NFL media analyst Daniel Jeremiah, one of the more respected draft analysts and talent evaluators in NFL circles, released his Mock Draft 2.0 this week and took part in a national conference call on Thursday to talk everything NFL Draft ahead of next week's NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
At. No. 28 overall, Jeremiah mocked Ohio State interior offensive lineman Donovan Jackson to the Lions.
"Jackson would be a perfect replacement for Kevin Zeitler if the veteran departs in free agency," Jeremiah wrote.
Lions general manager Brad Holmes said after the season he certainly wouldn't overlook keeping Detroit's offensive line the strength of this football team.
"I just think you've got to keep the whole garden watered at all points," Holmes said. "That's the engine for us. And so, I don't care how good we ever get on the offensive line, that one right there is too important for not only our team, our quarterback, everything, it's our identity, man. So, I think just that alone is just – it's always going to be at the forefront."
This is a nice class of interior offensive linemen in the draft with four players landing on Jeremiah's initial list of the Top 50 players.
Jeremiah also loves this defensive line class and thinks there will be a ton of starters coming out of this year's defensive line group.
"I'm excited about this draft. It's a starters draft," he said. "Some positions maybe don't have that superstar that we have had in years past, but we do have a boatload of starters, particularly the defensive line, with a bunch of really, really good players."
View photos of the offensive line prospects who were invited to the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine.
Texas offensive lineman Kelvin Banks Jr. (78) sets up to block against Arkansas during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in Fayetteville, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)
North Carolina State offensive lineman Anthony Belton (74) lines up during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Syracuse on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022, in Syracuse, N.Y. (AP Photo/Joshua Bessex)
Alabama offensive lineman Tyler Booker (52) sets up for a play against South Carolina during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
American team offensive lineman Logan Brown of Kansas (52) runs through drills during practice for the Senior Bowl NCAA college football game, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Mobile, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
LSU offensive lineman Will Campbell (66) gets ready to run a play against Arkansas during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, in Fayetteville, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)
Iowa offensive lineman Connor Colby (77) sets up for a play during the second half of the Citrus Bowl NCAA college football game against Kentucky, Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Oregon offensive lineman Josh Conerly Jr. (76) holds off Illinois defensive lineman Alex Bray (11) during an NCAA football game on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. Oregon won 38-9. (AP Photo/Amanda Loman)
Texas offensive lineman Hayden Conner waits for a play during the first half of an NCAA college football game between TCU and Texas, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023, in Fort Worth, Texas. Texas won 29-26. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Oregon offensive lineman Ajani Cornelius warms up before an NCAA college football game against Stanford on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023, in Stanford, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Kentucky offensive lineman Eli Cox (75) warms up before an NCAA college football game against Florida, Saturday, Oct. 19 2024, in Gainesville, Fla. Florida defeated Kentucky 48-20. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough)
Florida offensive lineman Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson (65) sets up to block against Georgia linebacker Chaz Chambliss (32) during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
LSU offensive lineman Garrett Dellinger (72) guards in the second half of an NCAA college football game against Louisiana-Monroe in Baton Rouge, La., Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Minnesota offensive lineman Aireontae Ersery (69) lines up for play during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Penn State, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Georgia offensive lineman Dylan Fairchild (53) sets up for a play against Alabama during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
LSU offensive lineman Miles Frazier (70) steps up to the line of scrimmage against Alabama during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
William & Mary offensive lineman Charles Grant (60) blocks during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/Mike Caudill)
Oregon State offensive lineman Joshua Gray (67) follows a play during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Washington State, Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, in Pullman, Wash. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)
Michigan offensive lineman Myles Hinton plays during the NCAA college football team's spring game in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, April 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Wisconsin offensive lineman Joe Huber (60) congratulates running back Chez Mellusi on a touchdown against South Dakota during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)
Ohio State offensive lineman Donovan Jackson plays against Purdue during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
LSU offensive lineman Emery Jones Jr. (50) sets up to block against Arkansas during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, in Fayetteville, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)
Cincinnati Bearcats offensive lineman Luke Kandra (67) reacts after a Emory Jones touchdown during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Miami (Ohio), Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)
Boston College offensive lineman Drew Kendall (66) prepares to block against Boston College during the second half of an NCAA college football game in University Park, Texas, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)
Connecticut offensive lineman Chase Lundt (75) plays against Vanderbilt in the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Texas center Jake Majors (65) lines up against Oklahoma defensive lineman Jordan Kelley (88) during the second half of an NCAA college football game at the Cotton Bowl, Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021, in Dallas. Oklahoma won 55-48. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter)
National team offensive lineman Marcus Mbow of Purdue (63) runs through drills during practice for the Senior Bowl NCAA college football game, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Mobile, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Ohio State offensive lineman Seth McLaughlin plays against Akron during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
Missouri offensive lineman Armand Membou (79) blocks Alabama linebacker Qua Russaw (4) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
West Virginia's Wyatt Milum #64 in action against Towson during an NCAA football game on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022, in Morgantown, W. Va. (AP Photo/Gregory Payan)
Southern California offensive lineman Jonah Monheim (79) in the first half during an NCAA college football game against Arizona State, Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Wisconsin offensive lineman Jack Nelson (79) plays against Purdue during the second half of an NCAA college football game in West Lafayette, Ind., Friday, Sept. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Rutgers offensive lineman Hollin Pierce (72) defends against Ohio State defensive end Zach Harrison (9) during an NCAA football game, Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021, in Piscataway, N.J. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
Georgia offensive lineman Tate Ratledge (69) plays against Vanderbilt in the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Miami offensive lineman Jalen Rivers, left, and Georgia Tech defensive lineman Eddie Kelly tackle each other during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Texas Tech offensive lineman Caleb Rogers (76) prepares to block during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Washington State, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Pullman, Wash. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)
Arizona offensive lineman Jonah Savaiinaea (71) lines up against TCU linebacker Cooper McDonald (44) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Ohio State offensive lineman Josh Simmons plays against Western Michigan during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
South Carolina offensive lineman Cason Henry (75) and offensive lineman Torricelli Simpkins III (76) sets up for a play against Illinois during the second half of the Citrus Bowl NCAA college football game, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Clemson offensive lineman Marcus Tate (74) sets up to block during the first half of the Cheez-It Bowl NCAA college football game against Iowa State, Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Pittsburgh's Branson Taylor #78 in action against Kent State during an NCAA football game on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gregory Payan)
Boston College offensive lineman Ozzy Trapilo (70) anchors the line during the first half of an NCAA football game against Louisville on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024, in Chestnut Hill, Mass. (AP Photo/Greg M. Cooper)
Iowa State offensive lineman Jalen Travis (72) gets ready for a play during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Kansas State, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Georgia offensive lineman Xavier Truss (73) blocks against Florida edge Kamran James (24) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
American team offensive lineman Carson Vinson of Alabama A&M (76) runs through drills during practice for the Senior Bowl NCAA college football game, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Mobile, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
American team offensive lineman Clay Webb (74), of Jacksonville State, during the first half of the Senior Bowl NCAA college football game, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, in Mobile, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Texas offensive lineman Cameron Williams (56) lines up for a play during the Cotton Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal game against between Texas and Ohio State, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Cincinnati offensive lineman John Williams (75) sets up to block against Central Florida defensive end Nyjalik Kelly (11) during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Georgia offensive lineman Jared Wilson (55) sets up to block against Florida during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
North Dakota State linemen Grey Zabel (74) lines up against a South Dakota defender during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Vermillion, S.D. (AP Photo/Josh Jurgens)
Jeremiah has 16 edge rushers and defensive tackles on his initial list of Top 50 players available in the draft, led by No. 1 overall prospect Abdul Carter, the talented edge rusher out of Penn State.
The Lions have good talent returning along the defensive line next year with Aidan Hutchinson, Za'Darius Smith, Alim McNeill, DJ Reader and Josh Paschal all currently under contract. This past season with all the injuries the Lions suffered upfront on defense showed that continuing to build depth and competition there is important.
If the Lions stay at No. 28 and look to draft an edge rusher, Jeremiah said Tennessee's James Pearce Jr. or Texas A&M's Shemar Stewart could be two names to watch.
Jeremiah said the defensive line talent and depth is so deep in this draft that teams will be able to get starters well into Day 2 of the draft. He had 12 defensive tackles with a starting grade in last year's draft and said that number doubled to 24 this year.
"As deep a defensive tackle class as I can ever remember," he said.
Jeremiah also touched on a number of other topics, as follows -
Jeremiah on Holmes' draft history with Detroit: "He's been really intentional about how they've built their team. First of all, they started building it through the foundation with the offense and defense line and finding guys with excellent play temperament, guys that are finishers and play with effort and are physical. I think that was the first part of the build.
"And after that they went hunting for as many dynamic players as they can find with Jahmyr Gibbs and Jameson Williams. The juice they brought to that offense. Even (Sam) LaPorta plays really, really fast as a tight end. It just feels they've combined the physical and the fast really, really well. The way they built it out was really smart.
"I think now with where they are they've got some of these young skill guys at these core skill positions, and you've got (Kevin) Zeitler as a free agent and I think you could look at them kind of going back full circle here and go big."
On trades: Jeremiah thinks Detroit would be a perfect destination if Cleveland decides to trade edge rusher Myles Garrett, though he said he doesn't think the Browns will ultimately move their All-Pro pass rusher.
On the QB class: This isn't a strong quarterback class when Jeremiah compared it to last year's class that saw six quarterbacks drafted in the first round. Jeremiah's top two quarterbacks in this class are Miami's Cam Ward and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders.
Jeremiah said he gave Ward the same grade as Denver quarterback Bo Nix, who was the sixth quarterback taken last year at No. 12. He had all six quarterbacks taken last year – Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, Michael Penix Jr., J.J. McCarthy and Nix – graded higher than Sanders.
View photos of the quarterback prospects who were invited to the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine.
Minnesota quarterback Max Brosmer (16) looks to pass the ball during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Iowa, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Missouri quarterback Brady Cook (12) throws a pass during the first half of the Music City Bowl NCAA college football game against Iowa, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Mississippi quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) runs the ball during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Georgia on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in Oxford, Miss. Mississippi won 28-10. (AP Photo/Randy J. Williams)
Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) passes against Ohio State during the first half of the Cotton Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal game, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)
Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) passes against Ohio State during the second half in the quarterfinals of the Rose Bowl College Football Playoff, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
Memphis quarterback Seth Henigan (2) looks to throw a pass during the first half of the Liberty Bowl NCAA college football game against Iowa State, Friday, Dec. 29, 2023, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Ohio State quarterback Will Howard passes against Notre Dame during first half of the College Football Playoff national championship game Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard passes against Ohio State during first half of the College Football Playoff national championship game Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord (6) in the second half during an NCAA college football game against UNLV, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, in Las Vegas. Syracuse won 44-41 in overtime. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Florida quarterback Graham Mertz looks for a receiver during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Texas A&M, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe (4) throws the ball during the first half an NCAA college football game against Auburn, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke looks to throw against Michigan during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Bloomington, Ind., Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough (9) passes the ball in the second half of an NCAA college football game against Clemson, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Clemson, S.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) in the first half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Miami quarterback Cam Ward (1) looks for an open receiver during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Georgia Tech, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)
On Mason Graham: There are a number of players Jeremiah likes from the University of Michigan but particularly defensive tackle Mason Graham. Jeremiah thinks he's the full package as a 'block destructor.'
"Watched him on tape and fell in love with him," Jeremiah said of Graham.
On the OT class: Jeremiah doesn't think there's a lot of depth at offensive tackle in this draft like there has been in past years. Good thing the Lions have Penei Sewell and Taylor Decker under contract and like the development of last year's fourth-round pick, Giovanni Manu.
On other options for Lions: One name that could be on the board if the Lions are still at No. 28 in the first round is offensive lineman Grey Zabel out of North Dakota State, who Jeremiah lists as an interior offensive lineman but thinks he's a rare prospect that has legitimate five position flexibility coming into the NFL.
On Combine drills: We have seen a number of Top 10 prospects opt not to participate in drills at the Combine and Jeremiah thinks that will continue moving forward but he doesn't think it will extend past a few top prospects as some Combine enthusiasts have feared.
