Category: NFL

Lions draft DT Tyleik Williams of Ohio State in first round

ALLEN PARK — Defensive tackle Tyleik Williams’ versatility and knowledge of the game made him the perfect target for the Lions with the 28th overall pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night.

The 6-foot-3, 334-pound Williams, who played at Ohio State, started 13 games for the 2024 national champions with 46 tackles, eight tackles for loss and 2 1/2 sacks.

“We’ve been watching him for a really long time, he’s played a lot of football there at a very consistent level,’’ Lions GM Brad Holmes said. “He has a lot of traits and qualities that we’re looking for. He’s going to fit right in here like a glove. We spent a lot of time with him in the process leading up to this we were very very impressed.’’

Williams joins a defensive tackle group that includes Alim McNeill, DJ Reader, Levi Onwuzurike, Roy Lopez, Mekhi Wingo and Pat O’Connor. McNeill might not be available to start the season after tearing his ACL in December. His possible absence could provide an opening for Williams to see immediate playing time.

“They definitely explained I could be a key piece of the defense, so it  was definitely in the back of my mind it was definitely a spot I could land,’’ Williams said on a conference call.

Holmes said Willilams reminds him of McNeill who he drafted in the third round in 2021.

“I don’t want to call him a mirror image, but I think he’s a lot like the guy we have now in Alim, in terms of being able to catch an edge, rush with power, have instincts, he’s got quickness, he can counter,’’ Holmes said. “I know his pass rushing stats aren’t off the chart when you watch the tape you see it.’’

The Lions have one pick in Round 2 (60th), one in Round 3 (102nd), one in Round 4 (130th), one in Round 6 (196th) and two in Round 7 (228th and 244th).

(The NFL draft’s second and third rounds are set for Friday at 7 p.m. Rounds 4-7 will start at noon on Saturday.)

Lions Kerby Joseph now highest paid safety in NFL history

His 4-year, $86 milion extension locks him up through 2029

ALLEN PARK — Kerby Joseph’s smile was brighter than the bling he was wearing on Thursday night. Perhaps it was because the ink was still drying on the 4-year, $85 million contract extension.

The deal makes him the highest paid safety in NFL history.

“To see this happen is amazing,’’ Joseph said.

Joseph, the Lions third-round draft pick in 2022,  finished the 2024 season with a career and league-leading nine interceptions. The 24-year-old has more picks than anyone in the NFL since he entered the league in 2022.

“It’s everything to me. I feel like it strives toward my goal of one day putting on a gold jacket so I feel this is a huge step, huge, huge milestone in my career and in my life,’’ Joseph said. “… I feel so blessed.’’

While he’s thrilled with the money he said that is not what motivates him.

“I really play this game because I love it,’’ Joseph said.  “I have a certain passion for the game.’’

Detroit Lions draft: What GM Brad Holmes will not do

ALLEN PARK — Lions GM Brad Holmes’ draft philosophy has become quite clear during his first four drafts in Detroit.

He’s not going to reach on players just to fill a position.

In his first four drafts he’s moved up more than moving down during the draft process but it just worked that way. He reminded, it takes two teams to make a deal.

Holmes has developed his dos and don’ts. 

“What I won’t do is what I’ve been saying that I won’t do that — I know you guys get frustrated with me not doing is looking at our depth chart like names black-and-white names with no football being played or anything – looking at a depth chart and seeing a position and then saying, ‘Man you’ve got to get that position. A player has to play that position.’”

That said, the biggest gap on the depth chart seems obvious. Certainly Holmes has considered drafting a pass rusher but not necessarily in the first round. It was a position of need after Aidan Hutchinson was knocked out of the season in Week 5 last season.

“You could draft a pass rusher every round, you could, it’s easy,’’ Holmes said. “That’s just like if a coach told me we want a guy who’s 6-4, 250. Getting a guy who’s 6-4, 250 is easy. I don’t know if he’s a good football player, but he’ll be 6-4, 250.

“It’s the same as you can draft a defensive end. If the player playing defensive end is not what we feel is going to be the right guy to really contribute to our football team then what are you guys going to write about that player,’’ Holmes asked.

The GM has adjusted during his Detroit tenure which started with needs at nearly every position. Now that he’s built a playoff-team roster, he still won’t zero in on specific needs because he said he’d rather have a surplus of players that he really likes.

The Lions have the 28th pick in tonight’s first round, followed by one pick in Round 2 (60th), one in Round 3 (102nd), one in Round 4 (130th), one in Round 6 (196th) and two in Round 7 (228th and 244th).

(The NFL draft opens tonight, April 24, at 8 p.m. with the first round. The second and third rounds are set for Friday at 7 p.m. Rounds 4-7 will start at noon on Saturday.)