The Detroit Lions made the right pick for their roster in the 2025 NFL draft; they just did it in the wrong round. According to Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report, if the Lions had a redo of the 2025 NFL draft, they would take their second-round pick, Tate Ratledge, in the first round, ahead of their first-round pick, Tyleik Williams.
The re-draft went through the entire first round, giving every team a chance at a new selection. While some teams picked the same player, there were a lot of changes in this re-draft. However, Ratledge ending up on the Lions remained the same.
Detroit took Ratledge in the second round, at pick 57 overall. In this re-draft, he was taken 28th overall.
The Detroit Lions Take Tate Ratledge in 2025 Re-Draft
GettyDetroit Lions defensive tackle Tyleik Williams.
There are a couple of different ways to look at this. First, they found a steal in Ratledge. He started in 17 games for the Lions and is projected to be their starter again in year two. The consistency and immediate impact make up for the limited ceiling as a pass protector.
He was not quite impactful enough to go higher, but the Lions obviously had a need on the offensive line. If teams knew that they were getting this kind of production out of Ratledge, he would have gone much higher, so it makes sense why the Lions would take him in this spot. In reality, getting him at 57 is great value.
On the other end, the team took Williams with the 31st overall pick, and he was not taken at all in the first round. To be fair to Williams, he was not a complete dud, and he would likely get taken before the Lions picked at 57 in this re-draft.
Still, it is notable that this re-draft has the Lions with a big hit in round 2 and a big miss in round 1.
Three of Four Division Rivals Have New Picks in Re-Draft
The Lions are not the only team in the NFC North that saw their draft pick status fall in this re-draft, though. The Green Bay Packers selected Matthew Golden with the 22nd pick in the 2025 NFL draft. He did not go in the first round. If this extended into the next round, he would go behind Williams, as he showed very little during his rookie year.
The Minnesota Vikings took Donavan Jackson. While he went 32nd in this article, that is below Ratledge despite playing the same position. So, the player the Lions took at 57th has been better than the player the Vikings took at 24th.
The only team that hit on their pick was the Chicago Bears. They took Colston Loveland tenth, and he went in the same spot to the same team in this exercise. Still, it is much easier when you have a top ten pick.
Overall, the Lions saw a player on their team be the second player drafted. They did not hit on Williams, but Ratledge made up for it.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Lions’ Biggest 2025 Draft Mistake Comes With a Twist appeared first on HEAVY.