For years, Detroit Lions fans have been begging the front office to spend high resources on a defensive end opposite Aidan Hutchinson. Detroit’s pass rush may be putting up the pressures and sacks, but the time it’s taking to get to the quarterback is causing the secondary to get toasted in between sacks.
Well, the Lions can turn that around this year. I have the perfect prospect that will not only provide some long-term pass rushing promise, but will make sure the Lions stay true to their run-defense
first mentality and philosophy of earning the right to pass rush.
Ladies and gentlemen, let’s talk about Auburn defensive end Keldric Faulk.
Why the Lions should draft EDGE Keldric Faulk
Previously:
- Why the Lions should draft LB Jacob Rodriguez
- Why the Lions should draft OT Francis Mauigoa
- Why the Lions should draft DB Keionte Scott
Athletic traits
Faulk’s best athletic traits are his size. At 6-foot-6, 276 pounds—with an 82 1/4-inch wingspan—he is arguably the biggest prospect among this year’s edge defender class.
What’s particularly remarkable about Faulk is that he still maintains impressive athleticism at that size. His 4.67 40-yard dash (at his pro day) finished in the 90th percentile and his 35-inch vert displayed his explosiveness. Posting a 9.10 RAS score at that size is undoubtedly impressive.
And while there are faster, bendier edge rushers in this class, Faulk turns the corner better than you’d expect from a man his size, something he showed off during the hoop drill at the NFL Combine:
Unsurprisingly, with an athletic profile like that, he made Bruce Feldman’s “Freak” list going into 2025. Here’s a snippet of that profile:
In two seasons with the Tigers, he has a combined 80 tackles, 14.5 TFLs and eight sacks. He doesn’t turn 20 until a few weeks into this season. Last year, when he had 11 TFLs and seven sacks, he was at his best in the Iron Bowl, when he had six tackles, two TFLs, forced a fumble and a fumble recovery. The 6-6, 285-pound junior squatted 700 pounds this offseason and bench pressed 415.
Pros
Elite run defender
Faulk is a complete run defender right out of the box. His natural strength makes him tough to move out of a gap, and his explosiveness allows him to shed blocks with ease. His long arm keep blocks at bay, and have led to an SEC-leading 72 run tackles over the past two seasons.
Still very young
Faulk is only 20 years old right now, meaning he was destroying some college kids three or four years older than him at Auburn. He’ll turn 21 just as the season is starting, meaning his developmental curve is just getting started.
Given he was starting games at just 18 years old in the SEC, I think it speaks to how good he was as a true freshman, and how good he can be with more coaching and more seasoning.
Versatile
In college, Faulk played anywhere from the nose to the wide-nine. You want him to set the edge on early downs? No problem. You need him to pass rush from the 4i on third-and-long? He’s had plenty of experience doing that. That ability to play so many different roles makes him a clear three-down player.
High character, grit
More on that later.
Cons
Pass rush is still a work in progress
Any way you look at his statistical production as a pass rusher (sacks, pressures, win rate), Faulk’s production has been average, at best. At this point, his best move is speed-to-power, and there’s not much of a game plan beyond that—though there was more versatility to his pass rush in 2025, despite the downtrend in production.
Still figuring out how to best use power
There’s a surprising lack of POP in some of Faulk’s tape, despite the fact that he’s physically stronger and more athletic than some of the linemen he’s going against.
Height works against him
Because of his insane size (6-foot-6), it can cause Faulk to play a little high. He has to work extra hard to keep his pad level low, and that is something he’s still nowhere near consistent on and it causes him to lose leverage often.
Statistics, production
- 2023: 13 games (8 starts) — 35 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, 1.0 sacks, 1 pass defended, 20 pressures
- PFF grades: 67.5 overall, 71.4 run defense, 60.8 pass rush
- 2024: 12 games (12 starts) — 45 tackles, 11.0 TFLs, 7.0 sacks, 1 pass defended, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 45 pressures
- PFF grades: 83.8 overall, 83.4 run defense, 72.5 pass rush
- 2025: 12 games (12 starts) — 29 tackles, 5.0 TFLs, 2.0 sacks, 4 passes defended, 30 pressures
- PFF grades: 75.8 overall, 85.5 run defense, 66.0 pass rush
Why the drop in 2025?
After a very productive 2024 season at age 19, many expected Faulk to be one of the best college football players in 2025. Unfortunately, Faulk’s production significantly decreased, particularly as a pass rusher. His sacks dropped from 7.0 to 2.0, his pressures dropped from 45 to 30, but, oddly, his pass rush win rate actually took a very small jump—from 11.5 to 11.6.
First, it’s important to note that playing style certainly impacts Faulk’s overall pass rushing production. Because of his aforementioned size and versatility, he’s not playing on the edge nearly as much as some of this year’s top prospects. Per Wide Left, Faulk was lined up in the 0-4 tech 33.2% of the time last year—significantly more than any other edge defender in this class—and here’s how his alignment impacted his pass rushing efficiency:
Last year, Faulk’s pass-rushing efficiency was directly related to his alignment width. His pressure rate was just 2.6% from the interior and 4.1% when aligned over the tackle (4-Tech). But on 179 pass rush snaps from outside the tackle, he had a 15.1% pressure rate, which ranked in the 73rd percentile for qualifying edge rushers.
Still, by his own admission, Faulk is still very much growing as a pass rusher.
“I’m still working on it,” Faulk said at the NFL Combine. “A lot of my production came from the 5-tech. I still had a little bit of production down at the 3-tech and 2i, but most of my production came from the 5-tech. Whenever I step on the field, it’s more of me trying to get better. It’s not me trying to be the same. I never want to be the same player every year, and I want to continue to try and get better and continue to improve my game so I can improve the well-being of the team.”
Character
As I detailed at the NFL Combine, Faulk is one of the top football characters in this year’s defensive end class.
From a personal standpoint, all you need to know is this story about how Faulk donated a portion of his NIL earnings to a walk-on teammate who was struggling to make ends meet.
“Whenever I did help him out, it was a great thing for me, just to help somebody else just because I’ve been blessed so much,” Faulk said during SEC media days last year. “To bless him and help him out in his time of need, it was one of the best things I ever did.”
That team-first mentality certainly carried over into the locker room. This past year, after head coach Hugh Freeze was fired midseason, Faulk took it upon himself to ensure there was the necessary leadership to carry the team through a turbulent time.
“I take full responsibility for everything that goes on,” Faulk said. “For everything that happened throughout the season and just taking responsibility gives me even more motivation to just go like keep that locker room together.”
Interim coach D.J. Durkin referred to Faulk as “one of the best leaders I’ve been around.”
Though they only went 1-2 down the stretch without Freeze, they did take No. 16 Vanderbuilt to overtime and were 20 yards away from tying No. 10 Alabama in the last minute of the game before an untimely fumble.
As for his demeanor and work ethic on the field, that cannot be questioned. Here’s Freeze on Faulk back in 2024, when the sophomore defender was just 19 years old:
“Keldric has just had an incredible voice that people listen to, because he’s wise for his age and his work ethic is incredible. I think it kind of sends a message that, man, this guy does everything.”
And in case you aren’t convinced yet, here’s what some draft analyst have to say about him:
“His effort is good, and coaches rave about his character/work ethic.”
“He plays with outstanding effort, and you simply cannot coach his combination of size, length, and athleticism.
Highlight
James Foster over at Wide Right put together a few really good highlight reels exploring Faulk’s strengths and weaknesses. Enjoy:
Fit
Faulk is a natural fit in Detroit’s big-end role. He’s a little bit of Levi Onwuzurike and a little DJ Wonnum, capable of taking the load off of both players almost immediately. His strength allows him to line up directly overhead the left tackle in a 5-tech, and he can slide inside on passing downs to hopefully bring some pass rush juice on later downs. Early on, Detroit would probably be wise to keep Wonnum in situations they need a 7 or 9-tech, but in time, Faulk could develop into that role, as well.
With Faulk’s athletic profile and age, it’s entirely possible he won’t be there for the Lions at 17. He’s drawn a lot of comparisons to 49ers defensive end Mykel Williams, who went 11th overall—higher than some projections.
But if Faulk is somehow still there at 17, the Lions would be wise to get their young, strong defensive end opposite Aidan Hutchinson… finally.
