On Wednesday night, the Detroit Lions video crew, “One Pride Productions,” dropped their most anticipated video of the year: “Inside the Den.” After taking last year off, the Lions went back to the well of their behind-the-scenes draft series, offering fans a look inside the Lions’ war room, pre-draft visits, and everything in between.
If you haven’t watched it yet, there’s an hour of goodies waiting for you. But here are my six biggest takeaways.
The Lions didn’t want James Pearce
Detroit drew a lot of criticism after the draft for
waiting until Day 3 to draft a defensive end, but the docuseries made it clear that one EDGE draft prospect was not on their radar. When Tennessee defender James Pearce Jr. went to the Atlanta Falcons with the 26th overall pick (two before the Lions), Detroit’s war room erupted in celebration.
We here at Pride of Detroit repeatedly expressed our belief that Pearce wasn’t the kind of fit the Lions may have been looking for, both on the field and off it.
Both Tyleik Williams and Tate Ratledge had formal Combine meetings with Lions
Without a doubt, one of the best parts of the video is watching Lions coaches grill players during 20-minute NFL Combine interviews and seeing how they react.
"I think I play with an edge." - @tateratledge22 pic.twitter.com/1oZ8k0Pzpg
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) July 30, 2025
I found the clips of Williams and Ratledge to be extremely impressive, as they flashed both intelligence and the necessary grit to fit in Detroit.
Williams was DC Kelvin Sheppard’s favorite defensive player
When the video showed Williams arrive at the Lions facility—just a few days after he was there for a top-30 visit—Sheppard was among the most excited to see him. Well, not more excited than Tashard Choice, who seems thrilled about just about everything.
“I told them,” Sheppard is seen telling Williams. “Like, Dan and all them knew that. They made jokes with me, because I was like, ‘This is my favorite player, defensively, in this draft.’ I didn’t think we was gonna have the opportunity, and then just god-willing. You know how I told you, this ain’t recruiting. I could love you all I want, but everything’s gotta map out the right way. I truly believe this is where you’re supposed to be.”
Sheila Hamp knew Ratledge could potentially play center on draft night
Moments after the Lions had drafted Ratledge in the second round, you can see the Lions' front office debriefing on the decision. It’s then that the war-room footage captures a very important moment.
— Pride of Detroit (@PrideOfDetroit) July 31, 2025
That’s Lions owner Sheila Hamp confirming with Dan Campbell that Ratledge has the versatility to play center. Flash forward three months, and with Frank Ragnow now retired, Ratledge is in the conversation to be the team’s future center, despite only playing guard in college. They were thinking ahead.
The Lions got Miles Frazier TWO ROUNDS AFTER they started considering him
At the end of Day 2—after the Lions’ aggressive trade up to get Isaac TeSlaa—Lions director of college scouting Brian Hudspeth turned to general manager Brad Holmes and asked him a simple question:
If you had stayed put at the original third-round pick (102 overall), who would you have picked?
Holmes’ answer: “It probably would’ve been that LSU guard.”
He’s talking about Miles Frazier, the player Holmes would end up drafting in the fifth round, nearly 70 picks later (171 overall).
Holmes wanted Ahmed Hassanein or Dan Jackson. He got both.
There was a lot of waiting involved on Day 3 of the NFL Draft. After selecting Frazier at 171, the Lions pondered their next few picks. At one point, cameras pick up a conversation between Holmes and Campbell—and they’re already laying out their choices for who would end up being their next two selections—34 picks apart.
“This is the edge rusher, Ahmed Hassanein. He’s from Egypt,” Holmes points out to Campbell. “Or this safety, Dan Jackson from Georgia.”
“I could go either way,” Campbell responds. “What are the odds Jackson’s there in the seventh?”
Holmes’ response?
“I might take both of them.”
Sure enough, Hassanein was selected with the team’s sixth-round pick (196 overall), and Jackson did indeed slide to the seventh, with the Lions picking him 230th overall.
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