Lions Add Another Trench Warrior in Seventh Round
The Lions wrapped up their draft by doing what Brad Holmes does best: finding value in places other teams overlook. Tennessee defensive lineman Tyre West went in the seventh round, but don’t let that fool you. This is a guy who could solve a problem that haunted Detroit all of 2025.
West brings something you can’t teach: loyalty and motor. The man stayed at Tennessee for four years despite being buried on the depth chart, starting just five games in 48 appearances. When asked why he didn’t hit the transfer portal like every other player with a pulse, West’s answer was simple.
“Loyalty. It runs very deep in me, and just what we had at Tennessee with our D-line and everything – everything I started with, I just want to finish.”
The Late Bloomer Gets His Shot
West wasn’t even invited to the Senior Bowl initially. But when he got that late call, he jumped on it and made enough noise to earn the start in the bowl game. The Combine? Nope, didn’t get that invite either.
But Holmes saw something. The Lions were the first team to bring West in for a top-30 visit, and apparently the Allen Park facility made quite an impression.
“I talked to (Lions Defensive Coordinator Kelvin Sheppard) Coach Sheppard, I had talked to the D-line coach. I talked to everyone in the facility, and everybody just had great energy,” West said. “I just knew for a fact it was going to be a good fit.”
Built for Detroit’s System
Here’s where it gets interesting. West is listed at 6-foot-1 and 280 pounds, which makes him a tweener in most NFL systems. But the Lions aren’t most NFL systems.
Detroit’s usage of the 4i technique in big sets gives West a cleaner path to snaps than he’d get elsewhere. He’s got that “low man wins” leverage that Dan Campbell preaches, plus the kind of aggressive finishing ability that fits this culture perfectly.
Holmes was typically understated but positive about the pick: “When he would come in, he would take advantage of the opportunities that he got in terms of being able to apply pressure and get to the quarterback.”
Solving Last Season’s Problem
Remember the 4i position disaster from 2025? The Lions planned to start Levi Onwuzurike there, but a knee injury wiped out his year. Then came the desperate shuffle: Pat O’Connor, Tyler Lacy, occasionally Alim McNeill when he got back from his ACL recovery.
Nothing stuck. The Lions eventually just moved away from the position entirely as the season wound down.
Now they’ve got options. Onwuzurike is back from injury. Lacy returns for year two. And West brings that versatility he calls his “greatest superpower.”
It’s going to be a legitimate camp battle, and honestly, that’s exactly what this position needed. Competition breeds excellence, and Holmes has given the coaching staff three different looks at a spot that was a revolving door of mediocrity in 2025.
Think this seventh-rounder has what it takes to crack the rotation, or are we setting ourselves up for another year of 4i roulette? Drop your take below.
