Guard is one of the Detroit Lions’ biggest needs in the 2025 NFL Draft. Here are some players that may interest them.
Way back during his end-of-season press conference in January, Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes said he would not ignore the team’s offensive line this offseason.
“That’s the engine for us,” Holmes said. “And so, I don’t care how good we ever get on the offensive line, that one right there is too important for not only our team, our quarterback, everything, it’s our identity, man. So, I think just that alone is just – it’s always going to be at the forefront.”
Yet here we are, three months later, and the Lions have lost one of their starters from last year (Kevin Zeitler) and have added exactly zero external players. Does that mean they’re going to add an offensive lineman in this year’s draft? Not necessarily, Holmes doesn’t tie himself to needs on draft weekend. But I think it’s fair to say he’ll be looking.
Previous Lions draft previews:
2025 Detroit Lions draft preview: Offensive tackle
Under contract: Frank Ragnow (2026), Graham Glasgow (2026), Christian Mahogany (2027), Kayode Awosika (2025), Netane Muti (2025), Michael Niese (2025), Kingsley Eguakun
Short-term need: 5/10
Long-term need: 8/10
Could the Lions get away with not drafting a starting-capable guard? Yes, I suppose. There are far worse starting lineups than one that would feature Graham Glasgow and Christian Mahogany. But general manager Brad Holmes noted that they weren’t quite ready to hand Mahogany a starting job and are still looking to add to the position .
“He is still a young player, so we still need to make sure that he has competition,” Holmes said. “And it’s part of—we bring (Ka)yode back and we’ll still be looking at possibly another veteran to add, and you still have the draft.”
Looking beyond this year, the need for a long-term guard is pretty clear. Only Mahogany is signed behind 2026, and it’s entirely possible the Lions opt to move on from Glasgow even sooner if his play doesn’t improve from 2024. Glasgow is facing an $8.4 million cap hit in 2026, and only $1.4 of that is guaranteed—giving Detroit an opportunity to save $7 million in cap space during an offseason in which they’ll need it.
But the Lions aren’t just going to cut a talented player. They’ll need a plan to replace him, and that’s what makes drafting a guard this year very realistic. Hell, depending on what Ragnow’s plan for the future is, it may be time to start considering the long-term plan at center, too.
PFF top-100
Reminder There are some common disagreements on whether prospects are best classified as a tackle or a guard. Think of this as Part 2 of a two-part article on the offensive line. If you don’t see your favorite OL prospect here, they were probably in our tackle preview.
- Gray Zabel, North Dakota State (#28)
- Tyler Booker, Alabama (#47)
- Tate Ratledge, Georgia (#69)
- Jared Wilson, Georgia (#87)
- Jonah Savaiinaea, Arizona (#88)
Zabel and Booker are very much in play for the Lions’ 28th overall pick, and some draft analysts have both going prior to Detroit’s selection. Both players are high-character, high-grit linemen with different strengths. Many have Booker as the best guard in this class due to his prototypical frame—6-foot-4, 321, and an 83.5-inch wingspan—and polished pass protection. His poor speed testing at the NFL Combine has some wondering about his ability to get out in space in the run game, though.
Zabel’s strength is his versatility. He played at four positions in college, and the one position he didn’t play—center—he dabbled at during the Senior Bowl , which has earned him the top center prospect in Dane Brugler’s draft guide. That’s also a testament to Zabel’s smarts. But the NFL is going to be a big jump in competition for Zabel, so there is some risk there, too.
Beyond the 28th pick, Ratledge makes a ton of sense on Day 2 for Detroit. He’s another “Dan Campbell guy” with solid size and excellent speed. He’s one of the best pass protectors at this position, but he has solely played right guard.
Savaiineaea has far more versatility, having played right tackle, left tackle, and right guard for Arizona. He, too, has a great size-speed combination (9.19 RAS at tackle , 9.84 at guard ), and reportedly had a formal visit with Detroit at the NFL Combine. However, he had some struggles in the run game in college (64.2 PFF grade in 2024).
Finally, Wilson is not likely an option for Detroit unless they know something about Frank Ragnow that we don’t. Wilson had a total of 93 snaps at the guard position, leaving the rest of his play exclusively at center (921 snaps)
Notable Day 3 players
Miles Frazier (LSU ), Dylan Fairchild (Georgia), Clay Webb (Jacksonville St)
In all honesty, Frazier may not make it to Day 3 due to his versatility (played all positions but center), gritty demeanor, and overall good size. He’s far more experience (and better) at pass blocking than run blocking, but as a three-year starter at LSU, he’s been one of the most dependable interior offensive linemen in the country.
No, I don’t have a Georgia bias—Fairchild makes the list since he had a top-30 visit with the Lions earlier this month. Tall (6-foot-5) and big (318), Fairchild has almost exclusively played left guard, but it’s no surprise that Detroit is interested due to his gym-rat mentality and ridiculous power on the field. Despite two years of starting experience in the SEC, his game is a little more unrefined than some of the others.
Webb, ironically enough, originally committed to Georgia as one of the top recruits in the country. But after not breaking the lineup after three years, he transferred to Jacksonville State, where he started three seasons and was eventually named First Team All-CUSA. While his size isn’t necessarily imposing, his strength is, and he has enough functional athleticism to get on the move. Though he played left guard in college, he cross-trained at center, as well.