Lions Trade Up To Select DE Derrick Moore
The Lions are jumping up six spots in the second round, sending the 50th and 128th overall picks to the Jets for the right to draft Michigan defensive end Derrick Moore at No. 44 overall. Detroit takes a chance here on the in-state edge rusher who hit double-digit sacks for the Wolverines last year, pairing him with their other Michigan-made star in the pass rush.
A year after Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo wrapped up their careers at Michigan, Moore arrived on campus, working in as a rotational pass rusher off the bench as a true freshman. In Years 2 & 3, though he wasn’t named a starter, Moore found himself on the field just as much as the edge rushers on the first-team defense and produced at a similar rate. Finally named a full-time starter this past season, Moore made the most of his opportunity, posting career highs in sacks (10.0) and tackles for loss (10.5).
Detroit found a clear star edge rusher in 2022 when Hutchinson came on board and rattled off 21.0 sacks in his first two seasons, almost singlehandedly elevating the Lions’ pass rush. He looked to be on track for a career-best year in 2024 when a season-ending injury limited him to only 7.5 sacks in five games. Emphasizing how much he meant to the team’s defense, over the 12 remaining games of the season, no defender unseated him for the team lead in sacks. The team enjoyed Hutchinson’s return last year and even got a surprise contribution from veteran rotational edge rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad as the pair tallied 14.5 and 11.0 sacks, respectively.
Having tasted the joys of a defense with two double-digit sack getters, losing Muhammad to free agency made edge rusher a priority in the offseason. Detroit signed former Panthers starter D.J. Wonnum as a free agent replacement, but with a career-high sack total of eight, which he’s now two years removed from, the Lions may not have considered the room complete. Moore will come in to supplement the group, but his path to a starting role may be much the same as it was in Ann Arbor. Unless his 10.0-sack performance last year unlocked something in the 23-year-old’s game, some development may be needed to raise the ceiling on this Day 2 draft pick.