Despite missing 12 games after suffering a broken fibula and tibia in his left leg, Aidan Hutchinson still led the Detroit Lions in sacks this season with 7.5. No one else had more than four sacks, and the one who reached that mark (Za’Darius Smith) was a Lion for eight games after being acquired at the trade deadline.

So it’s safe to say there will be some level of focus on adding pass rush help this offseason. Smith seems likely to be back, but a deeper overhaul of the edge rusher group is possible with what’s in play financially attached to Smith.

In many early 2025 mock drafts, the low-hanging fruit for the Lions is to take an edge rusher in the first round at pick No. 28. That doesn’t make it wrong, or ultimately something that won’t happen, it’s just easy and obvious at this early stage.

2 new 2025 mocks have Lions taking same edge rusher

Curt Popejoy of Draft Wire and ESPN’s Mel Kiper had the Lions taking the same player at pick 28: Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce Jr.

“Even with Aidan Hutchinson (leg) back in the picture next season, Detroit can’t let this Super Bowl window slip away because the pass rush doesn’t have enough juice. The Lions’ 37 sacks tied for 23rd in the NFL this season. They were also 25th in pass rush win rate at 35.4%. Injuries wore down the defense, but there weren’t enough playmakers there to begin with, even after the midseason trade for Za’Darius Smith.”

“Pearce still needs to build out his 6-5 frame, but his speed could make a difference in Detroit. He mixes up pass-rush moves and gets home to the QB, with 17.5 sacks over the past two seasons.”
-Mel Kiper, ESPN.com

2 new mock drafts land Lions the same new running mate for Aidan Hutchinson

There was a time, albeit very early in the cycle, when Pearce seemed like a sure-fire top-10 pick in the 2025 draft. He didn’t have as good a season as he did in 2023 this past season, but it’s not like his production fell off a cliff either.

2023: 10 sacks, 15 tackles for loss, 52 quarterback pressures, Pro Football Focus’ 12th-highest graded edge rusher
2024: 7.5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss, 55 quarterback pressures, Pro Football Focus’ 27th highest-graded edge rusher

Pearce does need to add some weight to his frame (243 pounds), but he’s been equally good as a pass rusher and run defender in the test that is SEC football. Brad Holmes has an affinity for Saban-era Alabama players, but a Tennessee product that fits a need looks like a solid fit if when it comes down to it.