2025 draft preview: Lions need a specific type of offensive tackle

A look at the Detroit Lions’ need at offensive tackle, and some 2025 NFL Draft prospect who may fit them.

At the NFL owners meetings a couple weeks back, Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes noted that the Lions are not done adding to their offensive line.

“We still need to make sure that he (Christian MahoganY) has competition, and it’s part of—we bring (Ka)yode (Awosika) back and we’ll still be looking at possibly another veteran to add, and you still have the draft,” Holmes said.

While that focus was mostly on the guard position, I wouldn’t completely rule out the idea of a tackle. That’s because the 2025 NFL Draft is full of tackle prospects who could kick inside to guard at the professional level.

So let’s look at the Lions’ need at tackle going into the draft and some prospects that may fit that mold.

Previous Lions draft previews:

• Quarterbacks
• Running backs
• Wide receivers
• Tight ends

2025 Detroit Lions draft preview: Offensive tackle

Under contract: Penei Sewell (under contract through 2029), Taylor Decker (2027), Giovanni Manu (2027), Dan Skipper (2025), Colby Sorsdal (2026), Jamarco Jones (2025)

Short-term need: 0/10
Long-term need: 3/10

The Lions’ offensive tackle situation is pretty well set. Their two starters for 2025 are set with the steady and dependable Penei Sewell and Taylor Decker. They have ample depth, too. Dan Skipper is an experienced veteran who does well as the jumbo tight end. While Giovanni Manu and Colby Sorsdal are the two developmental players who could very well challenge for the OT3 spot this year.

Really, the only question with this group is simple: how long is Decker’s runway? At 31 years old, his best days are likely behind him, but he’s still playing at a very acceptable level. But with a cap hit north of $20 million for the next three seasons—and a potential out in 2026 ($11.9 million in savings, $9.4 million in dead cap)—it’s possible Detroit may consider moving on relatively soon. But the Lions aren’t going to move on just to move on. They would need a plan in place—whether that be the development of Manu or Sorsdal, or a player they could draft as early as this year.

But if the Lions were to draft a tackle this year, it would be a complicated challenge to manage the roster this year. There likely wouldn’t be enough room to carry the new player, Skippers, Sorsdal, and Manu—unless one of those players moved inside to add interior depth, which is currently needed. Luckily for Detroit, there are plenty of prospects who could play early at guard and potentially slide outside when it’s time to replace Decker.

PFF top-100

Note: There are some common disagreements on whether prospects are best classified as a tackle or a guard. Think of this as Part 1 of a two-part article on the offensive line.

• Will Campbell, LSU (#6)
• Armand Membou, Missouri (#12)
• Josh Simmons, Ohio State (#18)
• Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas (#20)
• Josh Conerly, Oregon (#32)
• Donovan Jackson, Ohio State (#48)
• Aireontae Ersery, Minnesota (#68)
• Ozzy Trapilo, Boston College (#82)
• Marcus Mbow, Purdue (#84)
• Jonah Savaiinaea, Arizona (#88)
• Wyatt Milum, West Virginia (#91)
• Cameron Williams, Texas (#93)
• Charles Grant, William & Mary (#93)
• Anthony Belton, NC State (#98)

PFF lists fourteen offensive tackles in the top 100, giving the Lions a really good opportunity to add a talented lineman with one of their top three picks.

Options like Banks, Conerly, Jackson, Mbow, and Grant, exactly fit the optimal profile for Detroit right now: a player who could almost certainly play some guard early in their career and then kick out to tackle. Among that group of five, any or all of them could be available with Detroit’s 28th overall pick. Banks was mocked to the Lions by Nick Baumgardner with this exact kind of plan in place.

As for the more traditional tackles at the top of the draft, it would be harder for the Lions to justify that pick unless the player was too good to pass up—but the top few options (Will Campbell and Armand Membou) are not likely to be there for the Lions to take.

If Detroit spent a Day 1 or 2 pick on a pure offensive tackle, it would almost certainly spell the beginning of the end for Decker. One player who could draw that kind of attention from Detroit is Charles Grant of William & Mary. He’s both raw and coming from a small school, but there’s a lot to like about his athletic tools, football character, and relentlessness in the run game. While the Lions already have a few developmental projects on the offensive line, their strong starting core would allow a guy like Grant to develop behind the scenes for at least one season.

Notable Day 3 players

Carson Vinson (Alabama A&M), Myles Hinton (Michigan), Hollin Pierce (Rutgers )

Picking a tackle on Day 3 makes a little more sense than spending an early pick. Here Detroit can target a developmental target or someone they think could compete for the OT3 spot with Skipper/Manu/Sorsdal.

Vinson is the archetype of a small school player who you’d bet on due to physical traits.

Vinson was invited to the Senior Bowl and reportedly didn’t look out of place among the higher level of competition, so he could be good value there somewhere between the fifth and seventh rounds.

Hinton doesn’t have questions about his ability to play against a higher level of competition. At Michigan, he played in some high-pressure, high-talent games, even though he was not a starter during the Wolverines’ 2023 championship run. He’s a smart player (originally played for Stanford), and has good overall size, but could use some technique tweaks to his game. That said, he has experience at both tackle spots, making him a great OT3 candidate.

Like Vinson, Pierce would be another bet on physical traits—primarily: size. At 6-foot-8 (97th percentile) and 88.25-inch wingspan (99th), Pierce is massive, and that’s after slimming down from reportedly 455 pounds in high school to now 341. That shows the kind of dedication the Lions would be looking for. So does Pierce’s journey from a walk-on to a four-year starter for Rutgers. Speed rushers will be a problem, though, and his technique still needs significant refinement.