that going forward," Jeremiah explained. "But this is a guy that's worked hard to change his body over the last year, 18 months, and he's coming off a monster year. He'd be an outstanding pick at that point in time."
Ezeiruaku is versatile pass-rusher, growing as run defender
Boston College standout Donovan Ezeiruaku is another potential target for the Lions if they look to add pass-rush depth to their defense. In his final collegiate season, he earned All-American honors after recording 16.5 sacks.
As Jeremiah explained Friday, Ezeiruaku is a nuanced pass-rusher with plenty of tricks up his sleeve. Even so, he believes that the defender will need to add more power to his rush repitoire in order to be successful at the professional level.
“Ezeiruaku, one of the knocks on him is that as a pass-rusher, he has too much of an arsenal. You’d almost like to see him be a little bit more focused on get-off, winning with speed, developing a little more power," Jeremiah stated. "He has got all the tricks in his bag, he’s got a million different moves and it’s why he was so dang productive this year. But when he gets to the NFL, incorporating more power into his game is gonna be a big part of his development."
With all this success rushing the passer, there are naturally concerns about his overall ability against the run. While Ezeiruaku does have room to grow, Jeremiah was encouraged by what he put on tape.
Though he's not a finished product in that area, the Boston College product has the upside of being a solid all-around defensive end.
"In the run game, I thought he was fine. I didn’t think he was a rugged, violent, knock-back run defender, but he’s got really, really long arms," Jeremiah said. "He can set the edge, he can lock out, he can extend. He’s definitely a better pass-rusher this point in time, but I didn’t view him as a liability in the run game at all.”
