The Lions have continued a strong opening night along the defensive line. Detroit has selected Ohio State’s Tyleik Williams at No. 28.
Despite rostering D.J. Reader
and extending Alim McNeill
, the Lions were continually mentioned as a potential landing spot for defensive line prospects during the pre-draft process. The organization ultimately landed on Williams, who has garnered increased attention in the weeks leading up to the draft.
The Ohio State product is plenty familiar to Buckeyes fans, having appeared in 51 games across four seasons. He showed some top-end pass-rush ability as a freshman, finishing with five sacks. Since then, he’s only compiled 6.5 sacks, but he still did enough to draw the attention of NFL teams. Listed at six-foot-three and 330 pounds, there’s hope that Williams can command multiple blockers when he’s playing at his best.
There may not be an immediate role for Williams in Detroit, but the rookie will surely be counted on moving forward. In addition to Reader and McNeill, the Lions also signed Levi Onwuzurike to a one-year deal in March. That’s enough depth to temporarily bury the rookie on the depth chart.
Considering that depth, there was some speculation that the organization would pursue an Aidan Hutchinson wingman with their first-round selection. However, the organization also understood that Reader will turn 31 in July and McNeill is coming off an ACL tear. If either of those players see a drop off, the team already had a solution in their 2025 first-round pick.
Ben Levine contributed to this post.