Heading into the draft, the Lions are light on depth behind star safety tandem
When considering how an NFL team will approach the upcoming draft, you have to look beyond the immediate roster needs. A selection should be viewed as a four-year investment. Therefore, we must consider the bigger picture with each possible choice.
Continuing our position-by-position look at Detroit’s roster heading into the 2025 draft, let’s shift our attention to the safeties.
Current roster: Brian Branch, Kerby Joseph, Morris Norris, Loren Strickland, Erick Hallett
Short-term need: 5 out of 10
Long-term need: 5 out of 10
Top prospects: Malaki Starks, Nick Emmanwori, Xavier Watts
Day 2 options: Andrew Mukuba, Kevin Winston Jr., Billy Bowman Jr.
Late-round considerations: Jonas Sanker, Sebastian Castro, Jaylen Reed, Malachi Moore
Analysis: In a league that has assigned dwindling value to safeties, former Lions coordinator Aaron Glenn swam against the current. And general manager Brad Holmes supplied Glenn with young talent via the draft that became the foundation of the team’s defensive scheme.