Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes has said time and time again that they don’t truly approach the draft with immediate needs in mind. He said as much recently during the owners meetings two weeks ago.
“We’re not a needs-based drafting team,” Holme said. “We just get the best football player for us so we don’t really get too fixated on positions.”
Despite that, most of the conversation with the Lions’ first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft has been about trench players. However, in The Athletic’s Dane Brugler’s seven-round mock draft, he took the Lions’ anti-needs based approach to an extreme. With the 28th overall pick, he has the Lions selecting Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston.
“The Lions have been doing their homework on Hairston, who ran a 4.28 40-yard dash at the combine and jumped almost 40 inches in the vertical at his pro day,” Brugler wrote. “He might not have the tackling consistency that Dan Campbell prefers, but his cover skills would upgrade Detroit’s secondary.”
Detroit has invested a lot of resources at cornerback over the past few seasons. They drafted two corners last year in Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw, they signed D.J. Reed to a three-year, $48 million deal this offseason, and last year they signed Amik Robertson to help give them depth and versatility. While Robertson is not signed beyond this year, that still gives Detroit some options both in the short term and long term.
And while it’s true Hairston was at Allen Park in the pre-draft process, he was reportedly part of their local day—seeing as the cornerback is from West Bloomfield. As Brugler openly admits, the fit in Detroit would be awkward, too. While he’s got outstanding speed (his 4.28 40-yard dash topped NFL Combine participants), his size (5-foot-11, 183) are noticeable limitations both in physical man-coverage reps and run support. That said, it’s not a matter of will. He gets his nose dirty, but doesn’t always hold up best with contact.
His Round 2 fit is much more palatable with Ohio State EDGE JT Tuimoloau. At 6-foot-4, 264 pounds, Tuimoloau has the exact frame Detroit is looking for in an edge setting defensive end opposite Aidan Hutchinson. And with some surprising short-area quickness, he’s got some pass rushing chops, too—finishing 2024 with 12.5 sacks, including 6.5 alone in the College Football Playoffs.
To close out Day 2 of the draft, Brugler pairs the Lions with West Virginia offensive lineman Wyatt Milum. Milum only played left and right tackle in college, but many are projecting the 6-foot-6, 313 pound lineman to slide inside at the next level—possibly because of his relatively short arms (79.5-inch wingspan). But in his last three years as starting left tackle, he did not allow a single sack, per PFF, and he’s arguably just as good as a run blocker (89.2 PFF grade), given his superpower is strength.
Here’s a look at the rest of the Lions’ haul from Brugler:
Round 4, Pick 130: LB Jeffrey Bassa, Oregon
Round 6, Pick 196: DT Nazir Stackhouse, Georgia
Round 7, Pick 228: WR Nick Nash, San Jose State
Round 7, Pick 244: S Rayuan Lane III, Navy