The Detroit Lions addressed the edge rusher position on Day 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft, as the team selected Boise State’s Ahmed Hassanein with the No.196 pick in Round 6.
Hassanein was a productive college player and has the potential to develop into a starter. However, the Lions should look to acquire another starting-caliber pass rusher to pair with Aidan Hutchinson, and NFL Rumors’ Logan Ulrich believes Detroit should sign former Carolina Panthers edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney to fill the pressing need on the defense.
“The Lions are another team that likely will come up in the conversation for every pass rusher with a pulse from now until they prove it’s not a need. Clowney would fit what the Lions are looking for on the field as another edge rusher to capitalize on all the attention put on Aidan Hutchinson,” Ulrich wrote.
Clowney has played for four different franchises in the last five years and spent the 2024 campaign with the Panthers. He posted 5.5 sacks and 44 quarterback pressures with Carolina last year before being released by the team in May.
Though Clowney’s best days are behind him, the veteran can still provide adequate production as a complementary pass rusher for a contender. The former No.1 overall pick is just two years removed from an excellent 2023 season with the Baltimore Ravens, where he tallied nine sacks and 71 quarterback pressures.
There is zero chance the Lions will be able to make a run to the Super Bowl with their current edge rusher group. Adding Clowney wouldn’t solve all their issues at the position, but the South Carolina product would give Detroit a solid starter opposite Hutchinson and an experienced player who has been pretty durable over the last two seasons.
The Lions still have a decent amount of cap space left, so general manager Brad Holmes should use some of that money to sign Clowney and address one of the biggest remaining needs on the roster.
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