It’s time for general manager Brad Holmes to focus on his offseason priority list now that the Detroit Lions have been eliminated from the postseason. For Holmes, this includes determining his and the team’s strategy for the 2025 NFL Draft, which is scheduled for Green Bay from April 24 to 26. Detroit currently has six draft picks, including the first-round pick at number 28 overall.
It would be prudent for Holmes and company to select an impact defensive player with the previously indicated pick. Don’t get me wrong; in 2024, the Lions’ defensive performance significantly improved.
In terms of points allowed per game, they were placed No. 7 this past season (20.1), down from No. 23 in 2023 (23.2). By no means does this imply that the item is a completed product, though.
If you saw any Lions game in 2024, you would have seen that the team still desperately needs a complementing pass-rush player for EDGE Aidan Hutchinson as well as cornerback assistance.
Detroit must work hard to improve those two areas if it is to advance as a club and eventually win its first Super Bowl in franchise history. Jack Sawyer of Ohio State would be a good target if the Lions choose to use the EDGE strategy in the early selection rounds.
At six feet five and 260 pounds, Sawyer is coming off a very successful senior season in which he helped the Buckeyes win the national championship in the College Football Playoffs and recorded a career-high nine sacks.
In addition, he recorded 16 quarterback hits, 38 total hurries, and a 90.6 overall Pro Football Focus score. He also received an 82.9 run-defense rating and an 89.2 pass-rushing grade from PFF.
Sawyer profiles as a competent pass-rusher and run-stopper at the highest level. He is a high-motor, high-IQ athlete. In addition to being strong enough to collapse the pocket and reach the quarterback as a pass-rusher, he is also physically strong when attacking the run. He would undoubtedly help a Lions squad that finished in the bottom half of the league in 2024 in terms of total sacks (37.0). Sawyer isn’t the most athletic, though, and he lacks a high level of get-off ability when he approaches the edge. His potential to become a high-impact quarterback disruptor at the next level will probably be limited by these two characteristics.
