Lions on the Prowl for Elite Edge Rusher: 6’5″ 13-Sack Phenom Set to Join Detroit

The Detroit Lions still have a postseason run to worry about, but after that’s finished general manager Brad Holmes and Co. will look ahead to the 2025 offseason, which includes free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft.

One of the Lions’ biggest needs entering the offseason will come along the edge. The Lions are in great shape at one spot with Aidan Hutchinson, but the spot opposite him is a question mark.

Granted, Za’Darius Smith is under contract in 2025, but he’s also 32 years old and may not be around after that. The Lions would be wise to start planning ahead by finding a young edge rusher who can offer depth next season and be a long-term solution opposite Hutch.

With the Lions needing to add an edge rusher, Nicholas Rome of the Death Valley Voice pegs Detroit as a possible landing spot for LSU edge rusher Bradyn Swinson. Here’s what he wrote about the fit with the Lions.

Hutchinson was an early favorite for the Defensive Player of the Year award before his injury, and despite not having played since Week 6, he still finished tops on the team with 7.5 sacks. Smith spent half a season with Detroit and had the second-most sacks with four. He had nine in total, but five of them came with the Cleveland Browns.

Knowing all that, it’s pretty clear that Detroit at least needs to add more depth to the group. They can potentially kill two birds with one stone by drafting Swinson, who finished the 2024 season with a career-best 8.5 sacks. He tallied 13.5 in total during his stints with LSU and Oregon.

“Bradyn Swinson is primarily a stand-up edge rusher who has all of the physical tools to be a well-rounded and productive rusher using his natural speed and power to get sacks in the NFL,” The Draft Network’s Ketih Sanchez writes.

The 6-foot-5, 269-pound edge rusher is projected to go on Day 2 and could land anywhere from early second round to late third, according to experts. That puts him in Detroit’s range, as the Lions will have a late pick in the first and second rounds.

Knowing what we know about the Lions general manager, Detroit will be aggressive in going after Swinson if they like him enough