Summarize and humanize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in EnglishEarlier this offseason, I wrote out a list of eight names to know as the potential Detroit Lions first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. With less than a week to go until GM Brad Holmes makes Detroit’s first pick at the draft in Green Bay, it’s time to freshen up that list.Much has changed since I wrote that initial list in early January. Free agency, postseason all-star games, the combine and pro days, they’ve all come and gone. We have a much better idea of the range in which players will be drafted. A few of those original names still fit the Lions very well, but they are more realistically Day 2 picks (Jack Sawyer, Shemar Turner, Wyatt Milum).Based on the latest draft range projections, these 12 players appear to simultaneously “fit the grit” and also be realistically available when the Lions make their first pick. That could involve a trade up a handful of spots from No. 28 or even a small trade back, though that market hasn’t really kicked off yet.Prospects are listed in alphabetic orderKelvin Banks, OL, TexasAn athletic three-year starter at left tackle for the Longhorns, Banks moves very well and shows the desired aggression in the run game. He lacks arm length and occasionally has balance issues, which some see forcing a transition into guard. Based on his playing style, I don’t buy that at all, but that’s just my takeaway from Banks’ game tape. He needs some technical refinement with his hands and base width, but that’s what Lions OL coach Hank Fraley excels at — improving flaws and polishing the gem that Banks could become. Banks plays with passion and intelligence, and he’s shown he can handle power when his hips and shoulders are aligned properly. He would be the last player on this list that I personally would choose, but Banks definitely offers promise at a position where the Lions need upgraded depth and youthful reinvigoration.Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE, Boston CollegeEzeiruaku is one of the most frequent projections to Detroit, though he’s not exactly a clean fit. He’s smaller than what the Lions have deployed at 6-2 and 248 pounds, though he does have great arm length. Ezeiruaku also lacks playing strength in the run game relative to the position in Detroit that’s been occupied by Marcus Davenport, Josh Paschal, John Cominsky and Za’Darius Smith (among others) in the last couple of seasons. Still, Ezeiruaku is intriguing because he’s very good at getting to the quarterback from multiple angles and he’s got just enough size and strength that he can still do some of the same things the bigger guys have done for Detroit.Kenneth Grant, MichiganSupremely athletic giant of an interior presence at over 335 pounds, Grant is bright, competitive and capable of immediate impact as both a nose tackle and a more attacking style in the vein of the physically similar Alim McNeill. Grant’s attention to small details, things like the timing on getting his hands into the passing lanes or leveraging a guard into the center to disrupt blocking on two players instead of just himself, is absolute Lions catnip for Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell.Derrick Harmon, DT, OregonHarmon has been a frequent projection to Detroit, and if he continues on the growth trek he demonstrated from Michigan State to Oregon, the aggressive DT would be a no-brainer steal at 28. Explosiveness, strength, finishing ability, passion–they’re all there with Harmon, a Detroit-area native. Being a one-year wonder is the biggest concern for HarmonDonovan Jackson, OL, Ohio StateIn the recent “an interior OL prospect for every round”, I offered this on Jackson,He might be an even better prospect at tackle after his starring turn at left tackle in Ohio State’s title run, but Jackson is generally regarded as an NFL guard. Jackson is the rare case of a five-star recruit who also qualifies as a collegiate late-bloomer, taking a big jump in his technical skills and play strength in 2024.A high-end guard prospect who could also be a first-round talent at tackle? Yeah, I’m interested and the Lions should be, too.Nic Scourton, EDGE, Texas A&MA recent social media exchange captured my feelings on Scourton and his potential with the Lions:Scourton at Purdue was a double-digit sack producer as a 260-ish pound stand-up EDGE who could win with both speed and power. He gained about 20 pounds and lost the speed component in his one year at Texas A&M, which turned him into a power-only rusher who lacks length and burst off the snap. Scourton attacks the run and can set a hard edge, and he finished well even at his heavier weight. He got back down to his Purdue size for workout season but didn’t do testing, so which Scourton a team is drafting is an unknown variable. Still just 20 years old, Scourton could be a huge hit, but also has dangerous big first-round miss potential.Josh Simmons, OT, Ohio StateSimmons would almost certainly be unattainable for Detroit had he not suffered a torn patellar tendon in November. That unfortunate injury is (probably) keeping Simmons out of the conversation for the top OL prospect in this draft and the top 10. So long as he fully recovers, Simmons is an ideal fit for the Lions offensive line. He’s quick, tough, physical and agile enough to handle the complex and diverse schemes Detroit’s offense runs. With Holmes a noted enthusiast of finding value in players coming off injuries, Simmons to Detroit is a very easy scenario to envision.Malaki Starks, S, GeorgiaLet me start by saying there’s no way 27 teams should pass on Starks before the Lions pick. But the NFL has collectively proven that they overthink the safety spot in drafts — see Brian Branch or Kyle Hamilton. Starks is that kind of talent, an impact player in both the run and pass game. He’s not blessed with track speed, and his high-zone and over-the-top help coverage range isn’t ideal. Everything else about Starks screams top-5 overall player in this draft. If the Lions are lucky enough to see him fall, it would be very difficult to argue against taking Starks even with Branch and Kerby Joseph already installed as the best 1-2 safety tandem in the league.Shemar Stewart, DL, Texas A&MStewart is another player, like Starks, who typically projects much higher than the Lions could even reasonably consider trading up for, yet his draft stock is wildly variable. That’s what happens when you’re one of the greatest-testing athletes ever to hit the combine but don’t have close to the in-game football production to match. Here’s what I wrote about Stewart after he dominated Senior Bowl practices in January,Optimally built as a “crush the can” edge presence at 6-foot-5 and 281 pounds, Stewart dominated practices so thoroughly that he took the last day off. He plays very similarly to how Ndamukong Suh looked when the Lions lined him up over a tackle instead of inside back in his Detroit days. If he lasts to No. 28 in the draft, it’s hard to fathom the Lions not strongly considering Stewart with their first pick–and he’s an ascending talent technically, tooMykel Williams, EDGE, GeorgiaWilliams is a high-floor defensive end who could easily be mistaken for a younger Marcus Davenport in terms of length and style of play. His power-to-speed style and outstanding run defense are perfect fits for what Detroit wants in an EDGE opposite Aidan Hutchinson; that’s why they re-signed the injury-prone Davenport, after all. Williams has his own injury worries, hindered for most of 2024 by an ankle issue. He doesn’t have the high pass-rush ceiling others offer, but that’s not an issue for the Lions with Hutchinson already on board. It also makes Williams more likely to be on the board for Detroit than many projections expect.Tyleik Williams, DT, Ohio StateNo. 28 overall is probably quite a bit higher than most projections peg Williams, but Holmes has proven he cares not for your mock draft simulation ranges. Point blank, Williams is the best run defender in this class regardless of position. Think Snacks Harrison and the immediate impact he had on the Lions defense when Detroit first acquired the All-Pro from the Giants–that’s how high Williams’ ceiling is. He’s not a great pass rusher (despite 5 sacks as a freshman), but he proved at Ohio State that he makes life so much easier for the pass rushers around him and the linebackers behind him.Grey Zabel, IOL, North Dakota StateZabel has gained momentum as the potential Lions pick lately, and it’s easy to see why. He’s very athletic for any of the OL spots, technically polished, and has a direct connection to Detroit via new Lions TE coach Tyler Roehl, who was his offensive coordinator at NDSU until 2024. Primarily a tackle in college, Zabel projects much better at guard but especially center in the NFL. He’s a talent that could push Graham Glasgow for a starting role right away and also learn from the Lions vet how to handle playing all the interior OL spots.Having said all that, I strongly suspect Zabel will be long gone before Detroit picks, with Seattle and Tampa Bay (picks 18 and 19) as ideal landing spots.OmissionsProspects who seem projected too high up for Detroit or don’t appear to “fit the grit”Luther Burden, WR, MissouriNick Emmanwori, S, South CarolinaMason Graham, DT, MichiganMike Green, EDGE, MarshallWill Johnson, CB, MichiganTetairoa McMillan, WR, ArizonaJames Pearce, EDGE, Tennessee
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