Sorting through the grittiest interior defensive linemen in the 2025 NFL Draft and looking for Detroit Lions-type guys.
The Grit Index has returned and we’re unveiling the results in a new series of articles. We have already examined the grittiest offensive skill players and offensive linemen in the 2025 NFL Draft class, and next up, we take a look at which interior defensive linemen should be on the Detroit Lions radar.
In a recent article, we detailed how our process of developing the Grit Index has evolved over the past three offseasons, but the CliffsNotes version is that we’ve expanded our tiers from three to five and have scaled out the scoring on a 0-100 grading system. Tier 1 players score 80+, Tier 2 land between 70-79, Tier 3 is 60-69, Tier 4 covers 50-59, and anything 49 and below is Tier 5.
It’s important to remember that this entire system is based on collecting data from draft analysts’ opinions of prospects, making it an imperfect system. However, we’ve tried to counter those flaws by adding volume and giving weight to analysts who have proven trustworthy. Every analyst has a different set of values in their assessments and our formula is our best attempt at aggregating imperfect and incomplete information.
Tier 1
Only a handful of players make it to the top tier of the Grit Index, and with all of the offensive players’ Grit rankings published, we can see only seven made the cut:
- Tyler Booker, LG, Alabama: 97.3
- Tate Ratledge, RG, Georgia: 86.3
- Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State : 85.83
- Will Campbell, LT, LSU : 85.3
- Grey Zabel, IOL, North Dakota State: 83.4
- Donovan Jackson, OL, Ohio State: 80.9
- Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State: 80.5
As we start digging into the defensive prospects in the 2025 class, we can add one more player to the Tier 1 mix:
Mason Graham, DT, Michigan: 80.9
Graham’s aggression, tenacity, and relentlessness are all traits that help him rise to become the best defensive tackle in this NFL Draft class, both in overall ranking and on the Grit Index. NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah ranks Graham as the fourth-best prospect in this draft class, regardless of position, and has this to say about Graham in his latest rankings update :
“Graham is a powerful defensive tackle with outstanding leverage and instincts. He’s one of the most consistent players in the draft class… He excels in block destruction. He stacks, finds the ball, chucks blockers to the side and collects tackles… His effort is outstanding… He always has a full gas tank and he set the tone for the entire Michigan defense. “
Defensive tackle
While Graham is expected to be off the board before the Lions could even consider selecting him, Derrick Harmon (Tier 2, second-highest Grit score amongst defensive tackles) could very well be in Detroit’s range.
Harmon is from Detroit and initially played at Michigan State before transferring to Oregon this past season. While he may not have elite traits, he does have above-average traits in a variety of areas, making him one of the more well-rounded defensive tackles in this draft cycle, who wins in multiple ways.
Ty Robinson and Rylie Mills join Harmon in rounding out Tier 2. Both check in at 6-foot-5, 290 pounds and project as 3-techniques who can kick out to the 4i- and 5-techniques in different fronts. They win with effort, instincts, and the mentality to bully their opponents. Look for Robinson to walk the line between top 100 and Day 3 draft pick, while Mills comes off the board in the middle of the third day.
Tier 3 features a bunch of defenisve tackles expected to come off the board on Day 1 or 2, but keep an eye on Howard Cross III, who is a high-active, all-effort 3-technique, with NFL bloodlines—his dad played in the league for a dozen years and was a teammate of Lions coach Dan Campbell. Cross is anticipated to be a late Day 3 pick or potential undrafted free agent.