With their final pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions selected their third player from the University of Georgia: slot receiver Dominic Lovett.

Dominic Lovett, Slot WR, Georgia

After two seasons at Missouri, where he led the Tigers in receiving, Lovett transferred to Georgia to take his game to the next level. While he maintained a starting slot role, his production initially dipped with more talented players around him and an expanding special teams role. But as a senior, Lovett met the rise in talent and led Georgia in receptions, as well as receiving touchdowns.

Fit with Lions

As a slot-only receiver, Lovett may have a limited ceiling for offensive contributions in the Lions offense. That being said, he has traits that the Lions appear to have been targeting for a few seasons—see Isaiah Williams in 2024—which could open up an opportunity for him to establish himself on the roster.

While Lovett is undersized (5-foot-10, 185 pounds), he’s a speedy athlete with the quickness to get open underneath and the shiftiness to be featured on screens, quick outs, and gadget plays.

On special teams, Lovett has the speed and upside to also compete for a starting gunner role in Detroit.

“I would just say that it’s just a ‘want-to,’ Lovett said to the media following his selection by the Lions. “To me, I look at it like a race down the field, ‘Can this guy in front of you stop you from racing to where you want to go?’ That’s how I look at it.”

With 4.4-second 40-yard-dash speed, Lovett certainly has the speed to race down the field, and his willingness to grind out his opportunities should keep him in several camp battles for multiple roles.

“Whenever you put me out on the field, I just plan to make an impact any way I can, any way possible,” Lovett continued. “It may be on special teams, it may be on a third down, first down. I’m OK with being a teams-tool guy, wherever they need me to be. I would say gunner, kick returner, punt returner, R5, L1—wherever you want to put me, I’m OK with that. I just want to be on the field.”

Roster Impact

The Lions return their top four wide receivers from last season—Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Tim Patrick, and Kalif Raymond—then drafted Isaac TeSlaa in the third round of this draft, giving the Lions a solid five receivers with high expectations.

The Lions often prefer to keep six wide receivers during the season, which will give Lovett a chance to compete, but he’ll likely need to win an impact role on special teams in order to make it happen. Competing with Lovett will be another former Lions seventh-round pick, Antoine Green, longtime veteran slot receiver Tom Kennedy, and newly acquired Michigan Man Ronnie Bell.