The off-season will soon be in full swing, with the Super Bowl champion being crowned this weekend. The Detroit Lions have already lost both coordinators to head coaching opportunities, as well as many other members of the coaching staff.

Who knows how many players they lose this off-season. But the good news is, there isn’t really a significant Lions free agent outside of Carlton Davis. There is a good chance that they bring back some of their free agents, like Ifeatu Melifonwu, Derrick Barnes, or Levi Onwuzerike, just to name a few.

As far as the draft, I’m not sure there is a pressing need for the Lions this year. Obviously, last April, the cornerback position was a desperate need, and that led to them drafting corners with their first and second round selections. Detroit’s approach will likely be to add more talent/depth on defense after being ravaged by injuries on that side of the ball in 2024-25. An offensive lineman could also be an option for the Lions at some point in the draft.

This is a meat and potatoes draft. It’s incredibly deep with talent in the trenches, especially defensively. The Lions need help in that area. I could definitely see them using multiple early picks on defensive lineman. One of the defensive linemen they may target has spent most of his life playing football in the state of Michigan. That defensive lineman is Oregon Duck Derrick Harmon.

Who is Derrick Harmon?

Derrick Harmon is actually from Detroit, Michigan. He played high school football at Loyola HS in Detroit and was a three-star recruit. He got offers from Purdue, Ole Miss, and Memphis, among others. He chose to take an offer from Michigan State where he played three seasons as a Spartan.

Harmon’s decision to transfer to Oregon proved to be a good one. He’s now considered a first-round prospect, but with it being a deep interior defensive linemen class, it’s hard to pinpoint when he’ll be taken off the board.

Harmon is 6’5″, 305 pounds. He gets off the ball very, very well. He also has powerful hands that contribute to a disruptive bull rush. His ability to beat double teams is unrivaled. Beating those double teams has allowed him to be excellent against the run. He also had more pressures than any other interior defensive lineman in college football this season and finished the 2024-25 season with six sacks.

Why is Derrick Harmon a fit for the Lions?

What makes Harmon the missing piece on the Lions defensive line? Well, for years, they have been searching for someone who can take attention away from Aidan Hutchinson. Alim McNeil was doing a good job of that before Hutchinson’s injury. Now, McNeil himself won’t be fully healthy to start the 2025 season because he tore his ACL. Harmon was very effective in pressuring the quarterback in college, and if he is able to do that at the next level, he would be someone who can make it even harder to defend Hutchinson, while also being a disruptive force himself.

Harmon playing at Loyola High School and growing up in the area makes the Lions a great landing spot for him on draft day.