Much like we did with the offense, we’re going to go to the other side of the football and look at the potential of the Lions defensive unit. There’s a lot more talent and depth on this defense than there was a season ago. Surprisingly enough, I think we could see some strong contributions from the defensive players the Lions selected in the 2023 NFL Draft. Let’s jump into the three players that could surprise a lot of people this season.
This is the companion piece for the offensive edition.
LB Jack Campbell
We’re going to start here because it really shouldn’t surprise anyone if Jack Campbell ends up as the starting MIKE linebacker. Meanwhile, one could suggest that we could see the Lions shift into more of a traditional 4-3 defense. This would allow Malcolm Rodriguez, Alex Anzalone and Jack Campbell to be on the field at the same time. That’s the beauty of this linebacker group for Detroit. There’s going to be plenty of flexibility on all three downs.
Specifically with Campbell, he can play the run and the pass. He’s a fluid athlete with good coverage skills for a 6-foot-4 and 249-pound player. Per PFF, he earned a 92.9 coverage grade and ultimately won the Butkus Award as the Nation’s top linebacker.
Whether Campbell is sugaring the A-gap or scraping over the top against the run, he could end up being the team’s top tackler. It wouldn’t be surprising if he and Aidan Hutchinson become the lifeblood of this new-look defense in Detroit.
DL Brodric Martin
This one seems obvious, does it not? The Lions moved multiple picks to move up in the 3rd round of the 2023 NFL Draft to ensure they select Brodric Martin out of Western Kentucky. With that, he should slide into the rotation of Alim McNeill and Isaiah Buggs on the interior.
Martin didn’t test at the Scouting Combine but he did perform at the Western Kentucky Pro Day. Standing at 6-foot-5 and 337 pounds, he has terrific length and overall size for the interior. His 40-yard dash time of 5.36 seconds and a 3-cone drill time of 8.16 seconds is less than ideal. However, when you put on the tape, he plays much faster than he tested.
Watch: Detroit Lions Podcast interview with third-round rookie DT Brodric Martin
With Martin, he’s versatile enough to play as a nose tackle or as a 3-technique and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him bump out as far as a 4i-technique to display his relentless motor. Ultimately, his job won’t be to load up the stat sheet. It’ll be to eat up space to allow the linebackers to play freely and attack ball carriers. I could see a scenario where Martin plays 30 to 40% of the snaps as a rookie in Detroit.
DB Brian Branch
Much of the success from Brian Branch could be determined by how many snaps that Tracy Walker plays this year. Looking at the first couple weeks of the season, the Lions could lean on the rookie out of Alabama. Fortunately for Detroit, they now have some much-needed versatility on the back end of their defense. The Lions can run a combination of defensive packages that feature Brian Branch, Chauncey Garnder-Johnson, Kerby Joseph and Tracy Walker.
With Branch, he’s got the experience to play as a single high safety or he can cover the slot. At the Scouting Combine, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.58 seconds and while that’s less than ideal, he does play much faster than that. I’d look for Branch to consistently attack downhill in this Lions defense. Last season for the Crimson Tide, he had 90 tackles with 2 interceptions and 7 pass deflections.
We should expect Branch to play early in his career to earn the experience that will be needed late in the year as the Lions potentially push for the playoffs.
