The NFL world will descend on Indianapolis this week for the annual scouting combine. Starting Monday, you’ll hear from NFL coaches and general managers, plus the players up for selection in April’s NFL Draft. We’ll gain insight into their personalities and see how they stack up in physical testing data.

Before we kick things off in Indianapolis, we’re previewing the offensive and defensive position groups and honing in on one player at each position who could be a fit for the Lions.

Edge rusher

There’s no question about it: Edge rusher is the strongest position group in this draft class, both in terms of high-end talent and depth. The best illustration of this comes in Dane Brugler’s updated big board at The Athletic, which was released earlier this month. Brugler, recognized as one of the most reliable draft analysts in the game, has 10 edge rushers in his top 50 prospects, and he’s got 17 in his top 100.

This trend comes at a welcome time for the Lions, who are in the market for a long-term option opposite of Aidan Hutchinson. Za’Darius Smith had respectable numbers after Detroit traded for him at the deadline — 40 pressures and 4.0 sacks in nine games — but he’s entering the last year of his deal, and he’ll be 33 years old in early September.

Penn State’s Abdul Carter is the clear No. 1 edge rusher, but it gets murky beyond him. Want someone who put up elite production? Check out Marshall’s Mike Green, who led the nation with 17 sacks in 2024. Interested in taking a swing on someone with size and traits? Shemar Stewart (Texas A&M) and Mykel Williams (Georgia) fit that billing. James Pearce Jr. (Tennessee) is a bit of a wild card, with some prognosticators tabbing him as a top-10 pick and others slotting him in the back of the first round. A strong performance at the combine can help those optimistic projections come true.

Player to watch: Jack Sawyer, Ohio State

Sawyer had the benefit of playing in more games than most — that’s the perk of winning the national championship — but the fact remains his 64 pressures were fourth-most in the country, and his 9.0 sacks ranked in the top 20. Don’t expect him to light things up in Indianapolis — eye-popping speed and strength aren’t his game — but look for him to prove with his testing numbers what he’s already shown with his game: He’s a well-rounded defensive end without many glaring weaknesses. A couple of other names to monitor who could be in play for the Lions at No. 28 overall include Texas A&M’s Nic Scourton and Boston College’s Donovan Ezeiruaku.

Defensive tackle

The Lions enjoyed the services of Alim McNeill, Levi Onwuzurike and DJ Reader along the interior of their defensive line in 2024, but McNeill tore his ACL in December, Onwuzurike is an unrestricted free agent and Reader, whose value isn’t usually presented in the box score, will be 31 years old by the beginning of training camp. Bringing back Onwuzurike would be ideal, but there’s no guarantee another team won’t swoop in and outbid Detroit for a defender who just posted a team-high 47 pressures.

Luckily for the Lions, interior defensive linemen are plentiful in this class. Similar to Carter’s clear status as the top dog among edge rushers, the same can be said for Michigan’s Mason Graham among D-linemen. Others at the position drawing early-round buzz include Darius Alexander (Toledo), Derrick Harmon (Oregon), Kenneth Grant (Michigan), Walter Nolen (Ole Miss), T.J. Sanders (South Carolina) and Tyleik Williams (Ohio State).

There are some versatile options down the board, too. Nebraska’s Ty Robinson is about 300 pounds and profiles as an interior presence, but he saw some action off the edge and racked up 42 pressures in his sixth season with the Cornhuskers in 2024. There’s J.J. Pegues (Ole Miss), as well, as the 6-foot-2, 325-pounder played all over the defensive line while also showing off his athleticism with 69 yards from scrimmage and 7 touchdowns on 21 offensive touches. Yes, you read that right.

Player to watch: Shemar Turner, Texas A&M

The Lions don’t exactly need a starter, especially if Onwuzurike returns, but they can use someone to chip in as depth while simultaneously developing behind the first-team crew. Turner is an ideal developmental piece, as he flashed his versatility at multiple spots along the defensive line while with the Aggies. That means he can either take over for Onwuzurike (if it’s a short-term, prove-it deal that brings the former second-round pick back to Detroit) or put on some weight in 2025 and replace Reader at nose tackle in the future.

Linebacker

Some may have Jalon Walker (Georgia) tabbed as an edge rusher, but we’ve got him as a SAM linebacker. Regardless, he could go inside the top 10. His role, similar to Detroit’s Derrick Barnes, often has him working from a two-point stance to overwhelm opposing offensive tackles. He sometimes lines up in an off-ball capacity, but his best ability is getting after quarterbacks; Walker had six pressures against Texas in the SEC Championship, and he followed that up with five against Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff.

Alabama’s Jihaad Campbell serves a similar purpose, though he played in coverage much more than Walker did; he logged two pass deflections and an interception when targeted in 2024. Campbell, like Walker, is a standout athlete who figures to perform well at the combine. Those two are at the top of the board for linebackers, with Demetrius Knight (South Carolina), Chris Paul Jr. (Ole Miss) and Carson Schwesinger (UCLA) coming in behind them as a few Day 2 prospects.

Detroit’s need at linebacker depends on a couple of things. The first is whether the SAM position will remain important, as it was for Aaron Glenn, under new defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard. Attention should then shift to Barnes, an unrestricted free agent who was trending up before a knee injury ended his season. If he’s out, Walker or Campbell could be on the table. It’d likely take a big trade to move up and grab Walker, but it’s not something general manager Brad Holmes has previously shied away from; Holmes leapfrogged 20 spots in 2022 to select wide receiver Jameson Williams.

Player to watch: Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma

Since we’ve discussed SAM linebacker plenty, let’s put some attention on an off-ball player. Stutsman is an absolutely elite run defender who uses his play recognition and speed to sift through traffic and hawk down running backs. The Lions have Alex Anzalone, Jack Campbell and Malcolm Rodriguez, but Stutsman gives them some depth for the future — Anzalone and Rodriguez are scheduled to be free agents after 2025 — and his motor makes him an ideal candidate for special teams.

Cornerback

Heisman Trophy-winner Travis Hunter (Colorado) may not be the best receiver in the draft (Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan has a case), but he’s probably the best cornerback. Hunter is one of about five to six players at the position garnering first-round interest, along with Jahdae Barron (Texas), Will Johnson (Michigan), Benjamin Morrison (Notre Dame), Shavon Revel Jr. (East Carolina) and Azareye’h Thomas (Florida State). Morrison was someone we identified as a possible choice for the Lions at No. 28 in our first mock draft of the season.

Johnson’s performance in Indianapolis could be crucial, given how he only played in six games as a junior while dealing with multiple injuries. His talent can’t be denied — he left Michigan with a passer rating against of 49.83 over 32 games — but a quick reminder of the player he is should do him well ahead of April’s draft.

The Lions spent a pair of premium picks at cornerback last year, selecting Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. to pair with trade acquisition Carlton Davis III, whose contract is up, and free-agent signee Amik Robertson. Holmes has tended to lean on a best-player-available philosophy during his tenure, but it’d be hard to imagine Detroit dumping more high-end assets into the position if Davis is re-signed.

Player to watch: Dorian Strong, Virginia Tech

Assuming the Lions maintain their love of man coverage with Sheppard now at the helm, Strong would fit in nicely. He spent five years at Virginia Tech, registering 28 pass deflections and seven interceptions over 53 games; five of his interceptions came in his final two seasons with the Hokies. Strong is viewed as a late-Day 2 or early-Day 3 prospect who would ideally get some seasoning before being thrust into any kind of meaningful defensive role.

Safety

Between Kerby Joseph being a ballhawk — nobody has more interceptions (17) since he entered the league in 2022 — and Brian Branch doing a little bit of everything, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better safety tandem in the NFL than what the Lions boast heading into 2025. Joseph finished sixth in Defensive Player of the Year voting (he was also an All-Pro), and Branch, with 109 tackles, 8 quarterback hits and 4 interceptions, earned his first career Pro Bowl.

That said, there’s an argument for the Lions to invest some resources into the position. Ifeatu Melifonwu is entering free agency, which means the only other safeties set to be on the 90-man roster when the new league year begins in March are Erick Hallett II and Loren Strickland; Morice Norris is an exclusive-rights free agent, which means he has a high likelihood of returning.

The draft’s top safeties like Malaki Starks (Georgia), Nick Emmanwori (South Carolina) and Xavier Watts (Notre Dame) don’t make much sense, but anything beyond the third round wouldn’t be jaw-dropping. Starks didn’t have an out-of-this-world season with the Bulldogs in 2024, but he still projects as a first-round talent.

Player to watch: Jaylen Reed, Penn State

With Melifonwu’s future up in the air, let’s keep an eye on someone with a similar build and skill set. Reed, like Melifonwu, thrives in blitzing from the second level. The Detroit native, at 6-foot-1 and 212 pounds, recorded 12 pressures in 2024, the third-most among safeties in the draft. He also had seven tackles for loss and showed off his ball skills with three interceptions and three pass deflections.