The Detroit Lions’ defense has been a rough watch through the first five weeks, but the defensive line has been a clear bright spot for Kelvin Sheppard’s group.
At the center of it all is Aidan Hutchinson, who has kept right on piling up disruption. The fifth-year edge rusher has logged the second-most pressures in the NFL this season with 32, and his production shows up all over the grading sheet too. Among 106 qualified EDGE defenders, he owns the second-best Pro Football Focus overall grade at 91.4 and the best pass-rush grade at 91.1.
That kind of impact has become routine for Hutchinson. He’s been the Lions’ best defensive player and one of the most dangerous pass-rushers in the league, and there’s nothing in his current run that suggests the pace is about to slow.
The bigger lift may have come from Alim McNeill, whose 2026 start looks nothing like his 2025 finish. After spending most of last season working back from a torn ACL, McNeill was limited to 10 games and didn’t give Detroit much help when he returned. He finished with just 23 total pressures and one sack, along with a 52.2 PFF overall grade.
This year, he’s flipped the script. The 26-year-old already has 3.5 sacks and has matched last season’s pressure total. His 23 pressures lead all 133 qualified interior defensive linemen, and his 79.4 PFF overall grade ranks ninth at the position.
Detroit has also gotten real production from a pair of less-heralded contributors in rookie Skyler Gill-Howard and veteran D.J. Wonnum.
Gill-Howard, a sixth-round pick in April, has been a welcome surprise. The rookie interior lineman has produced 13 pressures, the most of any first-year interior defender, and that number ranks third among all rookies overall.
Wonnum has been just as important on the edge. He has five sacks, which ties him for fourth in the NFL and gives him two more than he had all of last season. His 65.5 pass-rush grade places him 43rd among qualified EDGEs.
Put it all together, and Detroit’s front has carried the defense’s best work. The Lions have the most sacks in the league through five weeks with 20.0, and for a unit that has struggled in plenty of other areas, the pass rush has more than held up its end.
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Branch is expected back after missing time since December with a torn Achilles, and the Lions know there will be some rust to work through once hes on the field again. But his versatility is exactly the kind of piece Detroit has been missing, the sort of player who can change the look and feel of a defense that badly needs help in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
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That is where the college scouting lens comes in, with a fresh look at several prospects who could fit the kinds of needs Detroit may be preparing to address. Smith, Jackson Jr., Tengesdal, Satuala and Borjon each bring a different profile, and the evaluations attached to them range from strengths that pop on recent film to concerns that keep their draft ranges from getting too cozy. With upcoming college games still ahead, the Lions have time to keep gathering information, but the list is already a reminder that the bye week is about more than rest. [Read more 🡒]
Aidan Hutchinson May Finally Have What Lions Fans Have Wanted
Aidan Hutchinsons start to the 2026 season has been solid, if not yet the sort of dominant run Lions fans have been waiting for. He has four sacks and a pass rush win rate that ranks in the 66th percentile, and while Detroits defense has had its share of issues, ESPN analyst Seth Walder still sees a path to Defensive Player of the Year if Hutchinson can take another step and the unit around him gives him more support.
DJ Wonnums emergence may be part of the reason that path suddenly looks more realistic. Hutchinson has praised the way the two edge rushers complement each other and has talked about wanting both players, and the Lions, to keep building on that chemistry. For a pass rush that has often leaned too heavily on Hutchinson alone, the next stretch could determine whether he keeps drawing the kind of attention that turns a good season into a special one. [Read more 🡒]