The good: The Detroit Lions have put a ton of resources into bolstering the interior of their defensive front since GM Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell arrived in 2021, clearly making it a priority to be strong in the middle of their defense.
Levi Onwuzurike and Alim McNeill were taken in the second and third rounds in Holmes’ first NFL Draft in 2021, with both making it past their rookie contracts – McNeill with an extension and Onwuzurike on a one-year free agent deal last offseason.
Detroit also drafted defensive tackles Brodric Martin (third round; 2023), Mekhi Wingo (sixth; 2024) and Tyleik Williams (first; 2025) in the last three drafts.
They’ve also signed free agents DJ Reader and Roy Lopez. Reader has been a key player upfront over the last couple seasons and Lopez stepped in and had a really nice first season in Detroit in 2025.
It was kind of a tale of two seasons for Detroit’s run defense this season – which we’ll talk about more in the next section – but Detroit still finished in the top half of the league in rushing defense, allowing 114.5 yards per game (ranked 14th) with a 4.37 yards per carry average (21st). The 16 rushing touchdowns by Detroit also ranked in the top half of the league (14th).
Lopez ended up being a nice free-agent signing by Holmes last offseason as he finished the year as Detroit’s top-graded interior defender by Pro Football Focus. He played in all 17 games with 30 tackles, four tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, five quarterback hits and one pass defended.
Williams showed steady improvement throughout the season that has teammates and coaches excited about what he could bring to the table alongside a fully healthy McNeill, who’s expected to be back to form in his first full season removed from an ACL injury in 2026. Williams ranked sixth among rookie interior defenders in PFF grade at 62.6. He said improving his pass rush win rate is his focus going into his first NFL offseason.