Lions 2025 draft preview

LBs are set next season, but long-term questions linger

Ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft (April 24-26 in Green Bay), we’ll be taking a position-by-position look at the Detroit Lions‘ roster and how the team’s needs can be met on draft weekend. Today: Linebackers.

Current roster outlook

The Lions are returning all three of their starting linebackers from last season, with Alex Anzalone (weak-side linebacker), Jack Campbell (middle linebacker) and Derrick Barnes (strong-side linebacker) set to once again lead things in 2025.

Anzalone and Campbell formed a nice 1-2 punch as Detroit’s off-ball linebackers, and Barnes was trending in the right direction before a knee injury against the Arizona Cardinals in September prematurely ended his season. Campbell’s development, specifically, was a welcome sight. The 18th overall draft pick in 2023 didn’t have the rookie season some hoped for, but he rebounded with an impressive Year 2; Campbell’s overall defensive grade from Pro Football Focus in 2024 (78.7) ranked 10th among the 90 linebackers in the NFL who saw at least 250 defensive snaps.

Malcolm Rodriguez and Grant Stuard presumably will serve as the primary depth behind Anzalone and Campbell, though Rodriguez tore his ACL in November. Stuard, signed to the Lions this offseason, played a decently sized defensive role (229 snaps) for the Indianapolis Colts in 2023.

Others who qualify as depth at one or both of the off-ball positions (weak side and middle) are Abraham Beauplan, DaRon Gilbert, Anthony Pittman and Ezekiel Turner. Canton’s Trevor Nowaske, back on another one-year deal, filled in at strong-side linebacker when Barnes went down.

Level of need: Medium-Low

With nearly a dozen linebackers already on the roster, the Lions have no need for immediate help at the position. What could lead to them selecting a linebacker in this year’s draft, however, is the fact Campbell and Barnes are the only two linebackers signed beyond the 2025 season. Anzalone could return — head coach Dan Campbell praises the veteran linebacker any chance he gets — but that’s no guarantee, especially when considering the big-money extensions the Lions are going to have to shell out over the next couple of years.

At the top

Only one linebacker is expected to go in the first round: Jihaad Campbell (Alabama), a five-star recruit in the Class of 2022 who became a starter midway through his sophomore campaign and held that role in the Crimson Tide’s defense through 2024.

Campbell, who is a former collegiate teammate of running back Jahmyr Gibbs, cornerback Terrion Arnold and safety Brian Branch, did a little bit of everything at Alabama, tallying 117 total tackles (12 for loss), five sacks and an interception last season. His overall defensive grade in 2024 (81.6) ranked fourth among SEC linebackers who received 200 or more defensive snaps, and he had the seventh-most pressures (20) among that same group.

The majority of Campbell’s work came as an off-ball linebacker, but he did get a decent opportunity (112 snaps) lined up on the defensive line in 2024. Campbell was tabbed by 247Sports as an edge rusher, but he played linebacker once he arrived to college.

Campbell’s projected range has him coming off the board in the middle-to-late first round. It’s difficult to envision a role for him on the Lions in 2025, but his addition on Day 1 could signal Detroit’s future plans at the position.

Teams who could be after a LB in Round 1

Indianapolis Colts (No. 14), Atlanta Falcons (15), Cincinnati Bengals (17), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (19), Los Angeles Rams (26), Detroit Lions (28), Buffalo Bills (30)

Down the board

Carson Schwesinger (UCLA) is viewed by most as LB2, but he likely won’t be selected until the draft’s second day. Schwesinger was a machine for the Bruins in 2024, leading the nation in solo tackles (90) while also chipping in nine tackles for loss, four sacks and two interceptions. The former unranked recruit was a semifinalist for the Burlsworth Trophy, given annually to the country’s top football player who began his career as a walk-on.

Players coming in behind Schwesinger include Danny Stutsman (Oklahoma) and Chris Paul Jr. (Ole Miss), among others such as Demetrius Knight Jr. (South Carolina) and Smael Mondon Jr. (Georgia). Stutsman has impressive sideline-to-sideline speed — his 40-yard dash result (4.52 seconds) tied with Campbell for the third-best time among linebackers at the combine — and his freshman season featured solid numbers on special teams, a phase of the game that’s all but mandatory to play for middle-round linebackers.

Paul transferred to Ole Miss after spending three seasons at Arkansas. The 2024 season was Paul’s best, as he turned in a career-high 87.2 defensive grade from PFF. That ranked fourth among all defenders on Ole Miss, behind a potential first-round pick (defensive lineman Walter Nolen) and a couple of likely Day 2 pass rushers (Princely Umanmielen and Jared Ivey).

An intriguing Day 3 option is Eugene Asante (Auburn). The linebacker is well seasoned — he spent six seasons in college, with three seasons apiece coming at North Carolina and Auburn — and he plays with intense effort, which led to him posting 133 total tackles and 7½ sacks over the last two seasons. He was one of the two linebackers at the combine, along with UCLA’s Kain Medrano (4.46 seconds), to have a faster 40-yard dash time than Stutsman; Asante checked in at 4.48 seconds.

Time to target

Campbell doesn’t seem like a particularly likely option in the first round for a number of reasons (including the fact that he might not last until the 28th pick), but never say never with general manager Brad Holmes. Finding playing time as a rookie will be difficult for any linebacker picked this year, but the long-term need at the position keeps the door open for a selection at any point during the draft.