Lions Mock Draft Roundup: New Prospects Emerge

It's time for the 13th and final Detroit Lions OnSI mock draft roundup for the 2025 NFL Draft.

Over the last week, the Lions have prioritized beefing up their pass-rush, plus have increasingly targeted the wide receiver position at No. 28 overall.

Let’s take a look now at who the draft pundits have Lions general manager Brad Holmes selecting in the first round.

Defensive tackle T.J. Sanders, South Carolina 

Sanders is currently being drafted by the following: 

Pro Football Focus (Dalton Wasserman)

As Wasserman pens, “It’s widely expected that Detroit will target edge help early in the draft, but if no edge prospect stands out at No. 28, they could pivot to the interior. South Carolina’s T.J. Sanders, who earned an 81.9 pass-rush grade in 2024, offers disruptive ability from the inside and could be a strong complement to D.J. Reader and Alim McNeill. He may start as a passing-down specialist but has the tools to grow into an every-down contributor.”

Wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona 

McMillan is being mocked by the following: 

The Sporting News (Dharya Sharma; trade-up with the Chargers to No. 22 overall) 

As Sharma opines, “This would be a bold move, but adding McMillan to the offense would be electric. The 22-year-old hauled in 84 receptions for 1,319 yards and eight touchdowns during his junior campaign at Arizona in 2024 and showcased his big-play ability.

Concerns about his speed and ability to create separation at the next level have caused McMillan to move down some analyst's boards, but the Hawaii native created a ton of explosive plays in college and should be an impactful wide receiver in the NFL. A trio of Amon-Ra St.Brown, Jameson Williams, and McMillan would make quarterback Jared Goff very happy.”

Cornerback Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky 

Hairston is presently being selected by the following: 

The Athletic (Dane Brugler)

As Brugler writes, “The Lions have been doing their homework on Hairston, who ran a 4.28 40-yard dash at the combine and jumped almost 40 inches in the vertical at his pro day. He might not have the tackling consistency that Dan Campbell prefers, but his cover skills would upgrade Detroit’s secondary.”

Wide receiver Matthew Golden, Texas 

Golden is currently being projected by the following: 

Pro Football Network (Stats and Insights team)

Wide receiver Luther Burden III, Missouri 

Burden is presently being mocked by the following: 

The Draft Network (Ryan Fowler), NFL.com (Marc Ross)

As Ross pens, “General manager Brad Holmes isn't one to make the moves people expect, but he has built a great roster in Detroit. So while the Lions have bigger needs in the trenches, they snag Burden in an effort to offset the loss of OC Ben Johnson and maintain their offensive dominance. A standout in the SEC, Burden has a similar playing style to Amon-Ra St. Brown and can work underneath with Jameson Williams stretching the field.”

EDGE Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M

Stewart is currently being picked by the following: 

NFL.com (Gennaro Filice; trade-up with L.A. Rams to No. 26 overall)

As Filice expresses, “Considering Stewart is an edge rusher who totaled 4.5 sacks in three years at Texas A&M, how should Lions-aligned readers feel about this projection? Well, two things can be true at the same time:

1. The meager sack production is highly concerning.
2. The meager sack production is the only reason he’s theoretically still available for Detroit in this range.

A former five-star recruit out of the Miami area, Stewart is a long, large, freak-show athlete who predictably blew up the combine. And despite the routinely-cited sack figures (exactly 1.5 in each of his three college seasons), he led a talented A&M D-line with 39 pressures last season, per Pro Football Focus. 

All of which is to say, Stewart could be long gone by this point on April 24. So, in the here and now of this mock, Detroit jumps at the opportunity to land a traitsy running mate for Aidan Hutchinson.”

Offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr., Oregon

Conerly is presently being selected by the following: 

CBS Sports (Josh Edwards) 

EDGE Mykel Williams, Georgia 

Williams is presently being mocked by the following: 

Pro Football Network (Owain Jones), FOX Sports (Nick Wright), ESPN (Mel Kiper Jr.)

EDGE Donovan Ezeiruaku, Boston College 

Ezeiruaku is currently being drafted by the following: 

The 33rd Team (Kyle Crabbs), NFL.com (Adam Rank), On SI (John Maakaron)

Offensive lineman Donovan Jackson, Ohio State

Jackson is currently being mocked by the following: 

Yahoo! Sports (Nate Tice)

EDGE James Pearce Jr., Tennessee

Pearce is presently being drafted by the following: 

Pro Football Network (David Bearman), Athlon Sports (Luke Easterling)

Offensive guard Tyler Booker, Alabama

Booker is currently being drafted by the following: 

Pro Football Network (Cameron Sheath), NFL.com (Mike Band), Tankathon

EDGE Nic Scourton, Texas A&M

Scourton is presently being mocked by the following: 

Pro Football Focus (Jordan Plocher), CBS Sports (Chris Trapasso)

Offensive lineman Grey Zabel, North Dakota State

Zabel is currently being projected by the following: 

Pro Football Network (Jacob Infante), CBS Sports (Ryan Wilson)

As Wilson writes, “No one helped themselves more at the Senior Bowl than Zabel, who played primarily left tackle in 2024 for NDSU, but had experience at guard and center too. He was used solely on the interior in Mobile and he looked like a 10-year vet no matter where he lined up. Zabel stood out in the Week 1 opener against Colorado and his stock has been on the rise ever since. Talking to teams at the Senior Bowl, he may be a better leader than football player and that's saying something.”

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