The 2025 NFL Draft is approaching and there's a possibility the Detroit Lions could select a former Michigan State football player in the first round.
Detroit has the No. 28 pick in this year's draft after earning the top seed in the NFC before losing to Washington in their first game. This means that the Lions will have to trade up to get a massive instant-impact guy like they've been used to pre-Dan Campbell.
Still, at No. 28, Detroit could get a guy who could come in and make an impact as a rookie.
And that guy could be former Spartan Derrick Harmon who played the majority of his college career in East Lansing before transferring to Oregon for the 2024 season. And one former Spartan basketball player (AJ Hoggard) is lobbying for Detroit to pick him in round one.
👀 Derrick Harmon https://t.co/AxatIVo1Rt
— wop (@ajhoggard3) April 17, 2025
And this isn't just wishful thinking by Hoggard, it's a legitimate possibility. In fact, the Lions recently hosted Harmon on a visit leading up to the draft and that means that there's legitimate interest on both sides.
Oregon DT Derrick Harmon posted this on his instagram account, apparently in town for a Top 30 or local visit.
— Erik Schlitt (@erikschlitt) April 11, 2025
Harmon is from Detroit and attended Loyola HS and Michigan State before transferring to Oregon in 2024.
(H/t to @j_ekks) pic.twitter.com/R74egA101z
For Harmon, he's from Detroit so coming home would be an attractive destination. He would likely love to play for the hometown team that also happens to be a Super Bowl favorite for the first time in his life. The Lions, too, need a guy like Harmon on that defensive line to get after the quarterback and plug holes against the run.
A defensive line with Aidan Hutchinson, Za'Darius Smith, and Harmon would be tough for opposing lines to handle and it would instantly make the Lions one of the most effective pass-rushing teams in the NFL.
We'll see if that's what the Lions decide to do at No. 28.