Detroit Lions: Here is what the organization is getting in Levi Onwuzurike

The Detroit Lions used the 41st overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft on defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike out of Washington.

This is a very interesting choice by the Detroit Lions after seeing Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Trevon Moehrig, and Rondale Moore.  NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah mentioned that Onwuzurike had been his top-ranked defensive tackle in the entire class, just ahead of Alabama’s Christian Barmore.

It’s a pick that comes a day after the organization landed the top overall offensive lineman in the entire draft class.  Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes is committed to building this thing the right way; in the trenches.

Onwuzurike is a stout 6-foot-3 about 290-pound interior defensive lineman that decided to opt-out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  He’s a redshirt senior, but a year ago, the big-fella earned All-Pac-12 honors, recording a pair of sacks and 45 tackles, six of which were for a loss.

The Detroit Lions continue to focus on building in the trenches selecting Levi Onwuzurike in the second round of the NFL Draft.

He’s sneaky strong for his size; he can handle playing as a nose tackle or defensive tackle.  He’s not a big as your prototypical nose tackle, but his strength and ability to explode off the ball allows him to play the position despite being somewhat undersized.

According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Onwuzurike earned a stellar overall grade of 90.8 in 2018, playing 318 total snaps.  He’d follow that up in 2019, playing 504 total snaps earning an overall mark of 82.5.

Onwuzurike primarily lined up pre-snap in the B-Gap but spent his fair share of time in the A-Gap as well.  This is a defensive lineman with big-time potential, but he needs some grooming and help to develop as a consistent pass-rusher at the next level.