Detroit Lions' Defensive Line Ranked 24th in NFL

Can the Detroit Lions' defensive line exceed expectations in 2021?

The Detroit Lions' defensive line will be evaluated closely in 2021. 

Lions general manager Brad Holmes invested two high draft choices in defensive tackles Levi Onwuzurike and Alim McNeill. 

Last season, only two NFL defensive line units finished with a worse PFF grade than the Lions. 

For Detroit's defense to take any sort of step forward in 2021, the defensive line must start to win more battles in the trenches. 

In its latest ranking of defensive line units, PFF ranked Detroit's at No. 24 out of 32 NFL teams. 

"Detroit’s defensive line unit finished the 2020 season ranked 30th in PFF grade, ahead of only the Vikings and Texans. Several offseason additions on the interior -- such as Michael Brockers, Levi Onwuzurike and Alim McNeill -- along with the return of a healthy Trey Flowers should improve matters in 2021, but the Lions still have a ways to go to get back to average," Ben Linsey explained. 

"It’s easy to forget, given how bad Detroit’s defense has been these past two seasons, that Flowers is one of the better defensive linemen in the league when healthy. He is coming off four straight seasons with overall grades of at least 80.0."

New Detroit defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn told reporters that he is excited about the different schemes he can create, based on the talent that is already on the roster. 

"I'm excited for the different schemes that I can be able to create with the guys that we have. We have size, we have speed, we have length," Glenn said. "So, you could use that in a number of different directions. We can be in base and get to a personnel package that you guys will see at some point."

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