As of right now, it’s safe to say that Brad Holmes and the Lions are batting .500 with their second round selections from their last three drafts. Certainly, it’s not expected of any regime in the NFL to get every pick right. That said, the Lions rolled the dice on two defensive lineman in consecutive drafts in the second round and currently, it’s not paying off for Detroit.
When Holmes and Campbell took over, they needed to rebuild this roster inside and out. They had to start in the trenches and for their defense, the first player they took was Levi Onwuzurike.
When looking back at Onwuzurike, he was an explosive pass-rusher out of Washington. Some viewed him as a borderline first-round talent, and he was a player who had a good week at the 2021 Senior Bowl. The downside to him as a prospect was that he was undersized at 6’2″ and 290 pounds. That brought up questions to what position best suits him along the defensive line.
Additionally, Onwuzurike opted out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That did bring up additional questions of what type of player he would be with a year-long gap of no football being played. However, the Lions looked past those questions and took a player that seemed like a potential spark-plug to a defensive line that desperately needed it. During his rookie season in 2021, he did play almost 400 defensive snaps and recorded 35 tackles, two pressures and one sack. I’d say that was a promising start to his career.
Unfortunately, he suffered a back injury in 2022 and he’s not been the same player. While he’s made a return to the football field, Onwuzurike has only played 73 defensive snaps this season. It’s only led to three total tackles and has resulted in no pressures for him. When watching the tape, he lacks the explosiveness he once had and is consistently getting beat by the opposition due to his lack of length, explosiveness and power.
Could something click so he figures it out down the stretch this season? It’s possible but don’t be surprised if the Lions decide to move on as they desperately need help on defense. It’s a tough pill to swallow but that is part of the business. I don’t think Brad Holmes made the wrong decision in drafting Onwuzurike. He had to pull the trigger on getting help up front. However, when looking back at the 2021 NFL Draft, you can’t help but wonder what this defense would look like had they taken a player such as Asante Samuel Jr, Azeez Ojulari or Nick Bolton.
Moving onto the 2022 NFL Draft, the Lions made the correct decision in drafting Aidan Hutchinson. Regardless of the current results, he’s the heartbeat of their defense. The biggest question from this regime was when they double downed at the defensive end position and drafted Josh Paschal in the second round of that draft. This is after taking Hutch the day before and the year before, they selected Levi Onwuzurike.
During the 2022 NFL Draft, the Lions could have selected Alontae Taylor, Jaquan Brisker or Cam Taylor-Britt with their second round pick. However, they selected Paschal with the 46th overall pick.
Adding depth to the defensive line is common in the NFL but as a whole, the defense needed help in other areas. At the time, their cornerback depth was Jerry Jacobs, Amani Oruwariye, Bobby Price, Jeff Okudah and Bobby Price.
They didn’t have the luxury of doubling down at defensive end. Especially when their depth chart up front already had players such as Julian Okwara, Romeo Okwara and Charles Harris. Meanwhile, their secondary had the names listed above on the depth chart.
Since drafting Paschal, the Lions have gotten 443 defensive snaps out of him (per Pro Football Reference). This has resulted in 31 total tackles, four tackles for loss and two sacks in his career. Looking at this season, he’s only played 150 snaps this season and it’s resulted in one total pressure.
Sure, he’s been hampered by a knee injury and it’s caused him to spend time on injured reserve. However, when a player is a top-50 pick in the NFL Draft, there’s an expectation placed on that player. Regardless of the position. For Paschal and Onwuzurike, they should be expected to perform at a high level for this Lions defense. After all, the Lions are 8-3 and appear to be the best team we’ve seen Detroit have in decades.
Adding talent to the Lions secondary with early draft selections could have been just as useful. Instead, the Lions went for having an impactful pass rush. Outside of Hutchinson, the Lions pass rush has been underwhelming this season. As we’ve seen in recent weeks, it’s a big part to why their defense is turning into one of the worst units in football.
It’s a win-now league and oddly enough, this is a win-now team. These two selections have not helped this team right now. Neither of them are contributing enough or at all to further justify their status on this team. There’s potential for both players to figure it out in Detroit. In fact, I hope they do. The unfortunate part is that right now, neither player is living up to the expectations.
