Meet The Detroit Lions: Defensive Line

The Detroit Lions season is right around the corner. The 2022 campaign should be excited for fans of the team, as the Lions are set to build from the foundation Dan Campbell built last year in his first season with Detroit. On paper, the Offense has improved drastically. On the other hand, the Defense will rely on players who haven’t quite made a name for themselves in the NFL. However, the key to improving the Defense this season is the ability to pressure the opposing QB. 

In 2021, the Lions had the 29th most sacks in the NFL. Without making Quarterbacks uncomfortable, defensive backs’ jobs become near impossible, and the Defense quickly falls apart. This season, the Lions need to make it a priority to cause a little more mayhem on Defense, starting with the D-Line.

Edge: Aiden Hutchinson

The second overall pick out of the University of Michigan, Aidan Hutchinson, is going to be asked to make a big impact from day 1. In his 2021 season under Jim Harbaugh, Hutchinson went for 14 sacks, the third most in the nation and the most amongst non-linebackers.

Proving to be unstoppable in Ann Arbor, Hutchinson hopes to continue his dominance in Detroit. Not only is he a wrecking ball on the gridiron, but an emotional locker-room leader as well. It wouldn’t be shocking if Aiden was a defensive captain in his rookie season.

Hutchinson was drafted number two overall for a reason. Detroit expects him to be a star, a leader, and eventually one of the best edge rushers in the league. In the near future, the Lions hope he can be the centerpiece of the Defense. 

Edge: Romeo Okwara

Romeo Okwara was drafted to the Giants out of Notre Dame in 2016. Okwara was never exactly given the opportunity to show his potential in New York, as he only started four games over the course of two seasons.

Okwara would make his way over to Detroit in 2018 and instantly make an impact with 7.5 sacks in 14 starts. The following season he was buried in the roster and only started one game. However, in 2020 Okwara was moved to Right Edge and boomed once again for ten sacks. Once Matt Patricia was fired, and Dan Campbell was brought in, the Defensive scheme moved Okwara to an Outside Linebacker position.

Okwara started in the season’s first four games and didn’t thrive in the new system. In week four, he went down with an injury that would keep him out the entire year. Luckily for Okwara, Aaron Glenn (Defensive Coordinator) is changing the Defense to a 4-3, allowing him to return to the hand-in-the-dirt Edge position he has shown he can be valuable in.

The Lions hope Okwara can get back to being a reliable impact starter. If he can, Hutchinson and Okwara coming off both edges wouldn’t be too shabby. 

Defensive Tackle: Michael Brockers

Drafted to St. Louis in 2012, Michael Brockers is what you call a vet. Brockers was never one to take over games, but has always been a consistent starter. In his nine seasons with the Rams, the former LSU Tiger averaged over 15 games played a year. He averaged three sacks per season and 2.86 tackles per game. 

In Brad Holmes’ (Detroit GM) first season with Detroit, he brought Michael Brockers over from LA with him. The DT started in all 16 games he played in for Detroit. He finished with one sack and 52 tackles (3.25 per game). 

Brockers may not be a superstar at 31 years old, but a very reliable and important piece in the middle of our D-Line. 

Defensive Tackle: Alim McNeill

Alim McNeill will be headed into his second season in the NFL in 2022. The 330-pounder was a third-round selection out of NC state in 2021. Last season with the Lions, McNeill played in all 17 games while starting in six of those. He finished with two sacks and 39 tackles. 

This season, McNeill will be given a bit more of an opportunity to show what he can do. Stuffed between two good pass rushers and a veteran Tackle, McNeill should be able to take big strides this season in his development. His duty will be to stop runs. Any pass rush ability from him would be a great added bonus. 

Jack of All Trades: Josh Paschal

A second-round pick out of Kentucky University, Josh Paschal will be someone the Lions throw around in multiple positions this season. In college, Paschal mostly played Edge. The hope for the rookie is that he can fill in any position on the line if needed.

Paschal was all SEC his final year at Kentucky. Although he only finished with five sacks, he flexed his run stop ability with 15 tackles for losses. He finished the season averaging 4.33 tackles per game. 

Outlook

If Aiden Hutchinson can be an asset immediately for Detroit, the Lion’s D-Line will already be 10x improved from a season ago. Everyone else’s jobs on the Defense will become easier, including the rest of the line. 

If you like this article, be sure to look at the rest of the ‘Meet the Detroit Lions’ articles here. The Linebackers are the final position group left before we have completed the entire team. That article will come out sometime in the final week of July.

Follow me on Twitter for more Lions and other sports content @BosscherBen. There, you’ll find new articles for Gridironheroics.com. There, you will be updated when new articles are posted. 

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