8 early names to know for the Lions first 2025 NFL Draft selection

Ersery isn’t quite as tall as incumbent Lions left tackle Taylor Decker, but the playing style and use of length is very similar for the 6-foot-6, 330-pound Golden Gophers left tackle. Ersery is patiently violent with his pass protection but (like Decker) will occasionally underset the edge and not get the long arms fired out fast enough when he shoots with both arms. He’s got quick eyes and resets his hands and his center of gravity well despite looking like he’s playing too tall.

It’s the run game where Ersery will likely hold great appeal for the Lions. He’s very quick off the snap with both his feet and his hands, and there is some nastiness to his punch. Ersery pulls impressively and doesn’t often miss his assignment in space–a big key for tackles in Detroit’s offense. While he was a 3-year starter at left tackle, Ersery’s style and skillset should adapt well to playing right tackle, if needed.

Harmon is a prime example of a player who thrived with a change of scenery. After playing relatively well but not impactfully at Michigan State, Harmon transferred to Oregon for his final year, reshaped his body a little, and turned into a legit top-40 prospect.

The 310-pounder (keep an eye on his testing and measurements) is a behemoth inside. Whether playing heads-up on a guard or shading over shoulders, Harmon devours double-teams and showed an impressive ability to steer the stack and plug holes. His hands are still inconsistent, but Harmon showed improvement at shedding and using his fast feet to the ball. As a pass rusher, he’s got a nicely polished rip move and developed a bull rush for the Ducks, too.

A three-year starter, the 6-foot-4, 320-pound Jackson has kicked outside to tackle thanks to injuries after predominately playing guard. And while he’s handled himself very well at tackle — Jackson has allowed just three QB pressures, no hits or sacks in three CFP games — he’s a guard-only in the NFL.

Jackson has played in a variety of blocking schemes but is at his best in gap scheme and pull situations, which the Lions frequently use. His range in outside zone is solid but not special. Steadily improved his vision and quickness to the point. Anchor strength notably upticked in 2024, though Jackson can still get bulled if his heavy-handed punch lands too high. He’s an unusual case of a former 5-star recruit who also proved to be a late-blooming athlete in college.

A top-40 overall pick on Jackson might be bullish, but that was also said of both Jack Campbell and Sam LaPorta.

Jackson absolutely looks the part of the hand-in-dirt defensive end to play opposite Aidan Hutchinson. He’s 6-foot-7 and 280 pounds, with long arms, good strength and a relentless motor. Led Arkansas in both sacks (6.5 each year) and TFLs in each of the last two seasons.

Jackson plays with a power-to-speed style and is great on stunts and loops. Very smart, crafty football player. Consistently tough and reliable run defender who doesn’t give the edge away. Finishes with power but can also finish too high. He doesn’t play exceptionally strong despite his build, but the biggest knock I have on Jackson is that he almost completely lacks twitch and suddenness as a pass rusher.

He projects more as a guy who prevents escape routes and augments rushers around him than a guy who generates pressure on his own. (read as: you’ll probably love him with Hutchinson but be very underwhelmed if you’re expecting more than Za’Darius Smith gives the Lions in 97’s absence).

Milum is another player who appears custom cut from the Lions’ cloth. The 6-foot-6, 318-pounder has been a bedrock, consistent left tackle for the Mountaineers after moving from right tackle, where he was a Freshman All-American. Allowed one sack in his college career in a pro-friendly offensive scheme that leaned on zone and gap.

The biggest question is, where does he fit in the NFL? He’s got very short arms (speculated to be 32″) to play outside, but his style of play is more suited for tackle than the tighter quarters inside. Not that Milum can’t thrive as a gap/duo guard, but his pad level and footwork appear better-suited to stay at tackle.

His character oozes Lions appeal. Two-time team captain. Three-time Academic all-conference. First guy in/last guy out mentality.

The 6-foot-5, 285-pound Overton is straight out of central casting athletically for the Lions defensive line. He can play as a heavy DE or kick inside down to a 2-tech, depending on the package–and Overton has shown he can win from anywhere in between, too.

Overton’s pass rush skills took a big leap in 2024. He developed more moves but also a better sense of when to use them. Very good athlete who could test well enough to crack the top-20. Overton doesn’t have great eyes for the ball or run-game instincts, and he misses way too many tackles (24 percent rate per SIS), but he doesn’t turn 21 until October and hasn’t played extensively yet. If the Lions coaching staff believes they can work with him, Overton is a much higher-end athletic hybrid version of current Lions linemen Josh Paschal and Levi Onwuzurike.

Sawyer has been a very steady, impactful EDGE over the last two-plus seasons for Ohio State. He’s been a superstar throughout the College Football Playoff, dominating against other top teams. It’s that ability to turn it up in big games that draws extra appeal for Sawyer, who plays with his heart on his sleeve on every snap.

The 6-foot-5, 260-pounder is a power-to-speed rusher with a wide range of moves to attack either shoulder of the offensive tackle. Outstanding, responsible run defender who can shed blocks and make plays in the backfield on outside runs as well as anyone in this draft class. Sawyer is not an elite athlete and can get stuck in the mud off the snap. Very limited experience in coverage drops. Exceptionally high football IQ helps him overcome his average speed and twitch, though that lack of high-end athleticism could cause NFL teams to be lower than the 25-40 overall range on Sawyer.

Turner is a good candidate to be a player who blossoms at the next level. The physical tools have long been there for the 6-foot-4, 290-ish-pound interior lineman, but between his usage and a churn of coaching styles and approaches, Turner never quite broke out in the way that a guy with his size and movement skills probably should.

Not to be confused with Aggies defensive linemate Shemar Stewart–who figures to be drafted before the Lions pick–Turner had some run at EDGE in prior seasons before playing almost exclusively inside in 2024. He wasn’t twitchy or sudden enough as a big edge, but in the B-gap, Turner found his football home. Smart, strong and relentless in run defense. Was very much coached up to play the potential QB run or shallow pass instead of getting after the quarterback and that has stunted his development as a pass rusher.

There’s a lot more potential there than what he did in college, and the Lions are keen on finding guys like that (see: Alim McNeill and Derrick Barnes). Of all the guys listed here, Turner appears to be the one who would most likely still be available for the Lions to select in the second round. Athletic testing might alter that, however…

There were a few other players who didn’t quite make the list here for one reason or another. Those prospects include:

Elic Ayomanor, WR, Stanford
Jahdae Barron, DB, Texas
Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama (I think he’ll be long gone)
Nick Emmanwori, S/LB, South Carolina (think Ifeatu Melifonwu’s role)
Kenneth Grant, DL, Michigan (I think he’ll be gone too)
Tre Harris, WR, Ole Miss
Armand Membou, OL, Missouri