Detroit Lions Rookie Class Grade & Impact for 2025

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With 2025 NFL training camps on the horizon, we’re starting to understand how 2025 NFL draft classes will impact each roster this season.

Let's look at the Detroit Lions, breaking down the most likely instant-impact rookies from each class, while also providing some insight into why certain early picks may not see the field.

Who are the Detroit Lions rookies?

  • Tyleik Williams (DL, Ohio State)
  • Tate Ratledge (OG, Georgia)
  • Isaac TeSlaa (WR, Arkansas)
  • Miles Frazier (OG, LSU)
  • Ahmed Hassanein (EDGE, Boise State)
  • Dan Jackson (S, Georgia)
  • Dominic Lovett (WR, Georgia)

Detroit Lions Draft Class Grade:

The Detroit Lions received a C draft grade from Sharp Football.

Which Lions Rookies Will Make An Impact?

The Lions elected to draft for the future with the selection of Tyleik Williams (first round). 

In the short term, Williams will offer some versatility as a backup on the defensive line. He’s built like a nose tackle but regularly lined up as a three-tech at Ohio State. 

Alim McNeill and D.J. Reader will be Detroit's starters at defensive tackle, with Levi Onwuzurike playing a key reserve role. However, Reader and Onwuzurike are free agents after the 2025 season, and McNeill is coming back from a serious injury, likely paving the way for Williams to take on a larger role. 

Despite regularly playing in the three-tech spot for the Buckeyes, that is unlikely to be Williams’ long-term role due to a lack of athleticism. 

Williams ranked 23rd among Big Ten interior linemen with a forgettable 4.4% pressure rate last season.

That lack of production likely doesn’t concern Detroit, as Williams will primarily be relied upon for his run-game production. Reader typically lines up at nose tackle for Detroit, so Williams likely slides into that role, and will come off the field in certain passing situations in favor of a more athletic interior presence like Onwuzurike. 

Tate Ratledge (second round) is Detroit's only rookie with a path to a starting job. 

Ratledge will compete with Christian Mahogany and Graham Glasgow for one of the guard positions. However, he has also taken reps at center so that he can be a three-position backup if he’s unable to lock down a starting spot. 

The biggest risk in the selection of Ratledge is his history of injuries. He missed action due to shoulder, knee, and ankle injuries over the last three seasons. 

Ratledge was at his best in the run game at Georgia, as the Bulldogs averaged 2.4 yards before contact when running behind him last season, the top rate among the team’s interior linemen. 

Miles Frazier (fifth round) will join Ratledge on the offensive line, though likely only as a depth piece. 

Frazier made 51 career starts at FIU and LSU at every spot on the offensive line except center. 

Although he might lack the athletic traits to develop into a starter, Frazier’s versatility bodes well for a long career as a backup. 

Isaac TeSlaa (third round) has an impressive blend of size and athleticism and has the potential to make a bigger impact in the NFL than he did at Arkansas, though there is limited opportunity in Detroit’s receiving corps at the moment. 

TeSlaa was underutilized at Arkansas, but he made the most of his chances. Based on route adjusted data, TeSlaa had a catch rate 25% above expected while producing 27% more yards after catch than expected in 2024. 

It’s unclear how TeSlaa fits into the mix in Detroit, however. He primarily played in the slot at Arkansas, but Detroit already has Amon-Ra St. Brown entrenched in that role, plus Sam LaPorta regularly shifts into the slot as well. 

Dominic Lovett (seventh round) will also compete for reps in the slot, though he’s much smaller than TeSlaa and provides a different type of athleticism. 

With minimal special teams experience and none as a return specialist, it’s tough to see how Lovett fits into the team’s plan, and he’ll have an uphill battle for a roster spot. 

Ahmed Hassanein (sixth round) will provide some depth on the edge, which proved to be a weakness for Detroit last season after Aidan Hutchinson’s injury. 

Hassanein was relatively productive last year at Boise State (13% pressure rate), but he lacks any special traits and tends to win with energy and effort, which fits Detroit’s culture well, though it doesn’t always translate to NFL production. 

Dan Jackson (seventh round) was drafted to bite kneecaps on special teams. 

Although Jackson emerged as a capable starter at safety in 2024, the former walk-on spent the previous five years winning over the coaching staff on the scout team and special teams. 

There’s no path to a starting role at safety in Detroit, with Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph entrenched as starters, so Jackson will be a special teams weapon for the Lions. 

For a team with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations, this is a disappointing draft haul. 

The Lions certainly added talent at a few positions, and maybe Williams and Ratledge turn into long-term contributors 一 but if ever there was a time for Detroit to favor immediate contributions over long-term growth, this was the moment.  

Even from a long-term view, this looks like a questionable class. Drafting a nose tackle in the first round is rarely advisable in this era of football, and to follow that up with an interior offensive lineman and a developmental wide receiver sets the Lions up to potentially come away with minimal production from this group. 

This analysis continues in the 2025 Football Preview

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