Off-ball linebacker is an area where the Detroit Lions tend to feel better about their team than fans or national pundits do. It’s a position group the Brad Holmes regime has not emphasized in the draft or prominently in free agency in his two-plus years on the job.
Detroit runs a base 4-2-5 defense and sticks with two LBs on the field the vast majority of the time. The Lions ran more offensive plays with a sixth offensive lineman on the field than they did defensive snaps with more than two off-ball LBs in both 2021 and 2022.
The Lions brought back top tackler Alex Anzalone on a 3-year free agent contract that indicates the team’s level of trust and respect in No. 34. Last year’s rookie, Malcolm Rodriguez, outplayed his sixth-round draft status as the other primary off-ball LB. He shared that role with 2021 fourth-rounder Derrick Barnes. The Lions brought back Jalen Reeves-Maybin after a year in Houston and vet Anthony Pittman, though both are in Detroit more for special teams than defense.
Lions 2023 draft: A defensive tackle for every round
Here is one linebacker prospect that fits the Lions from (almost) every round of the draft. Detroit doesn’t currently have any picks in the fourth or seventh rounds, but players from those ranges are included because trades happen all the time during the draft weekend.