With their fourth-round pick the Detroit Lions continued to tick away at their biggest needs. With the 118th pick, the Lions selected Michigan linebacker Jimmy Rolder.
Here are five things you need to know about the Lions’ newest linebacker.
1. He’s only a one-year starter, but showed great instincts in 2025
Rolder was with the Michigan Wolverines for four years, but he was only a starter in 2025. That lack of experience could lead some players to make mental mistakes. And while Rolder was no exception,
he has pretty much been universally praised for the instincts he showed last year.
“For an inexperienced starter, he shows solid natural instincts versus the run and in coverage.”
“Rolder needs to iron out his overaggressive tendencies, but he plays with ascending instincts and the reactive athleticism to make plays in the NFL.”
“Rolder’s instincts and run-game consistency make it hard to believe he was only a one-year starter in college”
“Impressive instincts given the limited on-field experience, especially against gap run schemes, as he’s quick to recognize them and put himself in a position to shoot gaps and make tackles at or near the line of scrimmage.”
2. He rarely misses tackles
Rolder had a missed tackle rate of just 4.7% as a starter last year, and 3.3% as a rotational player in 2024. Combine that with a pretty impressive athletic profile, and Rolder is in some rare company.
Check out this list of NFL Draft prospects who have an RAS of at least 8.40 and finished with a missed tackle rate below 5.0% for at least one season. He’s one of six since 2015.
Pretty good company for Rolder.
3. He had one of the most dominant special teams plays I’ve ever seen
This may not have a ton of relevance to his NFL career now that the old kickoff is dead and gone, but just watch his effort, strength, hustle, and finish on this kickoff coverage rep from Rolder:
Given Rolder’s role will likely be on special teams early, let’s hope he brings this kind of intensity to the new kickoff and punt coverage.
4. He was the most dominant player on the field during Michigan vs. Michigan State in 2025
It was an ugly win for the Wolverines over the Spartans, but Rolder put on an absolute showcase. He posted 10 tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack, a fumble recovery, and an 82.1 PFF grade against Sparty. Just look at these highlights:
5. He knows Jack Campbell
Rolder was heavily recruited by Iowa, and when he was, he jumped in a Zoom call with then-Hawkeyes linebacker Jack Campbell.
“When I was getting recruited out of high school I talked to him on Zoom,” Rolder said. “[…] So, just reconvening with him, playing with him at the next level, it’s going to be awesome.”
