Even in one of the deepest defensive line classes in recent memory, NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said he would pass on taking the position early in this year’s draft if he were the Detroit Lions and trade his picks to the Cleveland Browns for Myles Garrett.

“I’d be willing to be pretty aggressive, I think, if I were Brad Holmes on that front knowing that, that could bring a parade to my city,” Jeremiah said in a conference call Thursday. “I would be aggressive and do whatever I had to do and try and make something like that happen.”

Garrett, a four-time first-team All-Pro and the 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, requested a trade from the Browns last month and said he wants to play for a Super Bowl contender.

DAVE BIRKETT’S THOUGHTS ON MOCK DRAFT:Why Texas A&M DE Nic Scourton fits Lions best

The Lions went 15-2 and tied for the best record in the NFL last season, but lost their playoff opener to the Washington Commanders while missing five defensive starters, including top pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson, because of injury.

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

Hutchinson broke his leg last October, but still finished with a team-leading 7½ sacks last season.

The Lions enter the offseason in need of a pass rusher to pair with Hutchinson, who told the Free Press at the Super Bowl he thinks it’s “very unlikely” the Lions trade for Garrett.

Jeremiah said he doubts the Browns will trade Garrett, who has seven straight seasons of double-digit sacks and led the NFL with 22 tackles for loss last season.

“We just have to see if it’s a legit possibility,” Jeremiah said. “Everything in talking to people around the league, the expectation is, ‘Nah, they’re not going to move him, he’s not going to go anywhere.’ So we’ll see what happens.”

Garrett is one of several prominent pass rushers who could be in line for a new contract this offseason, along with Hutchinson, the Las Vegas Raiders’ Maxx Crosby, the Dallas Cowboys’ Micah Parsons and the Cincinnati Bengals’ Trey Hendrickson.

All are in line for contracts worth north of $35 million annually, and whoever waits longest to sign their deal could push $40 million a season.

Who are best DEs in 2025 NFL draft?

Jeremiah and other analysts agree this year’s draft is light on true difference makers but deep at the defensive tackle and edge rush positions.

MOCK DRAFT 1.0:Lions take pass rusher in Round 1 to help Aidan Hutchinson

In his initial top-50 prospect list, Jeremiah ranked seven edge rushers and four interior defensive linemen among his top 28 overall prospects. The Lions pick 28th in the first round.

Penn State’s Abdul Carter is considered one of the top players in this year’s draft, and Georgia edge rushers Jalon Walker and Mykel Williams and Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham are other potential top-10 picks at the positions.

Jeremiah said Tennessee’s James Pearce Jr. (his No. 20 overall prospect) and Texas A&M’s Shemar Stewart (No. 27) are among the late-first-round possibilities who would fit the Lions if they don’t swing a trade for Garrett or one of the league’s other top edge rushers, but noted “you can find them, especially Day 2, there’s a lot of other good options there for rushers.”

Pearce had 7½ sacks in 2024 and an SEC-leading 10 sacks in 2023, while Stewart had 1½ sacks each of the past three years.

“(Pearce is) going to be an interesting one,” Jeremiah said. “He could go in the top 15, he could go bottom of (Round) 1. He could go top of (Round) 2. Like there’s a wide range on him. He’s a lean, skinny rusher but he has got a ton of juice and explosiveness. He really knows how to rush. His first three steps are pretty dynamic, so that would be one we’ll see in the mix there.”

Jeremiah said Stewart is “raw as can be but, man, there’s a lot to work with.”

“If he were to get where he’s capable of getting talent-wise, there’s a lot in his body,” Jeremiah said.

Dave Birkett is the author of the book, “Detroit Lions: An Illustrated Timeline.”