As the dust settles on the 2025 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions still find themselves with one critical gap to fill — a reliable defensive end to line up opposite Aidan Hutchinson.
The franchise opted not to address that issue during the recent draft, leaving veteran Marcus Davenport as the likely candidate for the starting role on the opposite edge. For a team with championship ambitions, that’s not an ideal long-term answer.
Analysts Max Chadwick and Dalton Wasserman of Pro Football Focus believe Detroit’s long-term fix will arrive via the 2026 draft. In their extremely early mock draft, they have the Lions using the 27th overall pick on Penn State standout Dani Dennis-Sutton.
While Dennis-Sutton took some time to develop at the collegiate level, he delivered his strongest performances when it mattered most — in the postseason. During the College Football Playoff, he posted seven tackles for loss, including a dominant effort against Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl, and recorded 4.5 sacks across the playoff games, with two coming in the semifinal versus Notre Dame.
With Abdul Carter headed to the NFL, Dennis-Sutton is expected to step into the primary edge role for the Nittany Lions in 2025. His upcoming season will be pivotal for his draft stock.
Detroit’s pass rush needs are unlikely to be resolved in the immediate future unless an unforeseen roster move is made. Any veteran reinforcement acquired in the offseason would likely serve as a short-term patch.
Although the team selected Ahmed Hassanein in the sixth round, expecting a late-round pick to develop into a high-impact starter right away would be optimistic.
Thankfully, the Lions addressed several future priorities in this year’s draft, giving them the flexibility to prioritize edge help next spring.
With the 2026 draft still well over a year away, it’s too soon to know which prospects will be available where Detroit is projected to pick. However, if the need remains, Dennis-Sutton could very well be the answer.