Tag: Lions defense

2025 Senior Bowl: Five defensive prospects for the Detroit Lions

2025 Senior Bowl: Five defensive prospects for the Detroit Lions

Injuries derailed the Detroit Lions season and their defense. That’s well documented. As the Lions enter the off-season, there should be an emphasis for them to spend draft capital on adding pieces to their defense. As of now, the Lions have 17 defensive players scheduled to become free agents.

Certainly, some of those players were practice squad players that got elevated to one-year contracts to fill the spots for the injured players. However, not all of those practice squad players were bad. For example, Al-Quadin Muhammad and Pat O’Connor did enough to earn a chance to compete for a spot on the roster this upcoming summer.

Regardless, it’s always good to have depth on your roster. Specifically, it’s good to have good depth. Does that make sense? So with that, I’d like to look at five defensive prospects from the 2025 Senior Bowl that could be worth adding to the Lions roster in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Texas A&M DL Shemar Turner 

Earlier today, I talked about Turner’s teammate, Shemar Stewart. As I mentioned earlier, I think Stewart will end up being a first-round pick, and with that, I think that means he won’t be available for the Lions when they are on the clock with the 28th overall pick.

 

Despite that, the Lions could use a player such as Turner. He’s a veteran defender as a 35-game starter at Texas A&M and he’s extremely versatile. He’s got the ability to play in multiple alignments and most importantly, his motor is always running hot.

Turner is consistent against the run and is more than capable of rushing the passer. He’s listed at 6’4″ and 290 pounds and he displays good burst and effective first step. As he gets double teamed on run plays, he will look to get skinny and will drop his shoulder trying to split defenders. Meanwhile, he shows no issues when dipping his shoulder and trying to turn the corner as a pass rusher.

Much like his teammate, Shemar Stewart, there’s been limited production for both prospects. For Turner, he’s only recorded 24 tackles for loss and 10 sacks in his career. If he’s able to pile up good days this week in Mobile, he could be a player that starts to move up draft boards, specifically the Detroit Lions.

Syracuse DB Justin Barron 

This one may come as a surprise for some folks but I’ll be honest: I don’t think Ifeatu Melifonwu will be back in Detroit next season. He’s been injured too often, and his spurts of production are just not enough to justify a long-term extension that he’s probably going to seek.

With that, I think the Lions could look to replace him in this draft. If they do, Justin Barron from Syracuse could be a potential fit. He’s a former receiver who converted to a box safety role for the Orange.

Over the last four seasons on defense, Barron has recorded 289 tackles with 3.5 sacks and 20 tackles for loss. Adding to that, we’ve seen two interceptions and 10 pass deflections over the last two seasons. Additionally, he’s played over 1,000 snaps on special teams in his career.

Down in the box, Barron can blitz or contribute in stopping the run. When he drops into coverage, he should be able to play man coverage against running backs and tight ends. However, he should win teams over with his ability to make big hits on pass catchers when attacking downhill.

Teams will want to see how fluid he is in space this week but if Detroit wants to keep Brian Branch at a deeper safety alignment, Barron could be a player that steps up in the box for them.

Nebraska DL Ty Robinson

Going back to the defensive line, there was a specific player that caught my eye a few times on tape. That was Ty Robinson from Nebraska. He’s played 60 games for the Cornhuskers and was redshirted in 2019.

On tape, he displays a versatile skill set with the ability to play in multiple alignments upfront. Playing with a good blend of power and speed at 6’6″ and 310 pounds, Robinson seems destined to play as a nose or 3-technique in the NFL. However, a team such as the Lions could look to bump him out as wide as a 4i-technique or 5-technique.

 

When rushing the passer, he’s effective with a club-rip and swim move to collapse the pocket. Which really helped him become more productive last season with 13 tackles for loss and seven sacks. The Lions could be intrigued with how well he moves laterally for his size and much like Alim McNeill in high school, Robinson also played baseball.

Oh, and fun fact, there were times that Robinson would play fullback for the Cornhuskers, too.

South Carolina LB Demetrius Knight

The Lions will have an interesting decision to make with their linebacker room despite adding to it several years in a row. We all know what they’ve got with Alex Anzalone and Jack Campbell. But I’d have to assume that new defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard will want to ensure he’s got good depth and the option to play three linebackers in the Lions’ “base” defense.

There’s some uncertainty about the availability of Malcolm Rodriguez to start the season, and the same could be said for Derrick Barnes. In addition to both players coming back from knee injuries, Barnes is also scheduled to be a free agent. I’d have to assume he’ll be back, but it’s always tough to say.

So if the Lions are looking at linebacker depth, one player that consistently catches my eye is Demetrius Knight II from South Carolina. He checked into the Senior Bowl at 6012 and 246 pounds with 3328 arms. Right around the same size as Barnes (6’0″ | 238 pounds | 33 3/8″ arms), Knight could provide the Lions a healthier option at the position.

On tape, he’s a physical defender that is willing to take on blocks and shows good range and athleticism. He does have lapses in coverage at times but overall, he could be rotate between the ‘SAM’ and ‘MIKE’ linebacker spot for the Lions defense.

There will be some concerns surrounding Knight’s age as he’s already 25-years old and he did get dismissed from Georgia Tech. If those boxes are checked off, he’ll provide depth and potential starting ability at linebacker while being able to contribute on special teams.

Oregon EDGE Jordan Burch 

Lastly, I want to talk about a player that I think really fits the Detroit Lions profile for a defensive lineman. Listed at 6’6″ and 268 pounds, it wouldn’t be surprising if Burch checked in slightly bigger than that at the Senior Bowl.

 

Regardless, that shouldn’t change what teams think of him because the tape speaks for itself. On tape, Burch is a versatile edge defender that is best suited to play as a 4i-technique to a 5-technique. Can play in a 3-point stance or with his hand in the dirt but needs to get more comfortable in either stance prior to the snap. There are times that he tends to rock with his hand in the dirt and that forces him to be slower off the snap. 

Most importantly, Burch has plenty of tools to work with as a pass rusher – his best move is the long-arm technique. If he can’t get home on his pass rush, he will look to deflect passes at the line of scrimmage. 

It’s unclear if the Lions will bring back Levi Onwuzurike or not but if they move on, I could see a player such as Jordan Burch being an ideal replacement for Detroit.

Lions film review: Ifeatu Melifonwu returns with a strong season debut

Lions film review: Ifeatu Melifonwu returns with a strong season debut in Week 16 against the Bears

It’s been a long time coming but last Sunday against the Chicago Bears, the Detroit Lions finally saw defensive back Ifeatu Melifonwu return to the field. Fortunately for the Melifonwu and the Lions, he didn’t disappoint with his performance either.

One season ago, the Lions saw Melifonwu have the best season of his career. He finished with 33 tackles, three sacks, four tackles for loss, two interceptions and 8 pass deflections. Last year, much of his success came from week 13 through the end of the season.

Now the hope for the Lions defense is that Melifonwu has the same late season impact he did from a year ago. Let’s dive into some tape to look at where he will impact the Lions the most on defense.

 

By having Melifonwu on the field, it provides the Lions defense some versatility it didn’t have a few weeks ago. This allows the Lions to place Melifonwu as one of the safeties in a two-high shell or they could play him closer to the box.

Either way, I’d expect him to play interchangeable roles with Brian Branch. Ultimately, we should see the Lions have three safeties (Joseph, Branch and Melifonwu) on the field at the same time.

Looking at the play above, we get exactly that. The Lions come out with an inverted Cover-2 look on defense. Prior to the snap, you’ll see the Chicago Bears in a 2×2 bunch set on offense. In the process, you’ll see Melifonwu (No. 6) in a press alignment on the left side of the defense (bottom of the screen).

Once the ball is snapped, you’ll see the Lions send a 6-man pressure and the first player in the backfield is Melifonwu. Unfortunately, he isn’t able to stay square or keep his feet and he ends up on the ground rather than the quarterback. That said, it doesn’t give Bears quarterback Caleb Williams a clean pocket and forces him out, and he ends up having to throw the football away.

 

Moving onto the next play, we get into the later part of the game but Melifonwu is able to record his first sack of the season. Looking at the play above, we’ll see a similar type of blitz from Melifonwu and the Lions defense.

Sending a 6-man pressure with the point of emphasis coming from the middle, the Bears max protect with the running back to prevent any pressure coming from that area. That said, the speed and pursuit from Melifonwu is too much and it leads to the sack.

Overall, it was a strong season debut for Melifonwu. He registered four total tackles, two total pressures and a sack. In coverage, he was only targeted once and no reception was recorded, per Pro Football Reference.

According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Melifonwu earned a 64.5 run defense grade, 67.0 coverage grade and a 66.5 overall grade. Not bad for a player that hasn’t been healthy enough to play in the preseason or regular season this year. It’s worth noting that he led all safeties last season with a 47.4% pressure rate.

Having Melifonwu back is important for the Lions defense. We see the pressure he brings and he’s able to help consistently in coverage for the defensive backfield. That said, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn knows exactly how and when to use Melifonwu. Especially when it’s time to get the quarterback.

Broncos and Lions bring diverging defensive trends to a key Saturday night matchup

When the Broncos and Lions face off on Saturday night, it will be a story of two defenses that have changed dramatically.

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When the Denver Broncos and the Detroit Lions face off Saturday night at Ford Feld in Detroit, it’ll be one team fighting to maintain their division lead (the 9-4 Lions), and another trying to make a dent in the postseason picture after a horrible start (the 7-6 Broncos).

And in this case, we’re talking about two defenses that have gone in decidedly different directions in the second half of the season. That’s a good thing in Denver’s case. The Broncos ranked dead last in Defensive DVOA in through Week 9, and they rank sixth since. It’s even better for Vance Joseph’s defense against the pass — a team that ranked 32nd in Pass Defense DVOA through Week 9 now ranks third.

In the Lions’ case, it’s no bueno. Detroit started the season ranked eighth in Defensive DVOA through the first nine weeks, and they rank 28th since. The Lions ranked eighth in Pass Defense DVOA in the first half of the season, and they’re stuck at 28th since.

How can two NFL defenses go so strongly in different directions so quickly? Let’s go under the hood.

An idea for fixing the Lions defensive woes against mobile quarterbacks

The Lions defense is a top-10 unit when they’re not playing dual-threat QBs. The key to stopping the horrible results when playing them might be hiding in plain sight.

There is a disturbing commonality with the Detroit Lions in their most recent losses. It’s one that has dogged defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn for his entire era in charge of the Detroit defense.

Quarterbacks who can run give Glenn his Lions defense fits.

There’s a difference between a running quarterback and a quarterback who can run. Running quarterbacks tend to not be much of a problem because they want to run, or need to run to be effective. Think Daniel Jones of the Giants, Desmond Ridder in Atlanta or Justin Fields of the Bears. Detroit has handled that type of pretty well.

On Sunday, the Lions ran into the latter kind in Lamar Jackson — a great passer who also happens to be able to kill you with his legs, too. And that’s exactly what Jackson did, destroying the Lions with his passing ability and also his running prowess.

It was a similar outcome to how Jalen Hurts, Geno Smith (twice) and Josh Allen have lit up the Lions defense. They’re all accomplished passing QBs who also happen to be good runners. In those matchups, Detroit’s defense tends to get away from what has otherwise made them pretty successful, especially in 2023.

It feels like the Lions are indecisive and uneasy with their defensive assignments when playing the mobile passers. The linebackers are a half-count later to the ball in coverage; the EDGEs don’t rush the QB as aggressively, and the safeties are often trapped in between playing the run and pass. That was certainly true in the ugly loss in Baltimore.

The Lions don’t wear indecision well. They don’t play read-and-react all that well. When they’re not facing the passers who can run, they don’t show those traits or schematic style. Glenn’s defense attacks, often creatively and with excellent coordination between levels. The line knifes into gaps better. The LBs fill with confidence and speed to the point of attack. The corners play tighter to the line and aren’t peeking over their shoulders when running out in man coverage.

Here’s the radical thought: don’t worry about the quarterback run. Play defense the way that works well instead of changing things up schematically just because the QB might take off. Trust in Aidan Hutchinson, Alim McNeill and John Cominsky to make some plays before Hurts or Jackson gashes them for a 9-yard run on 3rd-and-10. Empower Derrick Barnes, Jack Campbell, Brian Branch, Tracy Walker and Alex Anzalone — the primary components of the run defense — to step up, too.

Will that surrender some big plays? Absolutely. But what’s more damaging, an 11-yard run by the quarterback or a 37-yard pass that exploits the defense waiting to stop the 11-yard QB run? Because that’s exactly what’s happening in these games.

I’d rather see the Lions play their brand of defense that works pretty well when not facing the likes of Jackson or Patrick Mahomes than get away from what works to try and limit what those MVP candidates might do. Interestingly, Glenn’s defense largely did this in the Week 1 win over Mahomes and the Chiefs. With some assistance from Chiefs WRs (literally) dropping the ball and no Travis Kelce, it worked pretty well.

A week later, indecision clouded the vision against Seattle. Smith, D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett lit up the less aggressive, less coordinated Lions defense. Forcing the defensive backs to worry about maybe having to come up and stop the QB run renders them much worse in coverage, that’s been proven time and again to Glenn’s troops. So, just maybe, don’t worry about it and play your normal game.

I don’t know if it will work. I also know that what Glenn and the Lions keep doing in those matchups isn’t working. It isn’t showing even marginal improvement. At worst, the changeup from tendencies might buy the defense a couple of early stops and give the Detroit offense a chance to get some momentum. If Jackson or Allen or Smith or Justin Herbert still beats the Lions, and they very well might, tip your cap to greatness and at least know you made them earn it.

Just an idea from someone tired of the insanity of asking an otherwise good defense to abandon why it’s successful just because the quarterback can both run and throw.

3 potential solutions to help fix the Detroit Lions defense

Offering up 3 solutions to help start fixing the Lions defense

The Detroit Lions have a defensive problem. Well, technically it’s a vast collection of problems that could inspire Jay-Z to write a sequel to one of his most famous songs.

It’s hard to come up with a solution to 99 different problems on Aaron Glenn’s failing unit, but we can at least isolate three solutions that will help clean up the NFL’s worst defense.

Ranking the offenses the Detroit Lions will face in 2022

Here’s how the 14 offenses on Detroit’s 2022 schedule stack up.

The Detroit Lions defense is changing its base scheme and promises to be a more aggressive, attacking unit in the second year under coordinator Aaron Glenn.

They’re in for quite a few challenges in the 2022 season. The Lions have several potent offenses on the 17-game docket. Which ones are the best, and which ones figure to be easier for the new-look Lions defense to handle?

Here’s how the 14 offenses on Detroit’s 2022 schedule stack up, from worst to best.

Lions defense bringing attack first mentality to defensive scheme

The Detroit Lions are bringing a new look to the defense this year flipping from a read-react defense to one opponents should fear

Walking into the second year of the Brad Holmes/Dan Campbell regime, you can feel major steps are being made after many lessons were learned following their first year. One of the major changes implemented in the evolving nature of the Lions defense is switching from a read-react defense to one that punches the opponent in the mouth, which surely fits what Campbell and Aaron Glenn are looking to accomplish on defense.

The Lions have done a great job in bringing players who can generate the thump and thunder to make this change successful. With the majority of the players back from last year to supplement with the infusion of draft talent that fits the mindset, the pieces are in place to make the leap.

For the attack first mentality to work, the defense needs to work in complete unison to force the opposition into what the Lions want them to do versus the other way around. Everywhere from the defensive line to the linebackers to the secondary needs to be one unified front. The Lions retained most of their coaches from last year, which led to productive seasons from unexpected players, specifically defensive line coach Todd Wash and linebacker coach Kelvin Sheppard, who was promoted from outside linebacker coach last year.

In a recent interview with Lions Tim Twentyman on his podcast, Sheppard mentioned how Wash influenced him through his first season as an NFL coach.

“Without Todd Wash, I would not have had half the success that I did,”

These coaches will be at the forefront of the new Lions attack first defense. Considering their relationship’s strength, they can scheme the best situations for their players to maximize their potential, especially under defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn’s tutelage.

Earlier, Wash brought up that with the additions of Hutchinson and Paschal, the Lions will be able to attack due to the skillset each of the players can bring, lining up with what Sheppard had to say about the attack first mentality is a blessing for the linebacker corps.

“As a linebacker, it’s everything you ever wanted. To a react defense, you have to marry everything that’s happening up front. So they can’t be playing react and we’re just shooting—no. When they play react, it’s a lot of principles that those 3-4 systems have, where you see bigger inside linebackers, because they’re two-gappish type of players. Attack-react is normally involved with 4-3 systems more attacking. To be honest, that comes top-down from Aaron Glenn. He is a dictator, in my opinion.”

As a defensive player, you want to be the one to force the offense into something they are not comfortable in, and if the Lions can shut down some of the opponent’s offensive aspects, they can gain the upper hand. Sheppard is excited to implement this new style and is ready to stack the deck in the Lions favor.

“Defense, I know we’re a reactionary component in football, but we’re flipping the table. We’re trying to dictate to people—and we’re going to do what we do. We’re going to do what we do, and then we’ll react on the move. But we’re lining up, and we’re going after you. We’re going to do what we do, and then depending on what you give us, we’ll react accordingly.”

Right off the bat, you can feel a changing of the guards surrounding the Lions heading into the 2022 season. With coaches like Sheppard, it is very easy to jump on the bandwagon with the amount of optimism and excitement radiating from Allen Park. If the Lions can implement what they are looking to accomplish, opponents will fear the new Lions attack first defense.

Lions inept defense threatens the franchise and NFL record books

Detroit’s defense ranks last in several categories and could allow the most points in NFL history

During Saturday’s hopeless 47-7 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the social media lamentations made it clear. This edition of the Detroit Lions defense could be the worst unit to ever wear the Honolulu blue and silver.

They might already be there with the eye test, but the wretched and incompetent failure that is the Lions defense in 2020 could validate the historical status in Week 17 against the Vikings. The team could surpass the winless 2008 edition in points allowed.

Detroit currently sits at 482 points allowed, the worst in the NFL in 2020. The Raiders are next up at 447, 35 points behind the injury-riddled Lions unit. And that 35 figure is fitting, because if the Lions surrender 35 or more points to the Vikings next Sunday, it will break the franchise record for most points allowed in a season.

The winless Lions of Rod Marinelli in 2008 allowed 517 points in going 0-16. The 2020 edition currently sits third in franchise ignominy, with the 2009 team under Jim Schwartz ceding 494 points to opponents in finishing 2-14.

It will be difficult to break the NFL record for most points allowed in a 16-game season, set by the Baltimore Colts in 1981. Those Colts allowed 533. If the Vikings can score 52, the record falls to the Matt Patricia-styled Lions.

In the first meeting with Minnesota, the Vikings won 34-20.

The Lions are also last in the NFL in TDs allowed (35), first downs allowed (384), passing yards allowed (4,175) and rushing TDs allowed (35), though the Jaguars and Seahawks can both surpass the Lions in some of those categories in their respective games on Sunday.

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Behind Enemy Lines: 6 questions with Lions Wire

Before Sunday’s game, we caught up with managing editor Jeff Risdon of Lions Wire to get the scoop on the Bears’ Week 13 opponent.

The Chicago Bears are looking to break a five-game losing streak when they welcome the Detroit Lions to Soldier Field on Sunday. And the Bears might’ve met the the Lions at either the best or worst time after Detroit fired general manager Bob Quinn and head coach Matt Patricia.

With Bears general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy’s futures possibly on the line, this is a game Chicago needs to win to break their losing streak and keep their slim playoff chances alive.

Before the game, we caught up with managing editor Jeff Risdon of Lions Wire to get the scoop on the Bears’ Week 13 opponent.

Here are six questions with Lions Wire:

Lions pass defense has been historically terrible the last 4 weeks

Last year the Lions finished 30th with a QB Rating allowed of 102.7

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No pass defense has been worse than the Detroit Lions over the last four weeks. That much is plainly obvious to anyone who has watched the toothless pass rush and soft coverage that has allowed opponents to throw the ball almost at will.

Thanks to NFL Inside Edge, we have graphic representation of just how bad it’s been of late.

The Lions have allowed a QB Rating of 128.7 since Week 7, handily the worst mark in the league. It’s 13.3 rating points worse than the 31st-ranked Oakland Raiders.

For the season, the Lions have allowed a 100.0 QB Rating, which is 23rd. Atlanta is currently 32nd on the year at 113.2. Note that the Falcons have improved of late; they are not in the bottom five from the last four weeks.

One area where the Lions have fallen off: takeaways. They do not have an interception since Justin Coleman picked off Aaron Rodgers back in the Week 6 loss to the Packers.

The Lions’ worst-ever QB Rating allowed for a full season came in the winless 2008 campaign, when Detroit allowed a league-worst 110.8. The records on Team Rankings only date back to 2003, but that Lions figure is the worst-ever. And the current Lions are on pace to shatter it with their abysmal pass defense of late.