The Detroit Lions closed out their 2026 NFL Draft by selecting their fourth trench player, Tennessee defensive lineman Tyre West in the seventh round. While the Lions drafted three defensive linemen, each will play a different position along the Lions front, with West likely competing for a role that the Lions struggled to fill last season.
Let’s take a look at West’s background and traits and discuss how his addition will impact the Lions’ roster in 2026 and beyond.
Round 7, Pick 222: Tyre West
West has an unusual profile for
a drafted player because, despite being a four-year contributor at Tennessee, he has only five official starts in 48 games. Even though he was just a rotational player, West elected to stick it out at Tennessee instead of jumping into the transfer portal, and he discussed why with the Detroit media after being selected by the Lions:
“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.”
While remaining loyal and staying in a rotational role likely negatively impacted his draft profile, he worked hard in the offseason to increase his marketability. West was not initially invited to the Senior Bowl, but when he got a late call about joining, he jumped at the opportunity and performed well enough to be rewarded with the start in the bowl game.
It didn’t take long for him to make his mark:
Unfortunately, West was not invited to the Combine, but when the top-30 window opened, the Lions were the first team to reach out and bring him in for a visit.
“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. I loved all the energy and the emotion that they came to me with when I first got there. I just knew for a fact it was going to be a good fit.”
Fit with the Lions
With a heavy sawed-off frame (6-foot-1, 280 pounds), West is a bit of a tweener, and he spent the majority of his college career working between defensive end and 5-technique roles. While most NFL defenses would ask him to put on more weight and kick inside to the 3-technique, the Lions’ usage of the 4i in big sets gives West a cleaner path to meaningful snaps. The Lions may still elect to kick him inside, but it would likely only be in subpackage looks.
West’s frame can cause him problems with NFL linemen, but he has a “low man wins” advantage with his pads level and can create leverage with his power. While he may have a hard time disengaging from blocks, you can see his strength in his anchor when setting the edge. His hands are also loaded with power, and he uses them well, especially when tackling, where he likes to finish through the ball carrier. His first-step quickness is solid, but you really see him utilize his closing speed and aggressive motor when in pursuit.
As West’s confidence grew, so did his opportunities and his production. In his conversation with the Detroit media, he said he believed he became a better ball player each season (Lions GM Brad Holmes agreed) and that his intelligence for the game matured. He also noted that he believes his versatility will be his greatest superpower in Detroit, and that he felt like his aggressive playing style would fit right in with the Lions.
Here’s what Holmes said about West during his post-draft media session:
“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. He was one that we brought him in for a visit, enjoyed the time that we spent with him, and felt really good about it.”
Roster impact
The Lions’ 4i position is not a base starting role, but they use it in a lot of their base sets, especially when they deploy a SAM linebacker on the line of scrimmage. In 2025, the Lions planned to start Levi Onwuzurike in that role, but when a knee injury cost him the year, they needed to pivot on the fly. First, they turned to Pat O’Connor (who is no longer on the roster), then to Tyler Lacy, and occasionally Alim McNeill once he returned from his ACL recovery. They never really settled on an answer for the role, and eventually shifted away from it as the season came to a close.
Now, with Onwuzurike returning from injury, Lacy back for a second year, and the addition of West, the Lions have set themselves up for a camp battle. All three players have questions (is Onwuzurike healthy? Has Lacy improved? Can West contribute as a rookie?), but they all have upside as well. This will be a fun battle to watch play out in training camp, as the Lions look to strengthen a position they struggled with last year.
