With the 41st pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions selected defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike out of the University of Washington.
Onwuzurike is an interesting interior defensive lineman prospect who holds incredible athleticism while also being incredibly versatile. Despite only being a full-time starter for one year with the Huskies, he had been a playmaker on defense for all three years of his college career there.
The 23-year-old lineman lined up as a 5-T, 3-T, and nose tackle on Washington’s defensive line and used his athleticism to his advantage to win reps against the run and assist his edge rushers by forcing pressure up the middle.
The question is, how will he fit into the Lions’ defensive depth chart?
Currently at defensive tackle, Detroit is bringing back Da’Shawn Hand, Nick Williams, John Penisini, Jashon Cornell, and John Atkins. Atop of that deep group of interior defenders, the Lions also recently brought in veterans Michael Brockers and Joel Heath.
Prior to the selection of Onwuzurike, Hand and Brockers were expected to start as 3-T and 5-T, depending on the scheme, while Penisini appeared to have earned the starting nose tackle job for 2021.
Onwuzurike may be able to unseat Hand from the starting lineup depending on how he does in training camp. Hand has not been the player that Lions fans originally saw from his rookie season, and his plethora of injuries are largely to blame for that.
Right now, it’s too early to say for certain that Onwuzurike will be a day-one starter, but a good camp could push him right up to the top of the defensive tackle depth chart.
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