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The Detroit Lions will be under incredible pressure to succeed after how last season ended. Detroit had arguably its best regular season in franchise history, winning 15 games and securing the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. It will be a tough act to follow, for more reasons than one.
Detroit has already faced plenty of adversity ahead of the 2025 NFL season, and training camp just started.
The Lions started the offseason by losing both Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn to head coaching jobs. Now the pressure will be on Dan Campbell and Detroit's new coordinators to keep winning games despite the changes to the coaching staff.
Detroit does have a few reasons for optimism though. Aidan Hutchinson should be back after his freak leg injury during the 2024 season. The reintroduction of Hutchinson into Detroit's defense by itself completely changes the game.
The Lions also added plenty of new players during the offseason, including a few priority free agents and another strong rookie class.
Every season, there is at least one player who surprises fans and immediately becomes an important player to the team. The Lions need someone to step into that role in 2025 more than ever before.
But who could it be?
Below we will explore one Lions player who could make or break the team's 2025 NFL season.
The Tyleik Williams pick looks a lot better today than on April 24th
Once again, we must give credit to Lions general manager Brad Holmes.
Holmes trusted his process and made a great pick, selecting Tyleik Williams with the 28th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Williams was not a popular selection shortly after the 2025 NFL Draft. Many analysts criticized the Lions for not drafting an edge rusher, which had been discussed for months before the draft.
Pete Prisco of CBS Sports gave the Lions a C+ for drafting Williams. He was far from alone in his analysis.
“They needed depth and more help on their defensive line and Williams is a player who scouts kept raving about throughout the process,” Prisco wrote. “He can push the pocket from inside, which they need. I might have gone edge here, but I get it.”
The chorus from analysts was eerily similar to the 2023 NFL Draft. Every player the Lions selected were favorites of many NFL scouts, but analysts quibbled over where they were chosen. Largely for reasons of positional value.
But just three months later, the Tyleik Williams pick looks like a great move.
Detroit is still reeling from injuries on the interior of the defensive line. Alim McNeill tore his ACL late in the 2025 season and is not expected back until months into the regular season. His absence creates a gaping hole on Detroit's defensive line.
The Lions also lost Levi Onwuzurike for the entire 2025 season after his recent ACL surgery. Detroit could also be without second-year defensive lineman Mekhi Wingo for at least a month.
When putting all of that together, it becomes clear that adding Williams could pay dividends for this team as early as Week 1.
That's exactly what every NFL fan wants from their first-round pick.
What should Lions fans expect from Tyleik Williams during his rookie season?
Simply put, the Lions need Williams to step up and become an immediate starter.
Look no further than the team's depth chart to understand why.
D.J. Reader, Brodric Martin, Myles Adams, and Chris Smith are the only healthy defensive tackles on the roster from the 2024 season. Of those, Reader is the only starting-caliber player.
As a result, the Lions will need to lean heavily on both Williams and free agent acquisition Roy Lopez early in the regular season.
It would be shocking if Reader and Williams are not Detroit's starting defensive tackles in Week 1. Lopez, Martin, and others can provide depth while Alim McNeill and Mekhi Wingo recover from their injuries.
Williams projects as an immediate plus as a run defender. No doubt something that made him popular with Detroit's coaching staff.
Things will get even more interesting as the regular season progresses.
It will be fascinating to see if Williams can develop into a disruptive pass rusher as well. In fact, his professional comp from NFL.com's Lance Zierlein is none other than Alim McNeill.
If Williams has a similar career trajectory to McNeill then Detroit's defensive line will be a lot more dangerous.
Lions fans should also be excited about the second half of the regular season. Williams should be settled into the NFL by then, and McNeill will eventually return.
Once both players are on the field at the same time, it could be fireworks.
