The Detroit Lions landed a star at the top of the 2022 NFL draft, landing Aidan Hutchinson with the No. 2 overall pick.
Finding a competent counterpart for Hutchinson has been a bigger challenge, with the Lions failing to find another playmaking edge rusher despite several attempts. The team has tried through the draft and free agency, even adding a veteran in a trade last year, but struggled to find anyone near the level of production that Hutchinson has brought.
One outlet believes the Lions will take another crack at it in next year’s NFL draft, taking aim at a “stud” edge rusher in the first round.
Joe DeLeone of Pro Football Network predicted the Lions would use their first-round pick on Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr., who is looking for a bounce-back season after injuries sidetracked his college career.
“Rueben Bain Jr. battled through injuries in 2024 and looks to return to his freshman-year form,” DeLeone wrote. “His physical rushing style and high motor are conducive to becoming a quality secondary rusher, opposite Aidan Hutchinson.”
SI.com’s Mark Morales-Smith predicted that Bain could be out of Detroit’s reach, noting that he projects as a first-round pick with the potential to climb into the Top 10 with a strong season with the Hurricanes.
“The former four-star recruit has everything you look for in a stud edge rusher,” Morales-Smith wrote. “He’s 6’3, 275 pounds, long and explosive with an ability to dominate as a pass rusher and also defend the run well. After dealing with a calf injury last year, he will need to show why he was so great as a freshman, but there is little reason to doubt that he will do just that.”
While the Lions could invest some draft capital in finding a partner for Hutchinson, the team is also predicted to make more immediate moves to add depth to the pass-rushing group. The Athletic’s Colton Pouncy suggested that the Lions could have a plan to bring back 32-year-old Za’Darius Smith, who was added ahead of last season’s trade deadline as a replacement for the injured Hutchinson.
While Smith was not able to match Hutchinson’s All-Pro level of production, he did lead the team with 4.0 sacks down the final stretch of the season. Pouncy suggested that the Lions could be planning to sign Smith after he had the chance to test the waters of free agency — which has now stretched more than two months with no signing.
“I’ll be honest, the longer Smith goes unsigned, the more I wonder if the Lions are letting him take his time and would like to remain involved,” Pouncy wrote. “That’s sort of how they were able to land C.J. Gardner-Johnson. [Lions general manager Brad] Holmes told reporters he didn’t know if they’d be able to sign him, but was in contact with his agent throughout the process. When his market didn’t materialize the way he thought it would, Detroit was the landing spot. So, I do wonder if the Lions had a similar conversation with Smith.”
