Analysis: Four players worthy of Detroit Lions trying to trade up to land in the first round of the 2025 draft
Allen Park — Detroit Lions fans jokingly used to call the NFL draft the franchise’s Super Bowl. There was plenty of truth in that jest. After a dismal season, nothing reinvigorated optimism quite like a top-10 draft pick.
Twice since the turn of the century, the Lions have entered the draft with a top-10 choice for four consecutive years. However, with the changing fortunes of the franchise, the draft has lost much of its luster. Now holding selections at the end of the first round, fans are simply looking for an early contributor, not a savior.
Last year, the Lions came into the draft with the No. 29 pick. This year, it’s No. 28. If they hold steady at that spot, they won’t be on the clock until around 11:30 p.m. on Thursday. If you went to bed before then, content to learn the newest member of the roster in the morning, no one could blame you.
But there’s a but. You never know whether general manager Brad Holmes is willing to wait to get his man in the first round. In 2022, with the No. 32 pick acquired from the Rams a year earlier, he climbed 20 spots to snag wide receiver Jameson Williams. And last year, with an opportunity to complete a needed makeover of a position group, Holmes packaged a third-rounder with No. 29 to move up five spots for cornerback Terrion Arnold.
Ahead of last year’s draft, I wrote an analysis piece for the Detroit News, highlighting five players worthy of the Lions trading up to land. Those prospects were cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, edge rusher Jared Verse, defensive tackle Byron Murphy III, offensive lineman Troy Fautanu and Arnold.
Verse went 19th to the Rams and ended up winning Defensive Rookie of the Year. Mitchell, selected 22nd by the Eagles, finished second for that award after logging 16 starts for the Super Bowl champions. Snagged at No. 16 by Seattle, Murphy was less impactful. He appeared in 14 games (nine starts) and finished with 36 tackles and 21 QB pressures. Fautanu, meanwhile, suffered two knee injuries and appeared in only one game for the Steelers, who drafted him 20th overall.
Arnold’s first-year contributions were closer to Murphy’s than Mitchell’s. Regardless, the Lions have no complaints about the Alabama product who started 15 games and steadily improved after a penalty-plagued start to his rookie season. He’s a big part of the team’s future and worth the price the team paid.
A year later, with the Lions drafting in the same range and having even fewer roster holes, we’re going to repeat the exercise. Here are four prospects I believe are worthy trade-up targets: