NFL mock drafts: Kiper, Jeremiah offer different fixes to Lions’ pass rush

Daniel Jeremiah and Mel Kiper Jr. went about fixing the Detroit Lions’ pass rush in very different ways in their latest NFL mock drafts.

Attention is starting to shift from free agency to the NFL Draft , and for every team in the NFL—all of which have a first-round pick—that brings excitement of landing young, cheap talent.

For Detroit Lions fans, this year’s class is especially exciting, because even general manager Brad Holmes admitted it is chock-full of defensive line talent.

“Me and Ray Agnew were just kind of looking at the totality of, ‘Yeah, it’s a lot deeper than what we can remember,’ at least in the past couple of years. That’s both inside and out for sure,” Holmes said at the NFL Combine last month.

With the Lions adding only a reserve nose tackle in free agency, the defensive line will undoubtedly be a point of focus in mock drafts for the next month. That was certainly the case with two of the most notable mock drafts this week: NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah and ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. However, both went about it in very different ways.

Daniel Jeremiah’s mock draft : Lions select Georgia EDGE Mykel Williams

“Williams is another player with a wide range of potential destinations. The production has trailed the athleticism, but there’s a ton of upside here,” Jeremiah wrote.

In terms of fit, it’s easy to see why Jeremiah matched Williams with Detroit. At 6-foot-5, 260 pounds with a wingspan nearing 83 inches, Williams is exactly the big, physical edge setter that Detroit has been seeking opposite Aidan Hutchinson. He didn’t test at the NFL Combine, but the tape shows his size doesn’t take away from his athleticism.

Yet the biggest question with Williams, as Jeremiah alluded to, is his lack of production. He posted 14.0 sacks across three seasons, never posting more than 5.0 in a single year. His pass rush win rate (11.1%) for 2024 was well behind some of the top pass rushers in this class (ie: Donovan Ezeiruaku is at 18.2%).

That said, Williams is an elite run defender that stylistically fits everything the Lions want in that closed end position.

Mel Kiper Jr.’s mock draft : Lions select Tennessee’s James Pearce Jr.

“Pearce had just 7.5 sacks in 2024, but his 19% pressure rate was second in the FBS. He keeps offensive tackles guessing with his burst and strength.”

Stylistically, Kiper went a very different route to help Detroit’s pass rush. At 6-foot-5, 245 pounds, Pearce’s superpower is his explosive athleticism. He posted the best combine numbers among defensive ends last month, including a 4.47 40-yard dash with a 1.56 10-yard split.

Pearce’s college tape is among the most fun to watch for this year’s defensive end class. He was a harbinger of chaos out there, producing 17.5 sacks over the past two seasons and a 23.0 pass rush win percentage in 2024 (per PFF), ranking ninth in the country.

But considering his below-average size, it’s fair to wonder if he’s a fit for what the Lions want in the position. He’d almost be a better fit in Detroit’s SAM linebacker role, but the Lions did just give Derrick Barnes a three-year extension (although he could just as easily play any of the other linebacker positions).

What’s interesting about both mocks is how differently they view this year’s EDGE class. In Kiper’s mock, Mykell Williams was not even close to available for the Lions, as he went 10th overall to the Chicago Bears . In Jeremiah’s mock, James Pearce was not even selected in the first round.

This just goes to show you that this year’s EDGE class is deep, and who will be available at 28 will come down to personal preference. Outside of the top two or three defensive ends, there is not much consensus among draft analysts.